Podcasts about teal group

On this episode of the DefAero Report Daily Podcast, sponsored by Bell, Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securties, Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic Advisory consultancy, and JJ Gertler of the Teal Group as well as co-host of The Airpower Podcast discuss lessons from Hamas' terror attack on Israel and the Ukraine war, why nations consistently forget hard earned lessons, how the global defense industrial environment is changing, the budget outlook and how growing debt and rising interest rates may impact future spending and more with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian from the sidelines of The Aerospace Event in Washington, DC.

Rahul Tandon looks at changing attitudes to defence spending following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. There have been new funding commitments from countries like Germany, while Sweden and Finland now want to join NATO, but what's the true cost? We speak to Estonia's defence minister Kalle Laanet about his country's growing military budget, and German member of the European Parliament Viola Von Cramon Taubadel on her country's decision to spend more. Dr Diego Lopes Da Silva, a researcher with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, says global spending reached a record level of $2 trillion in 2021, before the invasion of Ukraine. Steven Zaloga, a military analyst at the Teal Group, explains the role of cutting edge drone technology, and Allison Pytlak from the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom discusses the human cost of conflict. Presenter: Rahul Tandon Producer: James Graham Photo: Ammunition in a shopping trolley (Credit: Getty Images)

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Market reaction to Federal Reserve's decision to raise interest rates to control inflation, passage of the National Defense Authorization Act and collapse of President Biden's $1.75 trillion Build Back Better initiative — Impact of surging covid infection rates on once-bullish air travel forecasts through the holidays and beyond — Airbus A350F freighter and A321neo jetliner orders — Challenges facing Boeing's 787 program as Italian authorities investigate subcontractor MPS that supplied defective titanium parts to Leonardo that makes carbon composite aircraft components for the wide-body aircraft — Delays on Boeing's Space Launch System — Latest on British Army's Ajax cavalry vehicle — Resignation of UK Brexit negotiator Lord Frost and growing perception that Boris Johnson will be out as prime minister by mid-2022 — Will governments will resort to more covid stimulus as pandemic is prolonged and whether failure of BBB frees resources in Washington to fight pandemic — Big stories of 2021 that will shape 2022

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Performance of defense and aerospace shares on world markets as inflation hits 40-year high and omicron variant spreads — Global travel update as holidays approach and covid lockdowns, testing, mask and vaccine mandates return — Impact on plans to return mothballed aircraft to service as well as new jet deliveries — Finland's decision to pick the F-35 Lightning II to replace aging F-18s now in service — What Helsinki's decision means for Saab's Gripen and Boeing's F-18 — Germany's defense outlook under new Chancellor Olaf Scholz — House passes National Defense Authorization Act as Senate takes up measure

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests in segment one are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners; in segment two Senator Jack Reed, D-RI; in segment three Mike Petters, the president and CEO of Huntington Ingalls Industries Topics: — Week on world markets as investors grapple potential impact of omicron variant as scientists work to determine the impact of this latest covid strain — China's decision to return Boeing's 737 Max to flight, grounded after two deadly crashes — UAE's decision to acquire more than 80 Rafale fighters from Dassault Aviation as well as implications of the deal and other sales on the France-Germany-Spain SCAF 6th generation fighter effort — Bloomberg reporter Peter Robison's book “Flying Blind: The 737 Max Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing” — Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed, D-RI, on continuing resolutions, the National Defense Authorization Act, helping accelerate change as China threat looms and deterring Russian aggression in Ukraine — Mike Petters, the president and CEO of Huntington Ingalls Industries on covid mandates, the omicron variant, making the case for budget stability and the future of work

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Implications of new Omicron COVID variant on global air travel, trade and economy — Inflation update as the holidays approach — Black Friday and belly cargo — Canada's decision to drop Boeing's F/A-18 from fighter competition, leaving the field to Lockheed Martin's F-35 and Saab's Gripen — Croatia picks former French Air Force Rafale jets by Dassault Aviation as its next fighter — What JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon's comments about China and his double apologies mean

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Recap of the week on world markets — Austria joins the Netherlands in locking down as COVID surges and other nations consider following suit — Dubai Airshow highlights including Airbus' 4:1 order announcement advantage — MTU and P&W newsflow — Latest challenges facing Boeing's 787 Dreamliner program — Indonesia's decision to order two Airbus A400M transports — Egypt move ahead with Rafale acquisition from Dassault Aviation — One year delay expected as Lockheed Martin moves F-16 production from Fort Worth, Texas, to Greenville, SC — Why F-35 fighter production continues to hover around 159 jets annually — Prospect of full-year continuing resolution

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — The week on world markets as investors grapple with worst inflation in three decades — Rising covid rates as the Netherlands locks down again and implications for global air travel recovery — AerCap, QinetiQ and Hensoldt earnings — GE's decision to break up into aviation, energy and healthcare companies — BoA-AvWeek survey that finds strong market demand for a new Boeing middle market jetliners with 757-like capabilities to counter Airbus A321neo — Why the US military is unsuited to counter China — Look ahead to the Dubai Airshow

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Week on world markets as investors respond to economic data, earnings and prospect of covid pills — Look at earnings takeaways as Crane, Huntington Ingalls Industries, L3Harris, Leidos, Leonardo, Maxar, Mercury Systems, Rheinmetall, SpiritAerosystems and others report — Air transport outlook as transatlantic travel opens up and airlines return wide-body aircraft like the A380 to service — Boeing settlement of a shareholder lawsuit against current and former directors — Whether Boeing can unlock value by breaking company up and selling units to rival firms — Legacy for former Airbus CEO Jean Pierson who died last week at age 80, leading the European firm from 1985-1998 and growing its market share from 17 to 40 percent — Roundup of major international ground combat vehicles competitions — Thoughts on the Navy's plan for a new generation fighter aircraft

Hello Interactors,It’s hard to miss news about global supply chain woes these days. Between Covid, natural disasters, and strained trade relations with China it seems unlikely we’ll see anything that looks like normal for some time. But companies aren’t waiting to find out. They’re taking matters into their own hands. Or so they think. As interactors, you’re special individuals self-selected to be a part of an evolutionary journey. You’re also members of an attentive community so I welcome your participation.Please leave your comments below or email me directly.Now let’s go…MARIA CANTWELL AND THE CHAIN GANG“There are some people who are saying, ‘Look, what I need is short term because this is never going to happen again,’ ” she said. “Then there are other people who are saying, ‘This is going to happen more often than we think.’ The world is a very different place, and it’s not just the pandemic. It’s natural disasters. It’s the floods down in the South. It’s tornadoes, it’s hurricanes.”These are the words of Ellen Kullman. She’s the CEO of Carbon Inc., a 3-D printing company. She’s also the former CEO of DuPont, sits on the board of directors for Goldman Sachs and Dell, is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a recognized leader in global science and engineering, and once chaired the US-China Business Council.She knows a thing or two about global supply chains; which have had their fair share of attention recently. As global corporations have pushed their employees to work Harder, Better, Faster, and Stronger. They must appease shareholders demanding perpetual growth, even at the cost to people and the environment. To do so, they rely on other parts of the globe for raw materials and labor – a spatial fix.Covid has taken a 200-year capitalism strategy believed to be immune to disruption and has created a supply chain pandemic. Just as the disease is testing our body’s immune system, it’s also testing the resiliency of networked global supply chains.The onset of the pandemic showed early signs of vulnerability when global corporations were hit by governmental restrictions. Without notice borders around the world were closed, lockdowns prevented employees from working, and no sooner were facemasks recommended did we run out of supply. Dr. Gary Gereffi from Duke’s Global Value Chains Center said,“China accounted for about 60% of U.S. face mask imports prior to the pandemic, but China suspended its exports of face masks worldwide as it dealt with its own outbreak of COVID-19 cases in early 2020.”It wasn’t until late August that the supply gap was filled by U.S. producers.Gereffi was testifying on July 15, 2021, in a hearing chaired by Democratic U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell on “Implementing Supply Chain Resiliency.” The meeting was in reaction to one of Biden’s first executive orders. It launched a 100-day review identifying vulnerabilities in the nation’s supply chains and how to address them.The witnesses in the hearing included Gereffi from academia and five others from government agencies and the business sector. Their testimonies paint an accurate state of the country’s complicated over reliance on the global supply chain. They also had asks of the government that you might expect; more government funding, private-public partnerships, subsidies, or for the government to get out of the way. Or, in the case of Lex Taylor, a confusing mix of all the above.William A. (Lex) Taylor III runs The Taylor Group of Companies, Inc. It was founded in 1927 as Taylor Machine Works in Louisville, Mississippi. Did I mention the ranking member and co-chair seated alongside Cantwell was U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi?The Taylor Group is now a privately held holding company for Taylor Machine Works (heavy industrial forklifts), Taylor Power Systems (power generators), and Taylor Defense (remanufactured military material).Taylor complained about the lack of resiliency in the global supply chain. He said the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) had quickly come up with a plan for how to circumvent the Covid caused supply chain conundrums called operation “Floorplan”. It was modelled after what he deemed a “successful Payroll Protection Program the Congress instituted at the Small Business Administration.” A clear nod to a government success story by a devote capitalist.But he claimed operation “Floorplan“ failed “because of the political wrangling and failure of the government to understand the big-picture consequences of letting supply chains falter.” Yet the association seemed ok asking the government to bankroll his “Floorplan” program.He went on about how every private company involved in his vast and deep supply chain began raising their prices to control their limited and dwindling supplies – a tried and true trick of the free-market system. Compounding inflation among suppliers forced him to ultimately raise his prices too; all the while trying to stay afloat. He said, “we have kept our lines running but are facing 30% to 75% price increases either from our vendors or the transportation companies, or a combination of both.”What gouged him the most was unbridled free-market pricing; a practical solution driven by the private sector. At the same time, he wanted federal dollars to fix the problem with a government subsidized “Floorplan.”But while he and his employees benefitted from the government run Payroll Protection Program – and he wished the federal government would have funded his “Floorplan” – he would rather the free-market solve his problems. Even though the free market created the bulk of his financial pain.In his closing remarks he said, “My request is that this committee not act to overcorrect with solutions that may cause unintended consequences. Rather, I encourage you to support the free-market system and allow it to do what it does best and find solutions that are practical and driven by the private sector.” Price gouging is a practical mechanism of the free-market. A solution? Maybe not.BOEING BOEING GONEIn her opening remarks, Maria Cantwell said, “I would say, Senator Wicker, I'm not sure 20 years ago, if we would've had the same hearing.”Twenty years ago Cantwell was in her first year as a U.S. Senator. Amassing independent wealth from her time in the software industry, she threw a lot of her own money into her campaign against the eleven year incumbent, Republican Slade Gorton. Microsoft was her biggest donor, followed by two law firms, and the fourth largest campaign contributor was Boeing.Six months later Boeing sought their own spatial fix and announced they were moving their corporate headquarters to Chicago. By September of 2001, after being headquartered in Seattle since 1916, the Boeing corporate offices fell vacant.Eight years later, in 2009, after the 2008 financial crisis, Boeing applied another spatial fix moving an assembly plant from Washington to South Carolina. North Charleston’s economy had been devastated by the closure of a naval shipyard and the Great Recession. They were experiencing record high unemployment rates. So the state offered Boeing an incentive to move their factory. If Boeing could create 3,800 jobs and invest $750 million over the next seven years, the state would pitch in another $450 million.Boeing had already been dealing with ugly union strikes in Washington. Four of their last seven contract negotiations ended in strikes. Conservatives blamed the machinists while liberals blamed Boeing. Either way, South Carolina was union free. An unorganized labor force is attractive to corporations because they can dictate the terms of pay uncontested. Some states, and nations, will even suppress or ban unions in hopes of attracting businesses to their regions.Frank Larkin of the Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said in 2009, “It became clear early on that the company was less interested in making a deal than they were in getting more incentives out of South Carolina…The longer they sat at the table with us, the more South Carolina offered them."Just 2.7% of South Carolina’s labor force is unionized – the lowest in the United States. Since the plant opened in 2011, Boeing has been fighting attempts by employees to unionize. In 2017, 3,000 employees tried and failed to unionize. A year later they succeeded despite Boeing funding a widespread media campaign against it.So, Boeing took them to court. Because litigation slows down unionization, it buys time for Boeing to continue to use their wealth, power, and strength to disrupt the momentum of organizers. It also provides opportunities to fire employees as a way of sending a message to workers.In November of 2018 they fired air force veteran, Richard Mester and two others for failing to report a bird strike on a Boeing engine. Mester had been doing this line of work for 30 years and knows a bird strike when he sees it. The Guardian reported, “He had just bought a house and had two daughters in college when he was terminated.” Mester said, “It was easy to see it was because we were union members…Boeing has no qualms about squashing any possibility of a union down here. Unfortunately we were the result of that.”Despite the dwindling Boeing presence in Washington state, Maria Cantwell did mentioned in her opening remarks, “I can say for me in the state of Washington, aviation supply chain is something we're very proud of. More than 150,000 people work in that supply chain that continue to innovate and create new products…[this] is where the innovation is happening in the supply chain.”She’s referring to an insight offered in a testimony by Richard Aboulafia, the VP of Analysis at the Teal Group in Fairfax, Virginia. Out of the gate he exposed the realities of the aviation supply chain by talking about value, innovation, and vulnerability.He said, “For a typical Boeing jetliner, 80% of the value gets added at the supplier level…When Boeing sells a jetliner…suppliers, collectively, realize more revenue than [Boeing does].”He added, “the innovation that takes place in aviation happens at the supplier level, and not at the prime level. Boeing’s 737 jetliner [has] been in production for around half a century. But the…successful transformation of these aircraft is because of the tremendous innovation that has taken place at the supplier level.”Perhaps this explains why Washington state has not fought to win back the union heavy airplane assembly business. As Microsoft rose in the 90s and Amazon in the 2000s, the area attracted higher paying white collar engineering talent that fed into the aviation supply industry. Washington’s aviation history catalyzed a new industrial trajectory; what evolutionary economists call path dependence.Aboulafia continued, “As with most complex manufactured products, an aircraft production system is only as strong as its weakest link. The supply chain, crucial to industry success, is also its greatest Vulnerability.”China is fully aware of this vulnerability. Aboulafia said, “China, notably, is not a significant source of aircraft components, even from transplant factories. In fact, at the peak level of U.S.-China aerospace trade, the trade balance between the two countries was 17-1 in the U.S.’s favor.”This does not bode well for U.S. aviation suppliers. Aboulafia said, “The only area of serious concern, outside of Covid-19 itself, is China, the biggest single export market (and tied with the US for biggest single market). At the peak level of deliveries to China, 2018, the country took 23% of all jetliner deliveries worldwide. This has fallen precipitously, for both market reasons and due to geopolitical factors. This trade is under threat, due to slowing in-country growth rates, China’s reluctance to recertify Boeing’s 737MAX, and the U.S. Government’s decision to put Western components for China’s ambitious national aircraft programs on a possibly restrictive export list.”Furthermore, Covid put a real dent in the airlines biggest revenue generator – international business travel. It’s forced them to ground planes and halt new orders. And while business is picking up again, the companies bringing supply chains closer to home will be taking fewer overseas business trips to Asia.The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Italian apparel company, Benetton is planning to “cut its Asia-based production by half in the next 12 to 16 months and move the work to countries on the Mediterranean.” It’s an end to a decades old reliance on Asian labor and supply chains that “requires regular visits to make sure manufacturing and materials meet quality standards and some aspects, such as production timing, aren’t under the company’s control overseas.” (1)HOG TIED ON THE SUPPLY SIDEReading and watching the testimonies from Cantwell’s hearing, I couldn’t help notice the yearning for the glory days of the 20th century Fordist era when America dominated manufacturing and supply chains. The Duke professor, Dr. Gereffi, gushed over the reemergence of the furniture and textile industry in North Carolina and how his state excels at efficient pig processing.Lex Taylor sees dollars signs with a “Floorplan” that can build more trucks, generators, and recycled military parts. And while Boeing has all but ceded the airline market to AirBus, Cantwell wants the 150,000 aviation experts in Washington state to at least be supplying parts.Some of these aging, all male except Cantwell, boomers testifying at the hearing are of the age where I can imagine them reminiscing on the golden years of the nationalist “America First” sentiment that Trump tapped into in 2016. Wicker would have turned 16 in 1967, the end of the Fordism era.But there were also testimonies that looked to a Post-Fordist industrial era. IBM’s Dr. Dario Gill talked about their semiconductor lab in New York and how their public-private partnership will produce new chips out of the factory in Malta, New York. Chuck Schumer, Democratic Senator from New York, helped seal that deal with the $110 billion Endless Frontier Act; $10 billion of which goes toward hubs like those in New York. The North Carolina Research Triangle hopes to get on that money as well. Dr. Gereffi talked of how North Carolina’s booming weaving loom know-how could transmogrify from cotton into silicon.The Endless Frontier Act is a bipartisan bill intended to counter China’s semiconductor dominance. But, again, it falls victim to this outdated notion that America can return to our Fordist days. I know I’m over simplifying, but it takes a special combination of hubris and ignorance to believe you can replace 30 years of global supply networks, throughput, and intellectual property with a ‘Made in America’ stamp. Federal funding is needed to remedy our supply chain woes, but chest pounding nationalistic protectionism won’t get us there.The most reasoned testimony in Cantwell’s hearing came from James A. Lewis. He’s a Senior Vice President and Director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He said, “Two things broke that global supply chain. The first is the rise of a predatory China that will use any means to displace competitors in its quest for global primacy. The second is the COVID-19 pandemic, which produced an understandable desire in many nations to reduce their dependence on foreign suppliers and instead rely on national capabilities.”He talked about how America got spooked when we realized how much we relied on China for necessary medical supplies. It prompted many in the U.S. to “want to move some critical production back onto their territories.” He’s right.Atlanta home builder PulteGroup got fed up with delays and is building an automated assembly plant in South Carolina. Majestic Steel USA is opening new facilities across the country to avoid impediments in the supply chain. Climate calamities are also forcing companies to rethink supply chains. Paint powerhouse Sherman-Williams got fed up with Hurricane delays at southern ports. They bought a company with sites in Oregon and South Carolina to handle the load.But as Lewis point out, in many ways this is just copying China and may be short sighted. Even the knee jerk reaction from Schumer and the Endless Frontier Act. He said, “This supply chain nationalism is reinforced by growing and powerful competition for technological leadership and by events like the semiconductor shortage.”He continues, “Twentieth century American innovation was national, but today’s innovation base is international, with strong research and commercial links between the United States, Europe, and Asia.” And he rightfully concludes, “A country that cuts itself off from this international innovation system will fall behind.”China has assumed America, and Europe, have been in decline since the end of the Cold War in 1989. They recognized the strategy of the U.S. and our allies was to seek regions to either invade, persuade, or buy. And then, theoretically, establish a Western style democracy to further build out a global supply chain, buy labor, and manufacture and sell goods and services.So they invested heavily in industry within China and then expanded globally investing in 70 countries worldwide in infrastructure. Their One Belt One Road initiative has been building mines, dams, ports, railroads, airports, solar installations and more around the world to control the extraction and flow of resources and capital.It’s like a parasitic super-structure on top of the West’s established global supply chain. It grows their dominance by feeding off of Western consumerism and neoliberal economic policies; all the while continuing to spoon Chinese made goods to the perpetually hungry mouths of American consumers.John A. Lewis concluded his remarks with a stern directive:“The U.S. must respond to China’s hostility, but we can no longer rely on market forces alone to advance the national interest. Defensive actions alone will not suffice. These themes all point to the need for a renewed industrial strategy, but it cannot simply duplicate previous policies because we are now in a world where the private sector leads. This means the task [for America] is to find where government intervention can best support a multinational commercial innovation base.”A renewed industrial strategy is needed, indeed. But, so is a new economic creed that doesn’t breed greed. Subscribe at interplace.io

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Wall Street reaction to defense and aerospace earnings reports that warned of supply chain and labor shortfalls, surprising investors — Revenue warnings by aircraft makers Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman — Airbus, Safran and Thales earnings analysis — Changing nature of the competition between Boeing and Airbus for orders and how the American firm may find it increasingly difficult to recover lost market share — Business jet outlook as General Dynamics and Textron report earnings — G20 newsflow including implications of global minimum tax and transatlantic agreement on aluminum and steel tariffs — Whether the world faces another covid surge as virus spreads in Eastern Europe — American Airlines' operational challenges weeks after Southwest Airlines stumbles — Likelihood Turkey gets F-16 Fighting Falcon jets from Washington after termination of its role in Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter program

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Roundup of the week on defense and aerospace stock performance on world markets — Commercial air travel demand and outlook for jetliner orders and deliveries — Drive to return mothballed aircraft back in service — Hexcel, Honeywell and Saab earnings as markets poised for results from leading US and European firms — China's hypersonic weapon tests and spending implications should Beijing deploy a Fractional Orbital Bombardment System

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Roundup of the week on world markets — Airbus and Boeing commercial airliner deliveries — Latest Boeing challenges including new 787 manufacturing problems and indictment of a former 737 Max test pilot accused of misleading federal regulators — The real causes of Southwest Airlines' recent hiccups — Takeaways from the National Business Aviation Association and Association of the United States Army's annual meetings — Gen. Sir Nick Carter's legacy and priorities for his successor as Britain's Chief of Defence Staff, current First Sea Lord Adm. Sir Tony Radakin

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are  Lt.  Gen Guy Swan, USA (ret.), AUSA vice president of education, “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Remembering Gen. Ray Odierno and his legacy of lifelong service — A look at the week on Walk Street as investors grappled with economic data and rising tensions in Asia — Commercial aviation update including Air Asia and Jet2Go orders for Airbus A321neo — Emirates CEO Tim Clark's frustration with Boeing over 777X delay — Look ahead at what to expect at the upcoming National Business Aviation Association and Association of the United States Army conferences — Bell's decision to re-engine its V280 Valor tiltrotor that's competing for the Army's Future Long Range Assault Aircraft contract — Whether the Celera 500L piston-engine powered business aircraft is too good to be true

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Look at US and European broader market drivers — Investor concerns about the rising prospects for conflict between the United States and China — Whether covid pandemic masked Brexit driven impact on UK economy — Military and commercial takeaways from the Zhuhai Air Show — Boeing's $24 billion contract to sustain the US Air Force's C-17 transport fleet — F-35 Lightning II fighter production rates — Growing cooperation between France and Greece — Speculation regarding Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet's comments regarding a new program at the company's Skunk Works unit that has both domestic and international appeal — Gulfstream's new business jets in advance of the National Business Aviation Association's upcoming annual tradeshow

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — The week on Wall Street as investors grappled with macro-economic factors — Covid travel update as Washington allows European travelers to enter the United States — Implications of Beijing's “hostage diplomacy” on the international trade China depends on for its prosperity — Takeaways from Airbus recent corporate seminar including technology investment priorities on propulsion and aerodynamics — Boeing's 20-year market forecast for 8,700 jets valued at some $1.5 trillion based on 5.4 percent annual air travel growth — Rolls-Royce beats GE and Pratt & Whitney to win US Air Force's $2.6 billion contract for 650 F130 to re-engine 76 B-52 bombers — Prospects for Lockheed Martin-Airbus partnership to pursue the Air Force's “bridge” aerial tanker contract in the wake of Boeing problems with KC-46 Pegasus refueling jet — Analysis of the seven-second social media clip of what appears to be a model of a stealth aircraft on a flatbed truck at Lockheed Martin's electronics and radar cross section test facility in Helendale, Calif.

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — A look at the week on Wall Street as investors grapple with pandemic, congressional spending priorities and Australia sub deal — Commercial air travel update as delta variant continues to hit unvaccinated Americans — Lawmakers express antitrust concerns over “Northeast Alliance” between American Airlines and JetBlue — Move to prosecute Boeing 737 Max pilot for lying to FAA and two miniature tequila bottles found on 747-8 being converted into presidential VC-25B jet — Industrial implications of US-UK-Australia agreement to furnish Canberra with nuclear-powered attack submarines, drawing French ire after Australian officials cancelled their contract to acquire conventionally powered subs from France's Naval Group — Key takeaways from recent DSEI show in London — Look ahead to Air Force Association's Air Space Cyber conference and tradeshow Sept. 20-22

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Look at the week on world markets — Why 2021 is like 1967 and what it means for the future — How the defense and aerospace industries have changed over the past two decades since 9/11 — Outlook for protectionism after two decades of war-driven globalization, including Biden administration's rising Buy American strictures — Implications of Washington's new Buy American approach on allies and partners

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — The week on world markets as covid delta surges across America, impacting the US economy — Air travel update as EU reimposes travel bans on US travelers — Proposal by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and Drs. John Bell and David Agus that G20 lead efforts to reopen the global economy — Wall Street Journal reporting that Boeing won't be able to resume deliveries of 787 jetliners sidelines by manufacturing defects until at least October — Ryanair's decision to end talks with Boeing to buy 737 Max 10 jets — Prospects for Comac's C919 regional jet as it enters certification process some four years after first flight — House Armed Services Committee markup takeaways — European drive to improve strategic autonomy in the wake of the US-led pullout from Afghanistan including closer EU-NATO cooperation — London studied options for UK strategic nuclear deterrent should Scotland declare independence — Harsh social media criticism of Gen. Sir Nick Carter, Britain's chief of defense staff — E-VTOL lessons from recent commercial space flight challenges including failed launched and FAA investigation of recent Virgin Galactic flight with Sir Richard Branson

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Broader market performance as Covid delta variant surges in US, House cleared bipartisan infrastructure and broader Democratic spending packages, and Afghanistan withdrawal presses on — Messages from HASC chairman releases markup that included some $900 million for a dozen F/A-18 Super Hornets, a new nuclear cruise missile for the Navy and an additional destroyer — Commercial air travel outlook as delta surges and airlines require vaccinated staffs — Decision by Delta Air Lines to acquire 30 more A321neo keys from Airbus — Whether Germany will acquire US aircraft to continue performing tactical nuclear mission — Afghanistan withdrawal lessons including shortcomings of pervasive reliance on contractor maintenance

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Defense and aerospace stock performance in the week since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan — UK outrage over US withdrawal from Afghanistan and lack of consultation with it's closest ally, prompting soul-searching in London regarding the nation's strategic assumptions — Utility of mountains of US and allied equipment left behind that's now in Taliban hands — Implications of the downturn in US and European commercial airline traffic — Update ongoing moves to acquire Meggitt and Ultra, and why the UK authorities may view each transaction differently — Improving outlook for Rolls-Royce — Newsflow on the US Air Force's Skyborg program

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Reflections on the defense industrial implications of two decades of war in Afghanistan as the Taliban retake the country — Lessons from the war and what's applicable to future conflicts — Financial implications for defense contractors — What drove financial markets this week and L3Harris earnings — Future of innovative UK companies Ultra, Meggitt and even Babcock in flux — Boeing delays Starliner launch to repair spacecraft — Air travel outlook as China's market further cools — India looks to return 737 Max to flight

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Week on world markets as economic performance improves and covid outlook remains uncertain as concerns about new variants grows — Protests against mask, vaccination and vaccine passport mandates — Travel outlook as air carriers work to balance supply and demand — Review of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Mercury Systems, Rheinmetall and Thales earnings — Abrupt departure of Lockheed Martin CFO Ken Possenriede days before the company's virtual investor day — Analysis of Boeing's decision to spin off its HorizonX venture capital unit and Thales' decision to see its heritage, and historic, transportation business to Hitachi for nearly 1.7 billion euros — Eurofighter partner nations move to major upgrade that will keep the combat jet relevant for decades that could yield future sales — Bell's decision to change the tail rotor design of its 360 Invictus aircraft that's pursuing the US Army's Future Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft contract — Investors' view of Senate Armed Services Committee move to boost US defense spending by $25 billion and push by Senate Republicans for $50 billion in additional defense infrastructure investment

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Turbulent week on Wall Street as delta variant cases surge and new lockdowns and mandates are imposed — Outlook for commercial air travel and future earnings as cases among unvaccinated rise and implications for jet makers — Dassault, Honeywell Saab and Thales earnings and what to expect when US giants report next week — How recent climate disasters from raging forest fires in America and Russia to devastating flash floods in Europe and China will impact global travel — Surf Air's move to acquire 150 hybrid-powered Grand Caravan single-engine aircraft from Textron — Market for electric aircraft in the air transport ecosystem — The Senate Armed Services Committee to add $25 billion to the Biden administration's $715 billion defense budget request and what that means for future Pentagon spending — Market prospects for Russia's new stealthy export fighter — The first crewed suborbital flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft

Richard Aboulafia, Vice President, Analysis, for Teal Group, discusses how Business Aviation has performed during the first half of 2021, and where things might be headed. Among the topics covered during Richard's second podcast of 2021: The market's bifurcation between large and small jet sales. Leading market indicators and more immediate market health guideposts. How aircraft deliveries are shaping up during 2021, and over the next few years. Which airframers are best positioned at the moment. The opportunities for a supersonic aircraft within the Business and Commercial business sectors. Business Aviation's growth forecast for 2021 and 2022.

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Turbulent week on Wall Street as delta variant cases surge and new lockdowns and mandates are imposed — Outlook for commercial air travel and future earnings as cases among unvaccinated rise and implications for jet makers — Dassault, Honeywell Saab and Thales earnings and what to expect when US giants report next week — How recent climate disasters from raging forest fires in America and Russia to devastating flash floods in Europe and China will impact global travel — Surf Air's move to acquire 150 hybrid-powered Grand Caravan single-engine aircraft from Textron — Market for electric aircraft in the air transport ecosystem — The Senate Armed Services Committee to add $25 billion to the Biden administration's $715 billion defense budget request and what that means for future Pentagon spending — Market prospects for Russia's new stealthy export fighter — The first crewed suborbital flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Performance of aerospace and defense shares on world markets — Commercial air travel update as delta variant spreads — Boeing 787 production issues, FAA's directive on 737 switches and Flydubai's decision to halve its 737 Max order — Washington's new concerns over Hong Kong and implications for US-China relations, including aerospace trade — Virgin Galactic stock price drop in wake of Sir Richard Branson's successful suborbital flight — EU's new climate goals and impact on commercial air travel — How devastating floods in Germany that have left 1,300 unaccounted could have electoral and defense impact — Pakistan's decision to acquire 10 maritime patrol aircraft from Leonardo — Poland's decision to acquire hundreds of General Dynamics' M1 Abrams tanks — Russia's new single-engine stealth fighter that's slated to be unveiled next week at the MAKS airshow

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Defense and aerospace stock performance drivers for the week — Travel implications of uneven vaccinations, rising Delta variant and differing national border policies — Airbus' June orders and deliveries — Outlook for Beijing's recertification of the Boeing 737 Max to resume operating in Chinese airspace — Whether China aviation authorities will certify the Comac 919 before it's ready for operations — NetJets' decision to pause small- and medium-size jet sales due to high demand — Impact of Germany's decision to buy Boeing's P-8 on Franco-German MAWS program and SCAF effort involving Paris, Berlin and Madrid — Analysis of the the successful Virgin Galactic Unity 22 suborbital flight that made Sir Richard Branson the first space baron to achieve astronaut status

On this combined Washington Roundtable and Business Report episode of the Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests in segment one are Dov Zakheim, PhD, former DoD comptroller, now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Michael Herson, President and CEO, Bob Hale, former Pentagon comptroller and Mackenzie Eaglen of the American Enterprise Institute. In segment two we are joined by our normal Sunday business crew, “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Move by House to repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, update defense spending plus-ups and bipartisan infrastructure legislation and Jan. 6 investigation — Look at House Appropriations defense subcommittee markup — Outlook for Biden administration nominations that are on hold including Frank Kendall, Mike Brown, Jen Easterly and Susanna Blume — Implications of Russia's recent test of a new missile and revelation that China is building some 120 new ballistic missile silos in the western desert near Yumen — Legacy of former two-time Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld who passed away this week at age 88 — Switzerland's decision to acquire Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II to replace aging Boeing F/A-18 Hornet and Northrop Grumman F-5 Tiger fighters as well as Raytheon's Patriot air and missile defense system — Germany's move to acquire Boeing's P-8 Poseidon as its next maritime patrol aircraft, jeopardizing plan to cooperate with France on future capability — United Airlines' decision to acquire 200 Boeing 737 Max and 70 Airbus A321neo jetliners — Boeing picks Brian West as new chief financial officer to replace Greg Smith who retired earlier this year

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Performance of aerospace and defense companies on Wall Street as America steadily returns to normal — Outlook for air travel as Delta variant of covid on the rise in 85 countries, including US where 35 percent of the population haven't been vaccinated — Look ahead to expected announcement by United for several hundred new narrow body airliners — Boeing outlook as chief lobbyist Tim Keating abruptly leaves the giant without explanation as questions mount about whether the company has the engineering and management capacity for a turnaround — Biden administration move to forge national industrial strategy and whether Washington may have to intervene on Boeing's behalf — Industrial strategy and the creation of Airbus — Russia fires shots across HMS Defender's bow — Outlook for merger between Cobham and Ultra — News reports that F-35 Lightning II fighter leads technical evaluation in Switzerland's competition for a new jet to replace aging F-18 and F-5 aircraft — Biden administration's move away from products made by forced labor in Xinjiang

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners.

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — The week in aerospace and defense stock performance — Denmark and Norway reopen as EU prepares for key June 15 meeting and UK's planned June 21 reopening likely to be delayed — Takeaways from SpeedNews conference in Los Angeles — G7 meeting brings allies together on covid, China and climate — Security implications of renewed Brexit tensions between UK and EU over “Irish border” — Impact of new global minimum tax on aerospace and defense sector — Former IAG chief Willie Walsh on United's plan to launch supersonic service with Boom Overture jets — European response from proposal by NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Tod Wolters to ensure the US Next Generation Air Dominance family of systems, the UK-Italian-Swedish Tempest and the French-German-Spanish SCAF are all interoperable — News reports that Switzerland has selected Dassault Aviation's Rafale to replace its fleet of aging Boeing F/A-18 and Northrop Grumman F-5 fighters — Rollout of Archer air taxi

The 2021 SpeedNews Commercial Aviation Industry Supplier Conference in LA this month provided many executives and advisors the first opportunity to gather again since COVID-19 shut down the sector a year before. Aviation Week Business Editor Michael Bruno talks with Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group, Ron Epstein of Bank of America and Kevin Michaels of AeroDynamic Advisory about the state of industry, the future, and the past.

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Market's response to Biden administration's 2022 budget a week after the $715 billion request was submitted to Congress — Budget impact on major firms — Commercial air travel update as UK covid cases rise in advance of a June 21 reopening target and EU leaders are expected to move on June 15 to reopen the block starting July 1 — Surging US traffic as in-air violence prompts airlines to restraint passengers or divert flight — Analysis of statements by Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun regarding supply chain, future aircraft and trade with China — United Airlines' decision to order 15 Overture supersonic 88-seat passenger jets under development by Boom Aviation — The unraveling of the General Dynamics' Ajax vehicle program for the British Army — Implications of Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat to halt trade in US dollars — Look ahead of net week's SpeedNews conference — What to expect from GE-Safran announcement on June 14

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Defense and aerospace shares as America continues to return of normalcy and the Biden administration submits its $715 billion defense budget request to Congress — Key takeaways from the administration’s proposals to increase research and development and classified investment while paring back acquisition spending to better deter great powers like China and Russia — Impact of no new DoD F/A-18 orders on ongoing fighter competitions in Canada, Finland and Switzerland as US F-35 Lighting II production rate is increased — Commercial air travel trends as Airbus increases production and EU moves toward vaccine certificates — Implications of Alexander Lukashenko’s decision to force a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius to land in Minsk to arrest a pro-democracy activist Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend — Boeing’s $17 million 737 fine as company again suspends 787 production — Why Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al Baker is so critical of Airbus — Croatia’s decision to acquire used French Air Force Rafale fighters by Dassault Aviation to replace the country’s MiG-21 jets

On this episode of the Business Podcast, sponsored by Bell, our guests are “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Air travel outlook as air traffic in America continues to increase and the EU reopens — Implications of Germany’s move to block UK travelers as Britain records cases of Indian strain of covid — Aircraft production update as leading Indian airline IndiGo orders new A320 aircraft fitted with CFM International LEAP engines rather than Pratt & Whitney PW1000G geared turbofans — Outlook for supersonic business aircraft in the wake of decisions by investors to stop funding Aerion — Impact of increasing drive for “green” on business jet market — Prospects for another Scottish independence referendum in the wake of SNP victory in May 6 elections and what an independent Scotland would mean for UK defense — Virgin Galatic’s third successful space flight — Great few weeks for the Royal Navy as Britain’s Carrier Strike Group sets sail for seven-month deployment

On this Washington Roundtable episode of the Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast, sponsored by Bell, we look ahead to 2021 with “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Defense and aerospace stock performance as broader market worries about impact of Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack that interrupted fuel deliveries from the Gulf to East Coast — Global air traffic outlook as US reopens and Europe increases vaccinations, but covid ravages India — Airbus production rate increase as Boeing considers following suit — Impact of fuel interruption on air travel and ticket pricing — Update on Boeing 737 electrical problem and FAA directive on 777 engine mount — Outlook for air taxis as FAA Administrator Steve Dickson tells Congress that permits to be approved in 2023 with service to begin the following year — Role of air taxis in future transportation infrastructure with autonomous ground vehicles and supersonic aircraft — Analysis of RAFAEL’s Iron Dome air defense system in action to defend Israel against Hamas guided and unguided rockets

On this Washington Roundtable episode of the Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast, sponsored by Bell, we look ahead to 2021 with “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Defense and aerospace stock performance on US and European markets — Commercial air travel update, including new aircraft orders and deliveries — Bombardier, BWXT, Hensoldt, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Leonardo, Rheinmetall, and Thales earnings — Analysis of Dassault Aviation’s new Falcon 10X and implications for Bombardier and Gulfstream’s high end products — Egypt’s decision to buy more Rafale fighter aircraft as well as Airbus A330 aerial tanker aircraft — Letter from US lawmakers supporting Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II fighter — Attributes of the Challenger III tank being upgraded for the British Army by the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land joint venture

Improving on the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey results Emily Murphy, former Administrator of the General Services Administration, reacts to the latest Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey results and discusses federal workspaces of the future The affordability of the F-35 program Richard Aboulafia, Vice President of Analysis at The Teal Group, discusses F-35 program costs and provides updates on the government contracting landscape Updates on the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey Max Stier, President and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, analyzes what the latest Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey results show about telework

On this Washington Roundtable episode of the Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast, sponsored by Bell, we look ahead to 2021 with “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Broader market update and how mounting inflation concerns will impact defense and aerospace — Commercial air travel trends as covid ravages India, Brazil and other nations — Boeing earnings as company works to surmount production and engineering challenges across its commercial, defense and space lines — Airbus outlook and how lessons learned from A380 super jumbo yielded a more successful A350 program — Look at MTU, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon Technologies, Safran and other earnings — Saab’s submits “best and final offer” to Helsinki as it pursues Finland’s contract for a new fighter to replace aging F/A-18 jets by Boeing

On this Washington Roundtable episode of the Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast, sponsored by Bell, we look ahead to 2021 with “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Weekly update on defense and aerospace share performance on capital markets — Commercial air traffic as US travels picks up, India suffers massive covid wave and Europe continues to struggle — Impact of India slowdown on Airbus and Boeing — Qatar CEO Akbar al Baker warning of slow travel recovery — Delta Air Line’s decision to buy Airbus’ A321neo jet — Boeing’s decision to retire CFO Greg Smith and prolong CEO Dave Calhoun’s tenure — Leonardo’s move to acquire stake in Hensoldt — Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, CACI, Saab, and Rheinmetall earnings — Look ahead to Dassault Aviation’s unveiling of Future Falcon business jet — Takeaways from House Armed Services Committee hearing on F-35 Lightning II fighter — Implications of loss of the Indonesian Navy submarine Nanggala with all 53 aboard last week

On this Washington Roundtable episode of the Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast, sponsored by Bell, we look ahead to 2021 with “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Aerospace and defense stock market performance in the wake of Biden administration’s decisions on Afghanistan troop withdrawal, Russia sanctions and export of F-35 and Reaper to UAE — European mid-cap performance including Babcock and QinetiQ statements — Commercial air travel trends as American and Delta shift widebody jet from dormant international routes to domestic service — Prospects for vaccine certificates to ease global passenger traffic — New electrical issues with a Boeing’s 737 Max — Boeing’s governance as the company faces challenges — Korea’s KF-21 fighter program and implications for existing combat aircraft like Boeing’s F/A-18 and Lockheed Martin’s F-35 — Claim US scored longest ever air-to-air kill with Raytheon’s AIM-120D

On this Washington Roundtable episode of the Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast, sponsored by Bell, we look ahead to 2021 with “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Aerospace and defense stock performance in wake of Biden administration’s “skinny” budget — Air travel trends as US and UK vaccinations take hold and Europe remains in lockdown — Travel impact on aircraft makes with update on latest Airbus production — Government support for air carriers like France’s package for Air France KLM — Grounding of some Boeing 737 Max jets over electrical issues — outlook for Boeing’s new 777X wide body jetliner — Defense industry implications of priorities in Biden administration’s “skinny” budget — The legacy of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away last week at age 99

On this Washington Roundtable episode of the Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast, sponsored by Bell, we look ahead to 2021 with “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Broader market response and defense and aerospace stock performance in the wake of President Biden’s $2.2 trillion infrastructure proposal and the tax hikes necessary to pay for it — Rising US commercial air travel as airlines cope with increasing demand — Implications of growing traffic on aircraft makers like Airbus, Boeing and Embraer — Look ahead to Airbus figures next week and outlook for 2021 production — Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun’s call for nations to separate their human rights concerns with Chinese leaders from trade — How Washington’s efforts to rally allies and partners against China will influence global trade with Beijing, including commercial aircraft sales — Reported agreement between Airbus defense and Dassault on development of next generation French-German-Spanish combat aircraft — SPACs and urban air mobility

On this Washington Roundtable episode of the Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast, sponsored by Bell, we look ahead to 2021 with “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Defense and aerospace stock performance as Wall Street worries about inflation, covid, China relations and trade, Suez Canal closure and global supply chains — Commercial air travel outlook as vaccinations increase and US travel confidence rises as Europe locks down — Airliner pricing as demand for travel and aircraft rises — Economic decoupling between China and the world as Beijing lashes out after Britain, Canada and EU adopt US sanctions — Implications of China’s deepening alliances with Russia, Iran and partnerships worldwide — Analysis of Britain’s Integrated Review and defense command paper that cut platforms to free investment for future capabilities — Review of F-35 Lightning II outlook

On this Washington Roundtable episode of the Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast, sponsored by Bell, we look ahead to 2021 with “Rocket Ron” Epstein, PhD, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group consultancy and Sash Tusa of Agency Partners. Topics: — Aerospace and defense stock performance as Wall Street worries about inflation and outlook for US-China relations — Air travel trends as US passenger traffic rises with vaccinations and Europe locks down again — All eyes on Chinese re-certification of Boeing’s 737 Max given China’s market constitutes a third of demand for the single-aisle jetliner — Outlook for approval of GE-AerCap merger as leading voices like IATA Chief Executive Alexandre de Juniac question further consolidation — Embraer and Rheinmetall earnings — Airbus defense chief Dirk Hoke’s testimony to France’s National Assembly over SCAF collaboration with a restive Dassault Aviation that’s discussed the need for a “Plan B” for the Franco-German-Spanish project — Impact of Wall Street Journal report of uncontained blade failures involving engines on Boeing 777 and 737 aircraft — The Johnson government’s 114-page “Global Britain in a competitive age” report — Outlook on air taxis as investors pour billions into automated urban air mobility systems developed by giant contractors as well as startups worldwide

Nineteen months after they predicted UAM would be a niche market, Aviation Week’s Graham Warwick and Teal Group’s Richard Aboulafia are back to address why investors are now pouring billions of dollars into the emerging sector. 

Richard Aboulafia, Vice President, Analysis, for Teal Group, discusses the impact COVID-19 has had on the Business Aviation market. Topics covered include: The pandemic effect on Business Aviation during the past year, and how it compares with other impactful global events. The present tailwinds and headwinds affecting Business Aviation. How new aircraft deliveries are likely to evolve during 2021, and over the next few years. Business Aviation's recovery compared to the airlines. Views on the market for a Supersonic Business Jet. Advice for OEMs, aircraft Financing Institutions, and aircraft Service Facility for the near term and the next few years.

The MQ-25 Stingray UAS, Star Wars drones, an Amazon patent for sUAS flight decks, Customs and Border Protection solicitation for small drone studies, how drones might make the future of aviation brighter, an arrest for a drone flight, new geofencing firmware, and Facebook laser drones. News Amazon patents special drone housing in the sky Amazon was awarded U.S. patent number 9387928 for sUAS docking stations that can be attached to structures such as telephone poles or street lamps. Amazon proposes that these multi-use UAV docking stations can be networked and provide package handling facilities, and act as a final destination or a delivery hub. The docking stations could recharge or refuel UAVs, become navigational aids, and provide routing information from a central control system. USN carries out MQ-25 aerial refuelling surrogate testing The UAS that had been called the Carrier Based Aerial Refueling System (CBARS) will be now known as MQ-25 Stingray. Developed from the X-47B, it will use the current Navy refueling pod as its equipment. The system is being tested using a Gulfstream jet as a surrogate and the RFP for the MQ-25 prototypes requests a flyoff in 2017. Star Wars Drones You Can Battle With Propel is making X-wing, Millennium Falcon, TIE Interceptor, and Speederbike quadcopters with clear props to give the illusion of flight. The drones are outfitted with lasers that allow game playing similar to laser tag. Border Patrol calls on Silicon Valley for advice on small drones The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is looking for new ways that Customs and Border Protection could use UAVs and has published an Other Transaction Solicitation (OTS) to fund studies. The OTS Call on Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Word doc) offers grants of $50,000 to $200,000, and describes three objectives: User interfaces for effective communication and enhanced immediacy for reaction. Sensors to improve situational awareness and the ability to track multiple targets. Platform security improvement for UAS self-defense capabilities. Why Drones May Save Aviation This opinion piece describes how sUAS might be a pathway to bring people into aviation. California makes first arrest for drone flight over wildfire A man charged with hampering firefighting efforts was caught after he posted his videos on YouTube. He faces FAA fines of up to $27,500 and possible jail time. DJI drones will now get real-time wildfire alerts New software updates bring geofencing to temporarily restricted areas. Report claims small UAV ruling places USA ahead of Europe Aerospace and defense industry researcher Teal Group says the United States is now ahead of Europe after developing sUAS regulations. The U.S. is “putting pressure on Europe to come up with its own set of regulations.” Facebook wants to use fluorescence to make its laser drones work better Facebook and Internet.org have been developing the Project Aquila fixed-wing drones to provide internet access to remote locations using lasers to transmit data. However, light sent through the atmosphere can produce an undesirable “twinkling” effect. The Facebook team has a solution that uses a structure covered with wavelength shifting dyes that re-emit the light at a different wavelength and reduce the twinkling effect. Video of the Week Drone helps in rescue of stranded boaters near Algona Listener Todd pointed us to this video that documents a DJI Phantom 4 used to locate a man and his 10-year-old granddaughter who stranded in their boat.  

Aerial photography in real estate, autonomous lighting for photographs, nano drones for situational awareness, a new UAV market size study, video selfies by quadcopter, a U.S. “no drone zone” map, taking aerial video of wildfires, and university professors speak to the FAA. The News NRT bans drone photography in northeastern US Attorneys for NRT LLC, a large real estate brokerage, sent letters to the presidents of 200 offices telling them not to use drone photography until the FAA issues regulations. Not all real estate professionals are keen to shut down use of drones. Drone lighting: Autonomous vehicles could automatically assume the right positions for photographic lighting Researchers at MIT and Cornell University are developing autonomous robots equipped with lights that position themselves for photographers. As a first step, small multi-copters provide specified amounts of “rim lighting” for the subject, even as the photographer or the subject moves about. Pocket-sized aerial surveillance system under development A palm-sized unmanned helicopter is being developed by the The U.S. Army and Prox Dynamics  for dismounted troops. Under the Cargo Pocket Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance program, the little UAV would provide a soldier with situational awareness in difficult environments: around a building, in the next room, etc. [Photo above courtesy Prox Dynamics.] Teal Group Predicts Worldwide UAV Market Will Total $91 Billion in Its 2014 UAV Market Profile and Forecast Annually, the capable analysts at Teal Group provide a forecast of the UAV market. Industry professionals will want to purchase the report, but Teal Group gives us some information in their report summary. They say, “Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) continue as the most dynamic growth sector of the world aerospace industry this decade.” The 'selfie' is dead. Introducing the 'dronie' If you know what a "selfie" is you can figure out what a "dronie" is. These are short videos that capture you and maybe your friends or family, then zoom away to show the environment where you are - in your back yard, at the beach, on a mountainside. Don't Fly Drones Here Zoom into this map of the United States to see major airports, U.S. military bases, and U.S. National Parks. All places to avoid when flying your UAV. Civilian Drone Interferes with Sands Firefighting Efforts Firefighters battled the The Sand Fire of El Dorado and Amador County, California for three days. Then a civilian drone taking video appeared. The fire department didn't like that, identified the pilot, and turned the matter over to the Sheriff. Several press reports describe the situation using words like “interfered” and “hindered,” but provide no information whatsoever as to just what the problem was, making us wonder just who is fanning what fire... Professors object to FAA restrictions on drone use University professors are concerned that FAA prohibitions on sUAS operations will have the effect of stifling academic research. Specifically, that they are constrained by last month's clarification from the FAA on rules for model airplanes operated at low-altitude over private property. So 30 professors wrote a letter to the FAA saying, “Under the FAA model aircraft rules, a 10-year-old hobbyist can freely fly model aircraft for recreation, while our nation's scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs are prohibited from using the same technology in the same types of environments.” There is a process under which public colleges or universities can obtain a COA, but it does not apply to private schools, like Harvard and Stanford. Public comments on docket number FAA-2014-0396, Interpretation of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft, are being accepted through September 23, 2014 at the Regulations.gov website. Video of the Week Mentawai Islands Drone Reconnaissance The Mentawai Islands are a chain of about seventy islands and islets off the western coast of Sumatra in Ind...