In this News Review episode, Grant McHerron, Nigel Pittaway and Ben Felton review and discuss some of the recent news of interest published on the ADM site.

We open the discussion by looking at the big news from Defence that JP9102 for a Geostationary communications satellite capability is no longer going ahead as originally intended (aka it's pretty much been cancelled). It's not surprising given the ways a satellite can be compromised these days, along with the transition to Low Earth Orbit constellations for sensing & comms, and the need for agility with construction and launch of replacements.

Next up are the recent Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordinance announcements, including Thales Australia being contracted to establish a 155mm shell construction line, despite Nioa having an existing facility that produces 155mm shells for Germany. We discuss the differences between US 155mm and European 155mm shells along with the effort required to obtain certification for Australian built munitions to be used with US weapons and aircraft.

We start wrapping up the episode by looking at the Black Hawk fleet numbers and their uses as they ramp up the new capability, the ANAO looking into the MRH-90 disposal process, and our latest donations to Ukraine of M1A1 Abrams, RHIBs and JDAM-ERs. We also have a quick chat about the recent Senate Estimates hearings and some of the highlights from a Defence perspective.

LINKS:

Defence confirms JP9102 cancellation:

www.australiandefence.com.au/news/news/defence-confirms-jp9102-cancellation

Government announces GWEO initiatives:

www.australiandefence.com.au/news/news/government-announces-gweo-initiatives

Army Black Hawk fleet hits ten airframes:

www.australiandefence.com.au/news/news/army-black-hawk-fleet-hits-ten-airframes

Ukraine to receive Australian Abrams:

www.australiandefence.com.au/news/news/ukraine-to-receive-australian-abrams

Australia to donate RHIBs to Ukraine:

www.australiandefence.com.au/news/news/australia-to-donate-rhibs-to-ukraine

Australian JDAM-ERs sent to Ukraine:

www.australiandefence.com.au/news/news/australian-jdam-ers-sent-to-ukraine

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