The defence industry briefing

The news, views and numbers you need to know about this month

News in numbers

$705.4bn

Budget requested for the US for the Department of Defence for 2021

$28.9bn

Portion of the requested 2021 US defence budget allocated to nuclear modernisation

$15.4bn

Funding allocated to the US Space Force under the requested 2021 defence budget

$841m

Funding earmarked for AI development in the US DoD budget request for 2021

$2tn

Amount the US has spent on the Iraq war so far, according to the Watson Institute

$73.65bn

India’s defence budget for 2020-2021, with $18.5bn allocated to weapons purchases

$4.6bn

Value of the deal signed by Poland to acquire 32 F-35 fighter jets from the US

REader survey

This month we asked readers on our sister website Airforce Technology:

"Is the F-35 still a worthwhile investment?"

The result shows the majority of our readers think so, with 68% saying the F-35 is a worthwhile investment for defence departments. However, 32% believe the aircraft is not worth it.

The result shows the majority of our readers think so, with 68% saying the F-35 is a worthwhile investment for defence departments. However, 32% believe the aircraft is not worth it.

This month on twitter

Defender Europe 20 begins

https://twitter.com/5BnREME/status/1227125608636874753

Night flights on Queen Elizabeth 

https://twitter.com/HMSQNLZ/status/1225740761167167488

RAF Submarine hunter lands in the UK 

https://twitter.com/RoyalAirForce/status/1224715517681983494

Israel shows off new APCs 

https://twitter.com/Israel_MOD/status/1226461405412577280

British Army trains with new vehicles

https://twitter.com/thepagey/status/1225800486701486080

GD showcases AJAX crew clearance 

https://twitter.com/gduknews/status/1226762881561223169