This is an excerpt from an article published in The Aerospace Professional: May 2010.

The Ballantyne Seminar 2010 took place on 26 March under the title ‘Flying out of a Recession’ and its main theme was the effects of the financial climate on aerospace engineering and business. It was aimed at young people from 14 to 18 years old, to reflect on the ways that the aerospace industry has responded to the recession and what the future may hold for young people wanting to start a career. The Ballantyne Seminar was kindly sponsored by Boeing.

The UK Government has announced a series of defence cuts in advance of a wider Strategic Defence Review. MIKE BRATBY from the RAeS Air Power Group asks if this combination of cost-cutting before planning for the future is reshaping Britain’s defence in an uneasy mix that does not add up to a strategy.