Main headlines from this issue

Drones for jets? Russia and Iran discuss barter and energy swaps

Iran is exporting a record number of drones to Russia. Yet it remains unclear how Russia purchased the matériel. Multiple news agencies and US officials have indicated that Iran and Russia opted to barter drones for jets, in what would be Iran’s biggest acquisition of fighter aircraft in over 30 years. CTO breaks down what we know, and what it means for Russo-Iranian cooperation.

Taiwan and US consider weapons co-production

The United States and Taiwan are in talks to jointly manufacture weapons for the island nation, in what would be their first-ever instance of co-production. The initiative could encourage Taiwan to increase defence spending and help redress a six-month backlog of sales, according to analysts.

Embraer rallies Korean partners for transport aircraft

Embraer has partnered with three Korean firms to pitch its C-390 Millennium to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF). The Brazilian manufacturer is forming a domestic consortium for the Large Transport Aircraft (LTA) II Program, but faces competition from Lockheed Martin and Airbus. All three suppliers received “wish lists” for indirect offset projects last year.

UK and India launch working group; Rolls Royce pitches ‘Made in India’ engine

The UK is doubling down on efforts to co-produce an indigenous jet engine in India. In comments to reporters at DefExpo, UK High Commissioner Alex Ellis insisted that Rolls-Royce is ready to support the indigenous design and manufacture of a 110-kilonewton engine for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). The comments come as Britain and India launch an inaugural forum to support defence industry cooperation.

Google launches cloud region in Israel

Google has activated Israel’s first local cloud region, a major milestone in its contract to provide cloud services to the Israeli government and military. Boaz Maoz, country manager for Google Cloud Israel, says the project will contribute $7.6bn to Israel’s GDP between 2022 and 2030 and create 21,200 high-tech jobs by 2030.