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RUSI Defence Systems
Concise briefings on strategic, conceptual and acquisition issues faced by the global defence community, designed for analysts and practitioners
January 2021, Vol: 23 No: 1
Reports of the ‘Failure’ of the F-35 are Premature and Exaggerated
RUSI Defence Systems, 25 February 2021, No: 1Justin Bronk
The announcement that a forthcoming US Air Force TacAir study will include an assessment of a new clean sheet design to replace the F-16 has led many to label the F-35 a failure. While it is certainly an important change in public messaging, the underlying dynamics do not support this interpretation.
Tags: Air Power and Technology, Martial Power Programme, Military Sciences
Israeli Options for Direct Attacks on Iranian Nuclear Sites
RUSI Defence Systems, 23 February 2021, No: 1Ehud Eilam
The Israeli government sees Iran’s nuclear programme as an existential threat. The Biden administration is attempting to re-open negotiations, but if these fail and Iran tries to produce a nuclear weapon then Israel might attempt to bomb Iranian nuclear sites. US supplies of new bombs and the B-52 bomber would be critical to any prospects of success.
Tags: Iran, Israel
Why the RAF Should Continue to Prioritise the P-8 Poseidon and E-7 Wedgetail
RUSI Defence Systems, 19 January 2021, No: 1Justin Bronk
The two ISTAR types are expensive but remain some of the most operationally relevant and flexible capabilities in the equipment plan, with a vital role to play in support of the RAF and the wider joint force in both high-intensity warfighting and ongoing low-intensity mission sets.
Tags: Aerospace, Air Power and Technology, Military Sciences
Sustainment Is the Division’s Hardest Responsibility
RUSI Defence Systems, 13 January 2021, No: 1Jack Watling
The proliferation of ISR and precision fires make resupply of combat brigades an increasingly complex and dangerous task for which legacy tactics are ill suited and in need of revision.
Tags: Martial Power Programme, Military Sciences, Land Forces
From Multirole to Modularity
RUSI Defence Systems, 10 December 2020, No: 1Jack Watling
Three decades of low-intensity warfare has led to the development of numerous exquisite platforms, bristling with capability, but their cost makes them scarce, and consequently vulnerable. Generating mass and resilience requires federating capabilities.
Tags: Land Operations, Martial Power Programme, Military Sciences
Enhancing Port and Harbour Security with Unmanned Surface Vehicle Technology
RUSI Defence Systems, 3 December 2020, No: 1George Galdorisi
Initial trials at the Port of Los Angeles suggest that unmanned surface vehicles offer significant benefits over traditional solutions to providing round-the-clock security coverage for the ports and harbours that underpin the global economy.
Tags: National Security, Resilience
Overhyped Hypersonics? Examining the US Navy’s Prompt Strike Ambitions
RUSI Defence Systems, 25 November 2020, No: 1Sidharth Kaushal
The recent announcement that all US Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyers will carry hypersonic weapons for conventional prompt strike missions raises important questions regarding both the CONOPS guiding conventional prompt strike and the specific value of hypersonics for this mission set
Tags: Martial Power Programme, Military Sciences, Maritime Forces
Avoiding the Reign of Artificial Stupidity
RUSI Defence Systems, 27 October 2020, No: 1Jack Watling
Artificial intelligence in war may be a good servant, but it is likely to prove a terrible master, for while the character of stupidity may evolve, its nature remains immutable
Tags: Martial Power Programme, Military Sciences
The Type 055: A Glimpse into the PLAN’s Developmental Trajectory
RUSI Defence Systems, 19 October 2020, No: 1Sidharth Kaushal
The Type 055 Renhai destroyer, which displaces 12,000 tonnes, represents a significant advance in People’s Liberation Army Navy blue-water surface combatant vessel capabilities, in terms of both size and complexity
Tags: Adversarial Studies, China, Military Sciences, Maritime Forces
The Key to Armenia’s Tank Losses: The Sensors, Not the Shooters
RUSI Defence Systems, 6 October 2020, No: 1Jack Watling
Amid a lively debate about the viability of the UK’s heavy armour, the loss of over 42 Armenian T-72s to Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh requires further analysis.
Tags: Land Operations, Military Sciences, Land Forces
A Return to Combat Mass? Modern LIFT/LCA Platforms to Complement the Fighter Fleet
RUSI Defence Systems, 9 September 2020, No: 1Edward Hunt
The acquisition of combat-capable lead-in fighter trainer/light combat aircraft types to complement traditional fast jet types across less demanding mission sets offers a potential route towards regenerating practical combat mass for medium-sized air forces.
Tags: Aerospace
The Missing Link in Britain’s Forces
RUSI Defence Systems, 25 August 2020, No: 1Jack Watling
If the British Army is to achieve the digital integration that underpins its Information Manoeuvre concept then its recce platforms need Link-16
Tags: Land Operations, Military Sciences, Land Forces
Where’s the Anti-Tank Reserve?
RUSI Defence Systems, 7 July 2020, No: 1Jack Watling
The British Army needs a mobile anti-tank reserve capability in order to credibly stop opposing heavy armour during a peer conflict. Without it, outnumbered UK armour will be held at bay while infantry are overwhelmed
Tags: Martial Power Programme, Military Sciences, Land Forces
Recapitalisation of the US Coast Guard: New Ships for the White, Red and Black Hull Fleets
RUSI Defence Systems, 30 June 2020, No: 1Edward Lundquist
The US Coast Guard is in the midst of a major fleet reset, with new and more capable platforms to replace an aging fleet of patrol ships, inland tenders and icebreakers.
Tags: United States, Domestic Security, Maritime Forces
Spare Me Your Cyber-Age Technobabble
RUSI Defence Systems, 5 June 2020, No: 1Jack Watling
If Defence is to appropriately weight cyber operations then there are some dangerous myths about the practicalities of cyber warfare that need to be confronted.
Tags: Cyber, Military Sciences, UK, Technology, UK Defence, EuropePages
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