* Defense One’s claim that every country will have armed drones within ten years that are capable of firing missiles seems a bit of a stretch, but it’s a safe expectation that at least every significant military power will have UCAVs in 10 years, and so will many 2nd-tier countries.
* AIN: Mystery Object in Near-collision May Be Russian UCAV.
Deadly Clashes Continue in Eastern Ukraine
* The KyivPost relays a message from Ukraine’s Interior Minister saying that “at least 21 people died in clashes between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol.”
* Germany’s Deutsche Welle: Putin’s words have no effect.
* Russia is pushing Sweden and Finland closer. It’s part of a larger trend toward Nordic defense cooperation, but there have been a few hiccups along the way. Alliances are great, but ultimately the answer is: don’t have a military that can’t defend the country [PDF].
* Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank, claims that outflows out of Russia in recent months may have reached 160 billion euros ($220B), or 4 times as much as admitted by the Russian government, indicating that Russia’s meddling in Ukraine will come at a hefty price. But Western banks have nontrivial exposure to sanctions, so imposing them is not free for Europe nor the US.
Stealth vs. Range
* In a recent testimony [in French] in front of France’s lower chamber defense committee, MBDA CEO Antoine Bouvier was blunt on what he sees as an opportunity for the Meteor missile [DID’s translation]:
“The technical goals set for [the F-22, JSF and B-2] platforms, especially in terms of stealth, were widely overestimated. So the USA are now facing difficulties as the performance offered by these platforms is not meeting expectations, notably in terms of penetration, and the performance of the F-22 and F-35 missiles is no longer coherent with their missions.”
BMD for Canada?
* After dropping the issue a decade ago, Canada’s federal government is taking another look at ballistic missile defence.
Bidding for the Philippines
* STX of France and India’s Garden Reach may be about to join Spain’s Navantia and various Korean firms, as the Philippines considers what kind of new frigates it can afford – and whether it can afford not to buy them.
China to Disrupt or Embrace “World Order”?
* John Ikenberry, a Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University, was at the Chatham House British think tank recently to discuss the rise of China. He argues that while non-Western states seek a bigger role in the global system, they still embrace the “liberal world order” set in place by the US and Europe last century. Video below:
