All posts tagged: defence

Bridging the gap in urban-wildland defence

Bridging the gap in urban-wildland defence

Published by Miika Tikkanen

Wildfire Water Solutions discusses the evolving challenges of wildfire management and emphasises the importance of deployable infrastructure solutions to enhance water accessibility and improve preparedness in urban-wildland interfaces Across many regions of the world, wildfire behaviour is evolving. Longer fire seasons, increased fuel loading, and more frequent extreme weather events are creating conditions that exceed the original design assumptions of many response systems. In fast-moving wildland-urban interface (WUI) environments, firefighting effectiveness is often shaped not only by expertise and effort, but by logistics – how quickly and reliably critical resources can be delivered to where they are needed. Water access, pressure, and delivery pathways can become limiting under these conditions, particularly where terrain, infrastructure design tolerances, or concurrent demand create friction. This is not a failure of existing systems, but a reflection of the scale and intensity of modern wildfire events. This gap has led to the emergence of a new category: deployable infrastructure. Wildfire Water Solutions (WWS) operates within this category – providing systems that can be rapidly positioned to extend and reinforce existing …

Indonesia to build up defence capabilities with new aircraft

Indonesia to build up defence capabilities with new aircraft

Published by Sam Flores

Indonesia received the first batch of three Rafale jets in January, and Monday’s ceremony included an additional three jets for the military, defence ministry spokesman Rico Ricardo Sirait told AFP. He underscored the jets’ importance to strengthen Indonesia’s air defence system and claimed that defence equipment modernisation was also an investment to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty. “The government views the strengthening of defence equipment not merely as the procurement of combat platforms, but as a strategic investment aimed at safeguarding sovereignty, national honour and national defence readiness,” he said. Prabowo, a former military general who came to power in 2024, has sought to modernise Indonesia’s ageing military assets. He met with French President Emmanuel Macron last month in Paris, where the two leaders discussed bolstering strategic cooperation, including through the “procurement of defence equipment and the strengthening of the defence industry”, according to an Indonesian government statement. Source link

Thales first-quarter sales jump nearly 10% as defence deliveries surge

Thales first-quarter sales jump nearly 10% as defence deliveries surge

Published by Sam Flores

April 21 : Europe’s largest defence technology group Thales on Tuesday reported first-quarter sales well above analyst forecasts, with revenues rising nearly 10 per cent organically driven by surging defence deliveries. The group posted quarterly sales of 5.32 billion euros ($6.27 billion), up 9.7 per cent organically from a year ago, as its defence division, which alone accounted for more than half of total sales, benefited from expanded capacity that lifted delivery rates across its portfolio. Thales, however, missed analyst expectations for first-quarter order intake, which came in at 4.65 billion euros, despite its core defence division surging 75 per cent organically to 2.24 billion euros. Analysts had on average expected quarterly sales of 5.19 billion euros and an order intake of 4.85 billion euros, based on a consensus compiled by the company. Shares in the company, which are up 10.5 per cent this year, were down 3.6 per cent at 0923GMT. The company kept its annual guidance range of between 6-7 per cent organic sales growth unchanged. Chief Financial Officer Pascal Bouchiat told journalists …

Napoli’s title defence all but over after home loss to Lazio

Napoli’s title defence all but over after home loss to Lazio

Published by Sam Flores

NAPLES, Italy, April 18 : Napoli’s slim hopes of defending their Serie A league title all but ended with a 2-0 home defeat by Lazio on Saturday that left them 12 points adrift of leaders Inter Milan with five games left. Inter, who beat Cagliari 3-0 on Friday, are on 78 points, with Napoli on 66. AC Milan are three points behind ahead of their game at Hellas Verona on Sunday and Lazio are ninth in the standings on 47 points. The visitors took a sixth-minute lead through Matteo Cancellieri and Lazio could afford to spurn a penalty chance, with Vanja Milinkovic-Savic saving Mattia Zaccagni’s spot kick, before Toma Basic doubled their advantage 12 minutes after the break. Lazio, managed by former Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri, never looked like allowing a sluggish home side back into the game and came away victorious from the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona for the fourth successive season. At the turn of the year, Serie A was enjoying a mouth-watering title race, with four points separating the top five sides. …

Defence spending should not be a choice of welfare or warfare

Defence spending should not be a choice of welfare or warfare

Published by Sam Flores

I was pleased to see your editorial challenging the rightwing narrative from George Robertson, who is demanding less welfare and more warfare (The Guardian view on defence spending: should the UK’s security rest with Donald Trump?, 14 April). Why not extend the argument about the purpose of UK defence strategy to Nato more generally? The role of Nato is tied to the declining power of the US, as we can see when Donald Trump resents paying for it, but then expects support when he lashes out at other nations such as Iran. The fact is the Nato “alliance” has always been about an extension of American military power, a threat which triggers the increased militarism of other nations as a response. All the grand talk of alliance obligations will amount to nothing if the US opposes the action, something we will see for ourselves if Israel extends its regional wars to Turkey (a Nato member). Does anyone really believe the UK will be going to war against Israel if Turkey invokes the mutual defence agreement?Joe HartneyLondon …

Fuelling defence goals with compound semiconductors

Fuelling defence goals with compound semiconductors

Published by Miika Tikkanen

Dr Wyn Metedith, chair of CSconnected, discusses the UK government’s vision for compound semiconductors and how this fuels the goal of a sovereign defence capability. In September 2024, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) purchased a semiconductor foundry in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. This unusual step was not a move to expand capacity, but to prevent collapse of a critical sovereign supply chain. The facility, Octric Semiconductors UK, was the only site in the UK capable of manufacturing gallium arsenide chips for military platforms, including fighter jet avionics. Its previous owners had been looking to sell or close it. The government intervened because losing it was deemed a national security risk. This highly reactive move was a reminder of how exposed the UK’s defence industrial base has become to the loss of critical semiconductor capability. The question the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS), published in 2025, now has to answer is how Britain moves from reactive crisis management to proactive sovereign resilience. Goals of the Defence Industrial Strategy The DIS sets out an ambitious answer. Its vision …

UK upgrades air defence systems to expand offshore wind

UK upgrades air defence systems to expand offshore wind

Published by Miika Tikkanen

The UK Government has confirmed plans to modernise key elements of its air defence systems, a move expected to remove longstanding technical barriers to offshore wind development and unlock up to 10 GW of additional capacity. At the centre of the initiative is the procurement of advanced air defence radars to address signal interference from large offshore wind farms. These installations have historically disrupted radar performance, complicating the detection and tracking of aircraft within UK airspace. By introducing updated radar technologies, authorities aim to ensure that expanding renewable energy infrastructure does not compromise national defence capabilities. Energy Minister Michael Shanks explained: “This new radar technology will unlock a key barrier holding back offshore wind farms, so that we can deliver the clean homegrown power needed to protect families from volatile fossil fuel markets, while bolstering our national security.” Addressing radar interference from offshore wind Offshore wind turbines can create clutter and false signals on conventional radar systems, an issue that has constrained project approvals in certain regions. The newly acquired air defence radars are engineered to filter out these anomalies, allowing for accurate monitoring of airspace …

UK establishes first advanced materials process for defence

UK establishes first advanced materials process for defence

Published by Miika Tikkanen

The UK has established its first sovereign manufacturing capability for ultrahigh-temperature advanced materials, which is vital for space, hypersonic, and propulsion systems. Cross Manufacturing Ltd has built the UK’s first pilot-scale end-to-end manufacturing process for advanced materials known as ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). “These advanced materials will underpin future defence systems, space technologies and high‑temperature applications,” explained Defence Science and Technology Laboratory Materials Engineer Chris Hawkins. “Just as importantly, this investment strengthens UK manufacturing, supports skilled jobs and helps ensure we retain control over critical technologies. As the nation marks British Science Week, this achievement is both scientific and strategic, reducing reliance on overseas supply chains and strengthening the UK’s freedom to operate in space and hypersonics – in step with the ambitions of the Defence Industrial Strategy. What are ceramic matrix composites? Ceramic matrix composites are lightweight yet as strong as metal and can withstand temperatures exceeding 1,000°C. Unlike conventional metals, they hold their strength and shape under extreme heat and stress. These properties make them essential for: Space: Protecting spacecraft and satellite components …

Commentary: There’s more than meets the eye to Singapore’s new Gulfstream G550 maritime surveillance aircraft

Commentary: There’s more than meets the eye to Singapore’s new Gulfstream G550 maritime surveillance aircraft

Published by Sam Flores

TWO-FOR-ONE FOKKER 50 REPLACEMENTS  To understand why MINDEF chose two aircraft to replace one, let us look at the size and composition of the RSAF’s fleet of nine Fokker 50s, which are flown by 121 Squadron.  Five aircraft, with tail numbers 714 to 718, are Fokker 50 Mark IIS Enforcer MPAs – the only Fokker 50s in the world that can be armed with Harpoon anti-ship missiles.  The distinct role of the MPA is best described by 121 Squadron’s motto, “Seek and Destroy”. This line is evocative of the aircraft’s capabilities to detect, identify, track and persecute maritime targets.  Equipped with a radar on its belly to scan the sea for ships and submarines, the long-serving MPAs will be replaced by the P-8A Poseidon which has better speed, endurance, capabilities and detection range to seek and destroy ships and submarines. The interesting bit is in the remaining four, the Fokker 50 Utility variants with tail numbers 710 to 713. When introduced 33 years ago, these aircraft were used for transporting troops, cargo and for dropping …

Photovoltaics in security and defence systems

Photovoltaics in security and defence systems

Published by Miika Tikkanen

Photovoltaics present an innovative alternative to traditional power sources in enhancing safety and control through remote monitoring systems and their vital applications in security and defence. Is it possible that the tiny electronic devices, made of just several micrometre-thick semiconductor layers, can protect anybody or anything?  Yes, but in a completely unconventional way. By the delivery of electric energy in a quiet, undetectable, sustainable way in a place where no other source is able to do this. Today, I invite you to the world of very special applications, where photovoltaics is an unspoken hero on guard of our daily safety. Remote monitoring enhances safety and control We can observe that, recently, the remote monitoring digital systems are becoming more and more popular in the private real estate sector, commercial buildings, on the roads, at airports, and in border supervision. Owing to the rapid development of electronic cameras and sensor systems, we can control an impressive number of parameters. Starting from simple motion detectors, through speed measurement by RADAR and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) systems, …