The defence industry briefing
The news, views and numbers you need to know about this month
News in numbers
$51.9bn
Total foreign military sales cases cleared by the US State Department in fiscal 2020
$100bn
Total sum Middle Eastern defence spending is forecast to reach in 2019, led predominantly by Saudi Arabia and the UAE
30 years
Anniversary of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber's first flight, marked by a US Air Force celebration in Palmdale, California, in August
$1bn
Value of the US ballistic missile interceptor programme cancelled by the Pentagon, with the Missile Defense Agency citing design problems
8,600
Number of US troops that could stay in Afghanistan after the US military withdraws from the country
7.4%
Defence budget increase sought by South Korea for next year as part of a five-year plan to spend $240bn
400,000
Number of flight hours reached by F/A-18A/B Hornets since entering service with the RAAF in the 1980s
This month on twitter
The long road to DSEI
Futuristic combat kit
The F-22 demo team in action
HMS Montrose persists in the Gulf
A brief history of Mars observations
A look at China's amphibious assault ship
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