The defence industry briefing

News in numbers

500

The number of naval ships the US needs by 2045 to keep up with China's military growth, according to Secretary of Defence Mark Esper

2030s

The earliest date the British Army expects to field a fully capable combat division including a new Strike brigade

Mach 8

Speed reached by the first Russian Zircon hypersonic missile during a test launch, according to the Russian MOD

$600m

The value of contracts to be awarded for 5G technology experiments, as announced by the US DoD

$55bn

The record budget requested by Japan’s Ministry of Defence for the fiscal year 2021

$83.5bn

Total value of foreign military sales cleared by the US State Department in FY2020, up $15bn from 2019

$1.16bn

The potential maximum value of a contract awarded to Northrop Grumman by the US Navy for EW systems

In pictures

UK Carrier Strike Group takes off

British and US Marine Crops F-35B jets take part in Exercise Joint Warrior, flying from HMS Queen Elizabeth for the first time as part of the newly formed UK Carrier Strike Group. Image: Crown Copyright / MOD

Inside the mind of a fighter pilot

This video offers insights into the work of a French fighter pilot serving with NATO’s Baltic Air Policing Mission out of Ämari Air Base in Estonia. Video: NATO