The Defence industry briefing
The month in defence in news, views and numbers
In numbers
40,000lb
The size of the bomb the US Navy detonated alongside the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford as part of full-ship shock trials
$600m
Value of five-year US Army Armoured Multipurpose Vehicle sustainment contract awarded to BAE Systems
400,000
Number of flight hours exceeded by the worldwide F-35 fleet
£3bn
The MOD on the Ajax programme, whose trials are on hiatus following noise complaints
5,677
Number of defence jobs advertised in Cloud, the biggest disruptive sector for defence recruitment
From our sites
British Army uses AI technology to conduct live-fire drills
The British Army has deployed artificial intelligence for the first time during the annual large-scale NATO exercise ‘Spring Storm’, as part of Operation Cabrit in Estonia. During the exercise, 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade soldiers used an AI engine for data regarding the deployed environment and territory.
Raytheon, BAE and Northrop selected for DARPA’s FENCE project
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected three teams of researchers led by Raytheon, BAE Systems, and Northrop Grumman to develop event-based infrared camera technologies. The development will be carried out under the Fast Event-based Neuromorphic Camera and Electronics (FENCE) programme.
Singapore and US Navies conduct bilateral exercise Pacific Griffin
The US Navy (USN) and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) conducted a bilateral exercise Pacific Griffin in the water off Guam.
The exercise, which ran to 7 July, offered an opportunity for the two navies to enhance their capabilities and cooperation.
In quotes
All those who fought in Afghanistan can hold their heads up very high.
The British military was not defeated on the battlefield. They showed remarkable adaptability against a very cunning and nefarious opponent, and they showed phenomenal courage under great pressure.
Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter on the withdrawal of UK troops from Afghanistan.
Credit: U.S. Air Force
The F-35 we have today is not necessarily the F-35 we want to have that goes into the future; that will have Tech Refresh 3 and Block 4 against an advancing Chinese threat.
US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. confirming why the USAF is not including more F-35s on its unfunded priorities list.
Credit: L3Harris
On TWitter
In Pictures
Aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth passes through the Suez Canal leading the Carrier Strike Group.
Operation TORAL draws to a close as the UK transitions to a new phase of support to Afghanistan.
US and Royal Australian Air Force airmen observe an MC-130J Air Commando II flying in formation off the coast of New South Wales, Australia, during exercise Teak Action 21
A US Army UH-60 Black Hawk of the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, Wings of Victory, flies over the Black Sea for maritime operations crew certification flights off the coast of Bulgaria on May 5, 2021, during Exercise Swift Response 21, part of DEFENDER-Europe 21. Credit: US Army
The British Army has sent almost 2,000 troops to Liverpool to help with the mass testing of residents for Covid-19. Image: Crown Copyright / MOD