New Zealand boosts defence spend to US$6.6 billion and vows increased closeness with Australia
This budget will be spent over the next four years and nearly doubles the country’s defence spending as part of GDP to 2%.
BAE Systems has been awarded a contract to deliver Sceptre to the RAF to transform the way it plans, briefs, executes and debriefs missions on the Typhoon fleet.
The system combines three-dimensional in cockpit views, representation of digital aeronautical flight information, potential hazards and conflict detection with real time weather information, an intelligence picture and fast jet performance data.
Sceptre is a modular application capable of being used on a variety of devices including tablets, personal computers and interactive touch tables used for briefing and de-briefing missions.
It enables the operator to effectively be ‘airborne’ with high situational awareness and able to make better, more informed, decisions to achieve mission success. Sceptre helps the operator create a tactically astute plan, holistically reviewed, catering for conflicts and contingencies.
Louise Aiken, head of mission planning programmes, Mission Support and Training Services, BAE Systems, said: ‘We have worked with pilots and our customers to create a highly intuitive system in Sceptre which delivers a wealth of information in simple, actionable way that has not been possible before’.
Sceptre is also capabile of mission debrief through merging the real world and synthetic views from all the aircraft’s recording media into an integrated replay format.
This budget will be spent over the next four years and nearly doubles the country’s defence spending as part of GDP to 2%.
Rachel Reeves announced port upgrades, protected budgets for innovation and investment in novel technologies.
The Australian Budget was marked by tax cuts and a looming general election which led to little hope that there would be a substantial defence boost even with a big bill for nuclear submarines due.
The communications company Gilat launched its new Gilat Defense division at the Satellite 2025 expo, with future solutions aimed at US military customers.
US services have already conducted multiple tests with military maritime systems fitted with the system.
Europe’s Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) “has to establish itself…as a centre of excellence for cooperative Defence Equipment Programmes” in the face of growing threats and the need for rearmament, according to the organisation’s chairman.