A Forecast International blog about the arms trade, geopolitics, defense and security, and military spending.
Lockheed Martin recently indicated that it will deliver only 97 F-35s in 2023. The company had originally planned to deliver 147-153 F-35s during the year, but subsequently reduced this target …
Lockheed Martin Reduces 2023 F-35 Delivery Plan, But Maintains Build Rate Read More
The House’s recent version of the FY24 defense appropriations bill provided a lifeline for the alternate engine being developed for the F-35, but the legislation doesn’t foresee actually using the …
House Bill Keeps Alternate F-35 Engine Afloat, but Only for Research Purposes Read More
As the United Kingdom confronts labor disputes, a struggling National Health Service, a possible recession, and post-Brexit depression, the nation’s formerly renowned military faces its own reckoning. While British munitions …
The British Military’s Winter of Discontent Read More
Switzerland has made its procurement of the F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft official. The country’s defense procurement agency, Armasuisse, signed the CHF6.035 billion ($6.25 billion) contract for 36 F-35 conventional …
Switzerland Concludes F-35 Purchase Read More
Five companies have been awarded contracts for the USAF Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) program. This 10-year, near $5 billion effort seeks to develop a prototype engine for a next-generation …
Five Companies Selected for $975 Million USAF Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion Program Read More
The Senate Armed Services Committee released a proposed defense policy bill that would increase defense spending by $45 billion in FY23, which would bring the Pentagon budget up to $817.3 …
Senate Panel Recommends $45 Billion Increase for Defense Read More Canada has selected the F-35 to replace its fleet of aging CF-18 Hornet fighters. On March 28, Public Services and Procurement Canada announced the government was entering contract negotiations with …
Canada Selects F-35 to Replace CF-18 Fleet…Again Read More
The Hellenic Air Force (HAF) introduced its first batch of secondhand Dassault Rafale combat aircraft on January 19. Operated by its 332 Squadron, these Rafales landed at Tanagra air base …
Greece Receives First Batch of Rafale Fighters Read More
More Nations Showing Interest in Lockheed’s Fifth-Generation Fighter as Headwinds Emerge in Switzerland and the United Kingdom by J. Kasper Oestergaard, European Correspondent, Forecast International. Recently, the Finnish Ministry of Defense …
The Road Ahead for the F-35 in Europe Read More
Boeing is officially out of Canada’s fighter jet competition. The company was offering its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s CF-18 fleet. Canada plans to buy …
Boeing Dropped from Canadian Fighter Competition Read More