Defense & Aerospace Report

Episodes

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  Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Oct 06, 2026] AUSA’s Roper & American Rheinmetall ‘s Warnick 06.10.2026 1h

  On today’s Land Warfare Series program, sponsored American Rheinmetall, Dan Roper, a retired US Army colonel who is now the director of national security studies at the Association of the United States Army’s Land Warfare Institute, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the theme of the upcoming AUSA conference and tradeshow; and Matt Warnick, the CEO of American Rheinmetall, discusses the Pentagon’s drive to accelerate production; the land systems supply chain; working with the Pentagon and the Army to strip programs of unnecessary requirements and red tape; developing a new generation workforce; continuing Ukraine war lessons; implications of Secretary Hegseth’s new drone command; an update on the XM30 program; and lessons from the recent loss in the US Army’s competition for a new wheeled self-propelled howitzer. Our coverage of AUSA is sponsored by Lockheed Martin.
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  Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Oct 05, 2026] Look Ahead w/ Byron Callan 05.10.2026 46m

  On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the latest headlines and looks at the week ahead.
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  Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast [Oct 04, ’26 Business Report] 04.10.2026 1h 2m

  On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss a winning week on Wall Street; the Trump administration’s move to obligate $142 billion of $152 billion in spending approved by last year, funding President Trump’s priority Golden Dome missile defense system, ships and other programs; G7 nations release 100 million barrels of oil and diesel from their strategic reserves to tamp down energy prices that soared after the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February; Russia targets Ukraine’s power, heating and water systems as European nations lobby to life sanctions on oligarchs to free their nationals being held hostage by Russian allies; the US Navy’s decision to pick Boeing over Northrop Grumman for the FA-XX sixth-generation carrier-capable combat-aircraft; the Air Force’s $2.4 billion award to Boeing for 22 F-15EX Eagle II fighters and $20.7 billion for Raytheon to increase production of AIM-120 air-to-air missiles to 1,900 a year; Canada’s decision to buy six GlobalEye airborne early warning aircraft from Saab; Germany considers buying 16 new A400M transports from Airbus; and analysis of the capabilities of a 737 in the wake of the FlyDubai flight from the UAE to Israel that landed safely after one of the plane’s pilots tried to crash the plane.
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  Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast [Oct 02, ’26 Washington Roundtable] 02.10.2026 1h 13m

  On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, sponsored by L3Harris, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, former DoD Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, and former Pentagon Comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the Trump administration’s obligation of $142 billion in spending before the funding expired, US bond yields hit nearly 5.3 percent, the highest since 2002; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth laid out his vision for the force to junior leaders, including a panel to study of the future of war, a new drone combatant command and a giant new base to house American troops returning to the United States; Russia threatens NATO with nuclear weapons as the alliance grapples with how to respond to Moscow’s increasing hybrid provocations; President Trump turns down a deal with Iran; Abu Dhabi and Riyadh work to reconcile differences as Syria and Hezbollah meet in Turkey; Israel’s prime minister visits the UAE; Xi Jinping marks China’s national day after returning from his summit with President Trump; Beijing’s second military base in the Indo-Pacific; and Seoul approves the first major investment in the United States since President Lee Jae Myung made his pledge last year to spend $350 billion in America.
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  Defense & Aerospace Air Power Podcast [Oct 01, 26] Season 4 E34 We Go High, We Go Low 01.10.2026 50m

  Missiles and drones (slow missiles) put the bang in airpower. But given how many we used in Iran, what would U.S. magazines have to look like to, say, defend Taiwan from the Chinese? Dr. Stacie Pettyjohn and Phil Sheers of the Center for a New American Security answered that question, and we get into the details. Plus: The Navy gets a new FAXX machine. Powered by GE Aerospace!
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  Defense & Aerospace Technology Report [Sep 30, 26] Netzer's Brad Rockstroh on Manufacturing Challenges & Opportunities 30.09.2026 42m

  On this month’s Technology Report, sponsored by Clarion Defence, Brad Rockstroh of Netzer Metalworks joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the critical role small metal and machining companies play in America’s defense and commercial industrial ecosystem; the impact of the Trump administration’s efforts to expand US manufacturing including defense production; outlook for recruiting workers into manufacturing jobs and how long it takes train skilled workers; and how a revolution in manufacturing technology is changing the game.
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  DEFAERO Strategy Series [Sep 29, 26] AIA's Fanning & Bain's Sion on 'The State of Investment in Defense' 29.09.2026 44m

  On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Eric Fanning, the president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association and Mike Sion, a partner at Bain & Company, join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss a new report Sion coauthored with his colleague Colin Lesley — “The State of Investment in Defense: Unlocking Growth;” the defense investment market and impediments to growth; venture capital and private equity; the administration’s drive to invest in its suppliers; the Pentagon’s framework agreements suppliers; and more.
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  Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Sep 28, 2026] Look Ahead w/ Byron Callan 28.09.2026 30m

  On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the latest headlines and looks at the week ahead.
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  Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast [Sep 27, ’26 Business Report] 27.09.2026 52m

  On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss a bumpy week on Wall Street as bond yields rise along with diesel prices that are up 77 percent over the past year; President Trump hosts Xi Jinping in Washington for a state visit; Washington wants China to return an F-35 fighter cockpit canopy and weapons bay door that ended up in Hong Kong on its way to the United States from Australia for repair; the agreement Denmark, Greenland and the United States signed to allow more American bases on the world’s largest island; the Pentagon presses ahead with another framework agreement with Lockheed Martin, this time for the Air Force’s AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile that would succeed Raytheon’s Advanced Air-to-Air Missile; and Turkish Airlines’ order for 150 new 737 Max jetliners from Boeing.
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  Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast [Sep 25, ’26 Washington Roundtable] 25.09.2026 1h 5m

  On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Michael Herson of American Defense International, former DoD Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, and former Pentagon Comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss Pentagon officials engaging defense authorizers and appropriators to make the case for their budget; rise in bond yields and gas prices in the wake of the Iran war;  Steve Witkof's meeting with Iran’s Abbas Arakchi; Houthi attacks on  Saudi Arabia and threats of strikes on US forces if Washington intervenes; highlights from the leader addresses at the UN General Assembly; Xi Jinping's state visit, US-Denmark Greenland agreement; Russian elections as Ukraine hammered Moscow’s refineries and much more.
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  Defense & Aerospace Air Power Podcast [Sep 24, 26] Season 4 E33 Engine Room 24.09.2026 56m

  One of the biggest headlines coming out of last week’s Air, Space, Cyber conference was a deal in which hypersonic airplane company Hermeus would build Pratt & Whitney F100 fighter engines. So we brought back Hermeus’s executive chairman, AJ Piplica, to explain how this happened and why it’s happening, along with what else is new at their company. Plus: Do you know where your F-35 canopy is? Powered by GE Aerospace!
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  DEFAERO Strategy Series [Sep 23, 26] Michael O’Hanlon Discusses His Latest “To Dare Mighty Things: U.S. Defense Strategy Since the Revolution” 23.09.2026 54m

  On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Dr. Michael O’Hanlon, the Philip H. Knight Chair in defense and strategy as well as the director of foreign policy research at the Brookings Institution, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss his latest book — “To Dare Mighty Things: U.S. Defense Strategy Since the Revolution” published in January by Yale University Press.
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  Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Sep 22, ’26] Sam Bendett & Eugene Rumer on Russia, Ukraine 22.09.2026 49m

  On today’s Land Warfare program, sponsored by American Rheinmetall, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses and Dr. Eugene Rumer, the director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the latest on the Ukraine war and trends for future ground conflict.
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  Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Sep 21, 2026] Look Ahead w/ Byron Callan 21.09.2026 35m

  On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the Sept. 24 summit between President Trump and China’s Xi Jinping; changing defense sentiment; implications of the deal the president claims gives US more rights in Greenland than the 1951 agreement between Washington and Copenhagen; more takeaways from the Air & Space Forces Association’s annual Air Space Cyber conference and tradeshow, including more Iran war lessons; the Air Force’s plan for 500 Collaborative Combat Aircraft and 500 Massed Modular Aircraft; the service’s interest in new F16 Fighting Falcon jets by Lockheed Martin to fill out its aging force structure; RTX’s deal with hypersonic aircraft maker Hermeus to produce F100 engines; the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ new report, “The Defence of Europe in a New Era: An Assessment;” and a look at the week ahead and in Washington and beyond.
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  Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast [Sep 20, ’26 Business Report] 20.09.2026 1h 5m

  On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss an up week on Wall Street as the Iran war continues and Tehran-backed Houthi rebels move on Yemen’s oil-rich Marib province and strike Saudi energy facilities; President Trump declines a request from Riyadh for help, but approves the sale of F-35 Lighting II fighters despite concerns from US intelligence that the stealth jet’s technology could leak to China; implications of the EU’s offer of associate membership for Canada that Trump has said could be a “hostile act,” threatening to block trade with Europe; the Swedish government awarded Saab a $400 million contract to develop next-generation combat aircraft technologies; US Air Force leaders seek 500 Collaborative Combat Aircraft and another 500 Massed Modular Aircraft — envisioned as cheaper version of the MQ-9 Reaper — as well as new F-16 Fighting Falcon jets to fill out the service’s aging force structure; startup hypersonic aircraft maker Hermeus’ deal with Pratt & Whitney to build the jet maker’s F100 engines under license; Lockheed said that 22 days after signing a contract with General Motors for PAC-3 missile parts, the car maker started delivering the “mission critical” components; Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg’s statement that the ramp up 737 and 787 jet production would take longer than expected even as he expected certification of the Max 10 airliner to be secured soon; GE Aerospace’s confidence that mid-engine seal issues with its GE9X — the most powerful commercial aviation powerplant ever built — won’t delay Boeing’s 777X from entering service; and IndiGo’s Willie Walsh plan to build bigger fleet and turn New Delhi into an Asia gateway.
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  Defense & Aerospace Report Podcast [Sep 18, ’26 Washington Roundtable] 18.09.2026 1h 16m

  On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Michael Herson of American Defense International, former DoD Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, and former Pentagon Comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss reconciliation being punted to the lame duck session as work on appropriations and the National Defense Authorization Act conference accelerate; new Russia sanctions head to the White House for President Trump’s signature as the Pentagon reportedly prepares to withdraw tens of thousands of US troops from NATO; US and Iranian forces trade fire as the Pentagon says war costs top $33 billion; with control of the Bab al Mandab, Tehran-backed Houthi rebels advance on oil-rich Marib province and strike Saudi oil facilities as Trump rebuffed Saudi calls for help, striking his own deal with the Houthis for safe passage of US and Israeli ships; China’s effort to avoid the Bab al Mandab and Suez Canal by sailing the first commercial ship via a northern route from China to Europe via the Russian Arctic Coast; Trump approves F-35 fighters for Saudi Arabia despite intelligence community concerns the stealth jet’s technology could leak to China; Gulf states question US reliability as American forces pull back from regional bases meant to deter Iranian attack; Washington’s approval of a $2.8 billion in arms package for Israel including 2,000-pound bombs blocked by the Biden administration as the White House again blocks a visa for Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to visit the UN; as Washington woos Russia to peace in Ukraine with lucrative deals, Moscow ramps up attacks on Europe, with one of its warships firing flares at a Danish helicopter, Dutch rail lines sabotaged and a second Bulgarian ammunition depot since August that caught fire and exploded; Finland becomes the 10th nation to joins France’s nuclear deterrence initiative; as the US-Canada trade war continues, Prime Minister Mark Carney sought a trillion dollars in investment and the European Union offered the country associate member status that Trump said could be “a hostile act” and threatened to block trade with Europe; speculation about Xi Jinping’s health; South Korean President Lee Jae Myung rules out combat forces for the Gulf; and former Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl dies at age 84.
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  Defense & Aerospace Air Power Podcast [Sep 17, 26] Season 4 E32 Crib Sheet 17.09.2026 1h 6m

  Crib Sheet: If you missed the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air, Space, Cyber conference outside Washington DC (or even if you didn’t!), this is your show. By turns rollicking, feisty, and thoughtful, Laura Winter of the Downlink podcast; Tobias Naegele of Air and Space Forces magazine; and retired Lieutenant General Dave Deptula, Dean of The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies join us to review the conference, including space weapons, CCAs, budgets, and more. Plus we have the week’s top airpower headlines. Powered by GE Aerospace!
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  DEFAERO Strategy Series [Sep 16, 26] Lewis and Sherman on Latest AI & Cyber Headlines 16.09.2026 30m

  On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Dr. Jim Lewis of the Center for European Policy Analysis and Justin Sherman of the Global Cyber Strategies advisory firm and the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the Trump administration’s adoption of AI for national security and how the technology was used during the recent Iran war; whether learning the right lessons from the Iran war can help the US military improve capabilities to better deter China; the call by leading AI firms to delay development of new models to improve security; and potential national security implications on abrupt and growing public backlash to data centers.
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  Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Sep 15, 2026] Look Ahead w/ Byron Callan 15.09.2026 38m

  On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the latest headlines and looks at the week ahead.
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  Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Sep 14, 2026] Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken “Cruiser” Wilsbach 14.09.2026 45m

  On today’s program, sponsored by GE Aerospace, Gen. Ken “Cruiser” Wilsbach, the 24th chief of staff of the US Air Force, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss his priorities, lessons from the Ukraine and Iran wars that are shaping air power; Chinese, Russian, Iranian and North Korean capabilities that are shaping how the Air Force plans, operates, trains and equips; whether the service has sufficient margin to deter China and if necessary defeat it given concerns about weapon stocks; what kind of long-range strike and anti-air weapons the force will need to “outstick” adversaries; integration of short, medium and long-range unmanned systems; what happens if lawmakers don’t approve the service’s spending request; and whether airmen need the kind of nuclear training they received during the Cold War as the force presses ahead with modernizing its nuclear forces.