On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa of the independent equity research firm Agency Partners and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss the fifth down week on Wall Street as the US-Israel war on Iran continues driving up energy prices and inflation estimates; strikes on Iran continue as Tehran attacks a key US airbase in Saudi Arabia, injuring 12 american personnel and reportedly destroying a US Air Force $500 million E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System plane and damaged others; Washington draws on weapons stocks worldwide and considers redirecting weapons bound for Ukraine and other allies to the Middle East as the CSIS think tank says US forces have launched more than 800 or some 3,100 Tomahawk cruise missiles in stock during the first month of the war; how long it will take to refill stocks even with accelerated procurement efforts and new deals with BAE Systems, Honeywell and Lockheed Martin, as RUSI says US, Israel and allies have use 11,000 precision weapons including interceptors valued at $26 billion; whether Ukraine’s air defense deals with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE can offset a critical $90 billion loan package to Kyiv that’s been stalled by Hungary; Korea Aerospace unveiled its new KF-21 fighter the company claims is a less expensive alternative to Lockheed Martin’s best selling F-35 Lightning II; Germany’s expresses interest in Boeing’s Ghost Bat unmanned aircraft developed for Australia; and Palantir and Anduril to develop software backbone for President Trump’s top-priority Golden Dome missile defense system.
