Rapid Fire 2011-03-25: Top Aerospace/Defense Emerging Markets

* Pentagon chief Robert Gates says US $1.5 billion in annual military aid to Egypt will continue during democratic transition. * EADS to cut 600 jobs at its Cassidian defense unit in an effort to reduce costs by EUR 400 million over 3-4 years. * Iranian government suspected of being behind counterfeiting of digital certificates used to secure Internet traffic. * The top 5 emerging markets in aerospace and defense – Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa – should see robust 15.2% annual growth, reaching $260.1 billion in 2014, predicts Datamonitor. * German Bundeswehr approves EADS Cassidian’s ParaLander GPS-guided cargo paradrop system for deployment in Afghanistan. The system is part of the same trend as JPADS. * German Army receives 1st Boxer MRAV wheeled APCs for training, as they prepare to deploy it to Afghanistan later in 2011. One more piece of the puzzle, as Germany keeps adding better protected vehicles there. * Austria’s defense expenditures are expected to decline at a 5.32% annual rate, dropping from $2.7 billion in 2011 to $2.2 billion in 2015, says iCD Research. * LaBarge gets $4.5 million US Navy contract to provide cable harnesses for the tactical Tomahawk cruise missile.