“Capital follows confidence” as defence courts private money
Outside investment and the direction in which venture money flows may reveal what defence will buy years before formal programmes begin.
Airbus Defence and Space continues to certify a series of mission capabilities for the A400M tactical transport aircraft designed to further enhance the platform’s support of special operations forces.
Speaking to Shephard at the Special Operations Forces Innovation Network Seminar (SOFINS) at Camp de Souge, France on 2 April, Airbus officials described ongoing efforts which will enable the A400M to support the full spectrum of air special operations.
According to Airbus’s marketing manager for the A400M, Eduardo Pellicer, air frames will be certified to support high altitude military freefall (MFF) operations in the 2019/2020 timeframe.
Such a capability will allow
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Outside investment and the direction in which venture money flows may reveal what defence will buy years before formal programmes begin.
The Department of National Defence expects initial contracts to deliver thousands of uncrewed systems, but has yet to establish the quantities, capability mix or deadline behind Ottawa’s promised tenfold expansion.
The company told Shephard that Ukraine is operating modified Protector weapon stations originally supplied for armoured vehicles, with human operators authorising engagements from hundreds of kilometres away.
A report from the Council on Geostrategy argues the UK should move away from a traditional balanced force and shift investment to naval, air and space capabilities, backed by a larger fleet of attack submarines and deeper AUKUS integration.
At its technology summit in London, attended by Shephard, Thales UK examined the importance of speed to delivery, the growing focus on cross-domain capabilities and how procurement reform could be crucial for future battlefield advantage.
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.