Quoting Shakespeare, IDEF coverage and Northrop Grumman’s autonomous design philosophy

How are weaponised cranes aiding Turkey's insurgency fight? What’s the design philosophy behind industry’s development of autonomous aircraft? And why are IT companies making a play into the defence sector?

This week on the Weekly Defence Podcast, we cover the IDEF defence exhibition in Turkey, talk to Northrop Grumman’s Director of Strategy of Autonomous Systems Strategy and our sponsor Nammo features in our Industry Voice segment. 

• News Roundup (01:02)

With the UK recently changing defence secretary following leaked plans to allow a Chinese company to build the UK’s 5G network, the team considers the implications.

At the Sea Air Space 2019 exhibition, it emerged that the US Navy is assessing a service life extension for its fleet of MH-60R/S Sea Hawks while the FAA is signing off on the TH-119’s IFR certification.

The team also covers India’s intention to purchase more Ka-31 airborne early warning helicopters, Romania’s consideration of the Puma IFV as an alternative to their Agilis project, the latest turnaround on the issue of the USS Harry S Truman and the shift in the UK’s budget for further Type 31e light frigates.

Sea-Air-Space 2019: USN faces balancing act over Sea Hawk's life
Sea-Air-Space 2019: FAA to sign off on TH-119 IFR certification
IMDEX Asia 2019: India seeks more Ka-31 AEW helicopters
Romania looks to buy the Puma IFV as Agilis project alternative
Sea-Air-Space 2019: US Navy defends USS Harry S Truman refuelling flip flop
UK MoD restates ‘average’ benchmark for Type 31e

•  Event Attendance – IDEF Report (15:20)

Turkish companies were out in force at IDEF in Istanbul as the country moves quickly to develop its domestic defence industrial base.

Beth Maundrill and Kate Martyr were at the event and cover MPG’s heavily armoured 8x8 crane currently being delivered to the Turkish armed forces, before talking about the next-generation 155mm self-propelled howitzer which reportedly is set to begin live fire exercises.

IDEF 2019: Weaponised cranes to aid Turkey's insurgency fight
IDEF 2019: Next generation howitzer production on the horizon

• Interview – Kristen Griffin, Director of Autonomous Systems Strategy, Northrop Grumman (25:01)

Richard Thomas, our editor-in-chief, met with Kristen Griffin, Director of Autonomous Systems Strategy at Northrop Grumman, to talk about the company’s autonomous aircraft, the design philosophy behind them and what we can expect to see in the future.

• Industry Voice (35:25)

This week in our Industry Voice, Tim Martin, our senior reporter, is at Sea Air Space in Maryland, where he talks to the SVP of Communications for Nammo, Endre Lunde, about the various IT companies present and their influence on the defence sector.

Music and sound mixing provided by Fred Prest