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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 2017, Vol: 19
Commercial Off-The-Shelf Drones: A Chance to Start Winning the Economic Exchange?
RUSI Defence Systems, 8 June 2017Gareth Anderson
Commercial drones are cheap assets that have the potential to be exploited by innovative military organisations. Their combat potential is already being explored by adversarial groups; not taking the initiative now could leave Western forces at a relative disadvantage
Tags: Equipment and Acquisitions, Land Operations, Military Sciences, Land Forces
Chinese Arms Exports Contradict Its International Messaging
RUSI Defence Systems, 20 April 2017James Shinnie
The People’s Republic of China has recently signed a deal to create a military UAV factory in Saudi Arabia, providing a potential new market for the growing Chinese arms industry. China’s burgeoning presence as an arms manufacturer is likely to become a key defence issue in coming years
Tags: China, Africa
A Classified Cloud: The Security of Military Data
RUSI Defence Systems, 7 April 2017Alexander Babuta
In the digital age, it is often necessary to make compromises between cost and security. For the US Army, miscalculating the balance of this compromise could have serious implications for national security.
Tags: Cyber, United States, North America, Technology
Knocked Off The Perch? USAF F-15C/D Eagles Under Threat
RUSI Defence Systems, 30 March 2017Justin Bronk
It is a tired cliché in airpower circles that the F-15 is the most successful fighter in history with more than 100 kills to no losses in air-to-air combat. While no longer supreme, the replacement of the veteran air superiority fighter – currently being discussed in Washington – would leave serious capability gaps
Tags: Aerospace, Air Power and Technology, Military Sciences
Lofty Ambitions: China’s Expansive Space Launch Capabilities
RUSI Defence Systems, 23 March 2017Alexandra Stickings and Elizabeth Quintana
A secretive small satellite launch in February is evidence of China’s continuing technological advancements in the space realm. But this launch masks the broader range of space capabilities that China is building
Tags: Aerospace, China
Tigers Show Off European Capabilities in Mali
RUSI Defence Systems, 13 March 2017James Shinnie
The multinational MINUSMA and French Barkhane deployments to Mali involve the use of several indigenous European platforms, particularly the Eurocopter Tiger. Therefore, they represent a useful opportunity to evaluate some aspects of European expeditionary capabilities
Tags: Aerospace, United Nations, Military Sciences, Africa
Myanmar’s Military Modernisation: Impressive, but Challenges Ahead
RUSI Defence Systems, 2 March 2017Eddie Lim and Shang-su Wu
Since the military junta took power in 1988, Myanmar has expanded its military capabilities by introducing both new and used assets. However, several challenges remain if the junta is to maintain its current capabilities.
Tags: Defence Management, Land Forces, Maritime Forces
India’s Space Programme Goes Sky High
RUSI Defence Systems, 20 February 2017Elizabeth Quintana
The launch of more than 100 satellites on board the Indian Polar Space Launch Vehicle (PSLV) last week has smashed the previous world record held by Russia since 2014. India’s space programme is driven by regional competition and security concerns, national ambition in the scientific domain and, above all, a laser focus on cost effectiveness.
Tags: Aerospace, India, Technology, Central and South Asia
Reconciling Active Protection Systems with the SDSR
RUSI Defence Systems, 16 February 2017James Shinnie
The Ministry of Defence recently allocated £7.6 million to a ‘soft kill’ active protection system for armoured vehicles, being tested by QinetiQ. This article examines the potential place of such capabilities within the armoured concepts outlined in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review.
Tags: Equipment and Acquisitions, Military Sciences, UK, UK Defence, Europe
TF-X: A New Chapter in UK–Turkey Relations Takes Flight
RUSI Defence Systems, 31 January 2017Justin Bronk
Britain and Turkey signed a £100 million deal on 28 January during Theresa May’s trade talks in Ankara with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Under the deal, BAE Systems will join forces with Turkish Aerospace Industries to develop a ‘fifth-generation fighter’ for the Turkish Air Force of the 2020s. What sort of aircraft could be produced and what implications could there be?
Tags: Aerospace, Air Power and Technology, Turkey, Military Sciences, Europe
Wide-Area Motion Imagery Systems: Evolution, Capabilities and Mission Sets
RUSI Defence Systems, 5 January 2017John Marion
Even among security experts and military professionals in Europe, wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) is seldom discussed and is often confused with full-motion video cameras or other systems. This is despite its important capabilities for many security users.
Tags: Aerospace, Air Power and Technology, Technology
Surveillance in Space: The Future of Spy and Stealth Satellites
RUSI Defence Systems, 15 December 2016Alexandra Stickings
While not a new phenomenon, the use of spy and stealth technology in space continues to have an impact on how security is viewed in this domain. Understanding the implications is becoming increasingly important
Tags: Aerospace, National Security and Resilience Studies, Technology
Taiwan’s Interest in Aegis Warships: Would They Make Operational Sense During Cross-Strait Hostilities?
RUSI Defence Systems, 31 October 2016Ben Wan Beng Ho and Shang-Su Wu
Taiwan has unveiled a $15-billion indigenous naval shipbuilding plan that seeks to wean the Republic of China Navy (RoCN) off foreign acquisitions and deliver twelve new platform initiatives between 2017 and 2040. Particularly eye-catching amongst these programmes is the idea of an Aegis warship
Tags: China, Maritime Forces
Survivability for Combat Aircraft: What Comes After Stealth?
RUSI Defence Systems, 10 October 2016Justin Bronk
Just like extreme manoeuvrability in a turning fight and the quest for ever greater speed, hiding an aircraft from radar returns will eventually be superseded by other approaches to survivability. Potential alternative approaches are already under development
Tags: Aerospace, Air Power and Technology, Military Sciences
Clearing Up in Space: The Next Global Flashpoint?
RUSI Defence Systems, 2 September 2016Alexandra Stickings
The space domain, with over 1,000 currently operational satellites, is becoming increasingly congested, and the issue of how to deal with space debris is more important than ever. How worried should we be about possible threats from new debris-clearing technologies?
Tags: Aerospace, National Security and Resilience Studies, Military SciencesPages
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