Defense & Aerospace Report

On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss budget dynamics when lawmakers return to Washington after the Nov. 3 election; how 2026 could have repercussions for 2027 and 2028; whether the Pentagon could be forced to reimburse contractors for their investment to expand and speed production if Congress fails to fund programs; how investigations of defense firms could play out if Democrats take power and make good on their pledge to probe contract awards; takeaways from earnings as Boeing, CACI, HII, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Textron report; whether there are any upsides as Washington drives to normalize relations and trade with Russia; and a look ahead to the week in Washington and beyond.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa of the independent equity research firm Agency Partners and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss the worst week on Wall Street since June on a tech selloff and prospect of higher interest rates; Americans head to the polls as President Trump’s drive to resume Iran war and breakneck drive to cozy up to Vladimir Putin garner GOP pushback, potentially complicating approval of defense spending measures after the election; Pentagon approves Patriot air defense missiles for Ukraine under $2.1 billion deal with RTX, but the 500 weapons won’t be delivered until the 2030s; British Chancellor John Healey bolsters defense spending; BAE Systems and Airbus discusses role for European company in the Global Combat Air Program led by UK that includes Italy and Japan; US Air Force’s plan to increase righter fleet to 1,509 fighters by 2035; General Atomics Aeronautical Systems taps Boeing’s Spirit Defense to help design and build fuselages for the FQ-42 Vengeance collaborative combat aircraft; and Airbus, Boeing, CACI, Crane, HII, Howmet, KBR, L3Harris, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RBC, Rolls Royce, Safran and Textron report earnings.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, sponsored by L3Harris, Vago Muradian is joined by Hudson Institute’s Dr. Patrick Cronin, American Defense International’s Michael Herson, CNAS’s Jim Townsend, and CSIS’s Dr. Dov Zakheim to discuss congressional efforts to advance defense authorization, appropriations and reconciliation legislation amid growing election pressures; President Trump’s efforts to ease Russian sanctions and negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine as Putin maintains his demands and escalates attacks on Black Sea shipping; upcoming US, Ukrainian and Russian talks in Abu Dhabi, European diplomatic outreach to Moscow, and preparations for a multinational exercise to support Ukraine; potential US troop reductions in Europe and growing tensions between Washington and its European allies; Israel’s election results and the prospect of renewed US and Israeli military operations against Iran; expanding defense cooperation among Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar and Indonesia; Xi Jinping’s latest political purges, takeaways from the ASEAN defense ministers’ meeting, and Japan’s evolving defense posture; and US intelligence warnings about alleged Chinese espionage involving a close associate of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

USAF Plans for 1,509 Fighters in 2035: How the US Air Force plans to grow its manned fighter fleet to more than 1,500 jets from nearly 1,300 today and change its force mix by buying more stealth aircraft like the F-47 and F-35, but also new versions of iconic jets like the F-15EX Eagle II and F-16 Fighting Falcon. But where do unmanned aircraft like the service’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft stand in the mix? Steve Losey from Air & Space Forces Magazine and Heathery Penney of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies join us to explain the new plan and what it will take to realize it. Plus the week’s headlines in airpower. And it’s all powered by GE Aerospace!

On today’s program, Dr. Jim Lewis, a Distinguished Fellow with the Tech Policy Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the recent cyber attack that shut down refrigerators at French grocery stores; how hackers are using AI to identify vulnerabilities that are being increasingly exploited; how defenders need to change their game as Chinese AI tools are turned to attack Japan and Taiwan; security of US elections; reforming the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; countering disinformation; and the right way to regulate AI companies.

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Dr. Darrell Bricker, the CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs who advises on the agenda of the annual Halifax International Security Forum, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss polling on the upcoming US midterm elections and the top issues for voters; President Trump’s popularity and the strength of his base; popularity of Democrats; issues motivating demonstrations in Europe and elsewhere and whether comparisons to 1968 are accurate; how the United States is seen by the world; Prime Minister Mark Carney’s popularity in Canada and his efforts to forge a future less dependent on the United States; and more.

On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the Nov. 3 election and his budget outlook; a look at the Air Force’s budget request for to grow the force over the coming years; energy impact of renewed air strikes on Iran after the election; a look at earnings as BoozAllen Hamilton, CACI, GE Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX and others report results; the Pentagon’s 10-year, $78 billion “framework” agreement with Lockheed Martin for 850 F-35 Lightning II fighters; takeaways from the fifth annual Historical Analysis Annual Conference (HAAC) that covered wargaming, data richness, Ukraine, drones and Taiwan; and a look at the week ahead in Washington and beyond.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa of the independent equity research firm Agency Partners and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss another down week on Wall Street on rising AI financing costs and oil prices jumped $3 a barrel to $114, a mark not seen since May, after Iran attacked more ships in the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran-backed Houthi rebels continued their attacks on Saudi Arabia and its energy infrastructure; earning analysis as BETA Technologies, CACI, BoozAllen Hamilton, GE Aerospace, Hexcel, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX, Saab, Safran, SpaceX, Teledyne Technologies, and Thales report results; outlook for energy prices as US and Israel are expected to renew attacks on Iran and Tehran warns of retaliation of struck; whether US decision to resume intelligence sharing and Starshield services to Kyiv mollify growing concerns among allies about Washington’s reliability as the Pentagon continues to withhold Patriot missiles nations bought for Ukraine; whether demonstrations rocking Europe will propel anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia right wing parties to power, like the AfD in Germany that’s promised to cut defense spending; looking ahead to Britain’s new budget by Chancellor John Healey; President Trump’s decision to dial back Canada tariffs as Bombardier promises investment in the United States; the Pentagon’s 10-year, $78 billion “framework” agreement with Lockheed Martin for 850 more F-35 Lightning II fighters that requires the company invest $7 billion of its own money in the program; the $3.3 billion agreement between France and the UAE to develop a more advanced version of Dassault’s Rafale fighter; and takeaways from the National Business Aviation Association conference and tradeshow in Las Vegas.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, sponsored by L3Harris, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, former DoD Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, and former Pentagon Comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the implications of resumed US-Israel strikes on Iran as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu argues it’s time to topple the Iranian regime and Tehran’s warning that if attacked, it will retaliate against US bases and ships in the region as well as America’s allies, driving up energy prices; Britain sends fighter jets to defend Saudi Arabia against mounting attacks by Iran-backed Houthi forces as Riyadh’s allies including Egypt and Turkey consider deploying military forces; impact of rising energy prices on US elections and demonstrations across Europe including violent protests in France; Washington’s deepening alignment with Moscow as President Trump continues to pressure Ukraine; Vladimir Putin grants the US leader’s request to release American hostage Steven Hubbard as three-way talks loom; the strategic implications of Washington’s decisions to suspend intelligence sharing, degrade StarLink connectivity with Kyiv and block allies from sending US weapons to Ukraine; deadly Palestinian attack on Israelis prompts closure of West Bank as elections loom; Washington works to advance a trade deal with India; China grey’s zone tactics against Taiwan include sanctioning Paraguay and Belize for sending officials to Taipei as Chinese AI was used to hack Japan; the Pentagon seeks a new intelligence unit to better wage economic warfare against China and other rivals; and reports that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is dead.

The Birth of FA-XX and the Future of Naval Aviation: The US Navy’s decision pick Boeing to oversee the FA-XX program to develop the service’s sixth-generation, carrier-capable fighter marks the realization of a project born more than a dozen years ago. The man who launched the effort as an analysis of alternatives was Rear Adm. Mike “Nasty” Manazir, who after retirement joined Boeing where he nurtured the effort. Manazir, how at advanced manufacturing company Hadrian, walks us through the history of the program and what it will mean for America’s ability to project air power at sea. Plus the week’s headlines in airpower. Powered by GE Aerospace!