Why small guns have been critical to layered CUAS architectures
Multiple countries have been deploying small arms as the last line of drone defence due to their multiple operational and tactical advantages.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) posted record sales and net income in 2020, the company announced on 18 March when revealing its annual financial results.
Sales reached $4.2 billion (up by 1.85%) and net income rose by 48% year on year to reach $133 million.
R&D (in-house and contracted) exceeded the $1 billion mark for the first time, increasing by 13% in 2020 to about $1.04 billion.
IAI attributed sales growth mainly to increased demand for goods and services from its Elta subsidiary and the Systems Missiles & Space Group. Sales in the IAI Military Group in 2020 increased by 14% to $3.51 billion.
However, the crisis in civil aviation amid the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to an 18% fall in revenues from the Aviation Group to $1.19 billion.
Exports in 2020 accounted for 71% of sales, which was similar to the proportion recorded in 2019.
The year-end order backlog was slightly lower in 2020 ($12.6 billion versus $13.5 billion in 2019). Export customers accounted for 79% of the 2020 total.
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Multiple countries have been deploying small arms as the last line of drone defence due to their multiple operational and tactical advantages.
The Singapore-based technology company unveiled its new rifle family at this week’s airshow. Chen Chuanren spoke with the ST Engineering’s head of small arms to find out more about how the weapons have been refined.
Any potential ‘Arctic Sentry’ mission would be months in the planning, but with tensions high in the region given the US’s push for Greenland, NATO countries will need to continue to emphasise their commitment to the region, analysts have said.
Defence Minister Gen Vladimir Padrino López has declared that the Venezuelan armed forces “will continue to employ all its available capabilities for military defence”.
The UK’s defence spending commitments remain uncertain as the government’s Defence Investment Plan, which had been due by the end of 2025, is yet to be published.
Disruption of infrastructure in Europe, whether by cyberattack, physical damage to pipelines or uncrewed aerial vehicles flying over major airports, as has happened more recently, is on the rise. What is the most effective way of countering the aerial aspect of this not-so-open warfare?