Briefings : Gripen NG, Canada JSF, CVF

• The Gripen NG Demo aircraft is coming to Farnborough after a late change of plans. Sweden are now talking openly about their plans to procure the next generation Gripen with a decision to be taken next year or 2012 with the first Gripen NGs entering service with the Swedish Air Force in 2020.
• Canada has announced it will buy 65 F-35 JSFs to replace its F-18 fighter fleet. It is the first firm export committment for the type and will be welcome news after recent flakiness by other customers.
• The Telegraph has a series of pictures from the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier under construction and a round-up report. Meanwhile the Artisan 3D radar which will be fitted to the QE class is under test.
  
  
  
• The Guardian has picked up on the fact the Treasury and MOD are in conflict over who should be paying for the Trident nuclear submarine replacements.
• Defense Tech is asking if the US are finally changing their policy of gold plating every procurement programme with the CSAR-X search and rescue helicopter. We'll believe that when we see it.
• The latest country to reduce its defence budget is... Israel. Its the first time the Jewish state's defence budget will be reduced for years.