All articles by Amit Thadani
Amit Thadani
Guarding Nato’s eastern gates
After Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his tanks across the Ukrainian border, Moscow’s aggression has driven Nato even closer together. With the very real threat of a Russian invasion of Eastern Europe once more on the agenda, there has never been a more pressing time for Nato member states to ensure they are prepared to deter and, if necessary, defend their territory. Tallha Abdulrazaq speaks to Major General Veiko-Vello Palm of the Estonian Defence Forces to understand the current state of play, and what Nato needs to do next to secure its eastern flank.
The modular sea change
For modern navies, modularity can enhance persistence, sustainability and effectiveness while improving efficiency, cost and integration. Nicholas Kenny speaks with Emma Salisbury, US military-industrial complex expert and PhD candidate at Birkbeck College, University of London, and retired Rear Admiral Nils Wang, director of Naval Team Denmark and former chief of the Royal Danish Navy, to learn more about the benefits offered by such an approach.
The view from the ground
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought the importance of counter-drone technology to the fore, with the machines scoring victory after victory against underprepared ground forces. Andrea Valentino talks to Dr Cristian Coman, lead for counter-drone activities at the NCI Agency, and Riki Ellison, chairman and founder at the Missile Defence Advocacy Alliance, to learn about the latest developments in counter-drone technology, understand the key challenges they face – and appreciate that machinery alone will never be enough to keep the skies clear of enemy aircraft.
In the shadow of the bomb
With the Russian invasion force in a stalemate and increasingly charged rhetoric around the possession of dirty bombs and biological weapons, the CBRN threat hanging over Ukraine grows by the day. Nicholas Kenny speaks with Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, former UK and Nato commander of CBRN forces, and Antonella Cavallo, rescEU CBRN technical lead at the European Commission, to learn about why concerns are growing and what is being done to help protect the Ukrainian people from such an attack.
War on the cyber front
As Russian cyberattacks continue across Eastern Europe, what are some of the lessons learned from the early assault on Ukraine? And what does the lack of penetration from Russian hackers say about the strength of Ukrainian and Nato resistance, as well as Russia’s overall strategy? Gary King speaks to Ian West, chief of Nato’s Cyber Security Centre, about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the key issues when it comes to safeguarding against militant cyber threats.
Night-vision quest
Nato members and partners across Europe are looking to improve their night-vision capabilities to enhance situational awareness during night-time operations. Andrea Valentino chats with Major Jari Tiilikka from the Finnish Defence Forces, and Lieutenant Colonel Rune Nesland-Steinor of the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency, to understand why their location and environment means the Nordics have long relied on night vision, how new developments are improving operations – and what the rise of radical new augmented reality technology means for the discipline as a whole.
Babcock welcomes back HMS Montrose
Babcock, the international defence company, has welcomed home HMS Montrose, part of the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate fleet, to her Devonport base port following the ships 4-year deployment from the UK.
Top 5 emerging engineering innovations in the defence industry, according to expert
Karem Akoul, Project Manager at custom military equipment case manufacturers CP Cases, pinpoints the latest military advancements and the impact they will have.
BAE Systems awarded £80 million in Typhoon avionics support contracts
Eurofighter avionics support contracts will help keep Typhoon aircraft mission ready
Medical equipment for Ukraine: Rheinmetall subsidiary ZMS supplying state-of-the-art field hospital with support from German government
With backing from the German government, Rheinmetall will soon be supplying the Ukrainian armed forces with a turnkey modern field hospital. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence awarded the €9 million order to Rheinmetall subsidiary Zeppelin Mobile Systeme GmbH (ZMS) in September 2022. The package includes training on the system. Delivery is scheduled to take place in 2023.