Briefings (01/01/10) : LEMV, A400M, Trident

Happy New Year to everyone, as it is the start of a new year (and a decade) i am going to run things a little differently on this blog from now on. I will regularly (hopefully daily during the week but we'll see how it goes) present a briefing of defence related news and information i hope others may find interesting. There will also be editorials and other news items as well.

That is the plan anyway, for our first briefing the US Army is looking into lighter-than-air technology again and hopes to buy a long-endurance hybrid airship for surveillance in Afghanistan called LEMV. The A400M's flight test programme will get into top gear in 2110, with testing to also take place in France as well as Spain.

Back in 1979 out-going Prime Minister James Callaghan broke the "iron law" about handing over files to a new administration (Maggie Thatcher of course) when he made sure she received "key documents" relating to replacing the British Polaris nuclear deterrent with Trident. Sticking with strategic weapons USAF Global Strike Command (AFGSC) has taken over responsibility for US ICBMs part of an ongoing plan to unify all USAF nuclear assets under one command.