IAN STRACHAN reports from the Weapon Systems and Technology post-Strategic Defence and Security Review Conference, organised by the RAeS Weapon Systems and Technology Group.

This is a full article published in Aerospace International: May 2011

A preview of what to look forward to at this year’s Paris Air Show on 20-26 June

Thanks to the UK’s National Army Museum we have a great competition for readers – tickets to an exclusive talk by Ed Macy MC, former British Army Apache AH1 pilot and author of the bestselling ‘Apache’ & ‘Hellfire’ books.

This week, Aerospace International Editor Tim Robinson has been interviewed on one of the web’s most popular aviation podcasts, Airplane Geeks, on the effects of the UK’s SDSR on the British military rotorcraft fleet, and how the UK’s Joint Helicopter Command prepares for the challenges of operations in Afghanistan.

This weekly podcast is the no1 aviation-related podcast on iTunes and in the past has featured other aviation journalists, analysts and commentators to talk about current issues in the aerospace community, such as airline strategy, safety and Required Navigation Performance (RNP). It covers commercial, general and military aviation news stories.

RAF Chinook on Excercise Pashtun Jaguar 2011 earlier this year.

Why not head over to airplanegeeks.com to listen to this week’s episode (144)  and check out their other episodes!

from the Royal Aeronautical Society

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This week, the Royal Aeronautical Society has been featured in a segment on  one of the web’s most popular aviation podcasts, Airplane Geeks, with Aerospace International Editor Tim Robinson being interviewed for the show on the UK’s SDSR and defence cuts - and the Libyan no-fly zone’s impact on these decisions.

This weekly podcast is the no1 aviation-related podcast on iTunes and in the past has featured other aviation journalists, analysts and commentators to talk about current issues in the aerospace community, such as airline strategy, safety and Required Navigation Performance (RNP). It covers commercial, general and military aviation news stories.

Why not head over to airplanegeeks.com to listen to this week’s episode (143) to hear the Editor talking about UK defence cuts, SDSR and Libya  and check out their other episodes!

from the Royal Aeronautical Society

Do more:

REQUEST: a subscription to Royal Aeronautical Society Publications
APPLY: to become a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society
MORE: about Royal Aeronautical Society publications

A preliminary assessment of the Operation Odyssey Dawn/Ellamy air operations against Gaddafi’s Libyan regime – and the challenges it faces.

The events currently unfolding in the Middle East as the people protests, fanned by social media, has profound implications for the region – which as yet are still unclear. Autocratic regimes, their rule, formerly seeming strong, are now either under siege or facing major challenges. But what are the implications for aviation?

A full report as the UK’s Joint Helicopter Command hones its edge in pre-deployment exercises for Afghanistan - and how the latest training can help replicate the complex and difficult decisions faced in theatre.

An in-depth analysis of China’s new Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter, which made its first flight on 11 January, and why it may not only represent a threat to Western fighter pilots, but also to the Russian aerospace industry.

The latest farcical twist to the KC-X tanker saga saw the USAF procurement executive send confidential assessments to rival competitors, Boeing and EADS. What next for this aviation procurement soap opera and could a split buy be on the cards?

On the 1-2 December in Brussels a high-level conference will take place organised by ASD/CEAS, the two umbrella bodies for aerospace/defence trade associations and professional organisations like the Royal Aeronautical Society. Uniquely then, it is an event where European aerospace stakeholders from industry, politics and research will meet to discuss the top-level strategic issues facing the sector, today and in the future.

One of the biggest shocks of last week’s UK Strategic Defence & Security Review (SDSR) was the cancellation of the BAE Systems Nimrod MRA4 project. But what are the options now for RAF maritime patrol and ASW capability?

SDSR - initial commentary on the UK’s defence cuts  from Professor Keith Hayward, Head of Research, Royal Aeronautical Society

Aerospace International talks to the Rt Hon Gerald Howarth, MP for Aldershot, Minister for International Security Strategy at the Ministry of Defence and a private pilot, about this year’s Farnborough Airshow, encouraging young people into the industry and why UK aerospace and defence exports will lead the way out of the deficit.

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.