Author: Defenceline Webdesk

MELBOURNE — Australia has outlined plans to boost its defense spending to three percent of its Gross Domestic Product in the coming years, while reaffirming that the US remains its closest ally and principal strategic partner. The country’s defense department released its National Defence Strategy (NDS) and Integrated Investment Plan (IIP) earlier today, outlining a plan to get defense spending to $96.6 billion AUD, or three percent of GDP, by 2033. That total is calculated through NATO methodology, which includes figures from defense-related spending in areas like pensions. But the department also set an even more ambitious goal, targeting spending…

Space-based interceptors may be too costly even for the massively budgeted Golden Dome missile defense system, the program’s leader said Wednesday. Acknowledging what many analysts have said ever since President Trump ordered up orbiting interceptors in one of the first executive orders of his second term, Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein told the House Armed Services Strategic Forces subcommittee on Wednesday that building and deploying satellites armed to down enemy missiles early in flight may never be affordable. “What we do not know today is ‘can I do it at scale and can I do it affordably?’ That’s going to be the…

An Estonian CV90 IFV on exercise in 2021. Credit: US Army photo by 1st Lt. Ian Fischer Estonia cancels new IFV buy; will upgrade 44 CV9035NLs for ~€100m Extra funds (> $400m) likely shift to counter-UAS and FPV drones APC deliveries completed in 2025; defence spending rising to >$1.6bn Estonia has dropped its intended acquisition of new infantry fighting vehicles (IFV), intended to replace a fleet of current CV90 platforms, and redirect funding to the procurement of alternative capabilities, thought potentially to be counter-UAS and FPV strike drones. According to GlobalData’s inventory data lists, Estonia operates a fleet of 44…

India’s aviation sector has moved a step closer to manufacturing GE F‑414 turbofan engines domestically, following a technical agreement between Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and GE Aerospace, reported TOI.This development is crucial as the F‑414 will power three upcoming fighter jets, including the TEJAS MK-2, the Twin‑Engined Deck Based Fighter, and the initial variant of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). The agreement marks a significant stride in reducing foreign dependency and strengthening India’s self‑reliance in advanced aerospace.The technical agreement sets the stage for commercial negotiations between HAL and GE. Once finalised, the deal will enable 80% of the powerplant…

Mike Markowitz, Strategy Page From Masterly Commander to Masterful Emperor of Rome Source link

NASHVILLE — AeroVironment (AV) today announced its new line of launched effects systems, dubbed MAYHEM, which the company describes as autonomous capabilities that can be deployed from air, ground and sea platforms. The first capability unveiled in this line, MAYHEM 10, has a 10 lb. payload and is interchangeable, allowing the system to support both lethal and nonlethal missions, Brian Young, senior vice president of loitering munitions at AV said in a roundtable prior to the announcement. For instance, he said it can support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, electronic warfare, precision strike and communications relay. He explained that the…

Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP speaking at a UK Defence Industry Roundtable with Gulf Partners in March. Credit: UK MoD/Crown copyright UK Minister for Defence Readiness blasts “journalists and armchair generals” as defence rows and budget pressures mount UK forces are described as severely weakened after decades of cuts and delays Senior Labour figures have accused the government of complacency on defence funding amid the long-delayed Defence Investment Plan Rattled doesn’t even come close to it, listening to the words spoken by UK Minister for Defence Readiness Luke Pollard, who in an interview with…

India is moving forward with the acquisition of six additional P-8I Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft from the United States, despite the sharp rise in costs, reported Srinjoy Chowdhury of Times Now.The deal, valued at over $3.5 billion, will be processed through the Foreign Military Sales route. Negotiations had been ongoing for more than a year, with India initially resisting the purchase due to the steep increase in price per aircraft, now estimated between $500–600 million.By comparison, the first batch of eight P-8Is, acquired in 2009, cost $2.1 billion in total. Boeing has attributed the surge in costs to global supply-chain…

Robert Wihtol, The Strategist (ASPI) Historical analyses of European security have tended to relegate the Baltic region to the sidelines, focusing instead on major players, such as Britain,… Source link

Acquisition reform at the Pentagon is about to meet a new challenge: the drone gold rush. Already a popular talking point in the building, drones featured prominently in the fiscal 2027 budget. Look no further than the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG), which reportedly has a $54 billion budget for the next five years — up from just $226 million in FY26.  Managing major growth in unmanned systems won’t be easy, and will require different thinking. But it won’t require total reinvention, because there is a model that’s been spelled out over the last year: the Direct Reporting Portfolio Managers or DRPMs. …