LOCATIONS
LAND
17 Dec 24. GKN Aerospace Officially Opens $55 M Repair Facility for Aero-Engine Components in San Diego.
- $55m investment in a 150,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in San Diego, to meet the growing demand for Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) capacity
- Enhanced support for both next-generation engine components and legacy systems, including GE LEAP and Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan models
- Driving up efficiency and productivity, with advanced automation and robotics reducing turnaround times and boosting reliability
GKN Aerospace has opened a new 150,000 square-foot facility in San Diego, California, strengthening the company’s global repair network and commitment to sustainable, cutting-edge MRO solutions. The $55 m investment increases its capacity and underlines GKN Aerospace’s dedication to delivering best-in-class support to the growing Aero-Engine MRO market worldwide.
Joakim Andersson, President of Engine Systems, said: “We are incredibly proud to open this new state-of-the-art facility and to share this milestone with our customers, employees, and stakeholders. This significant investment brings the latest automated manufacturing technologies to our business, while emphasizing our commitment to our customers in North America and helping to meet the growing demand for MRO in the region. We appreciate the support of the local government and community in making San Diego the ideal location for this facility.”
The facility is adjacent to GKN Aerospace’s existing engines site in San Diego and effectively doubles MRO capacity in the region. This expansion will provide advanced repair solutions for both current and next-generation engine components, including GE LEAP and Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan models, alongside legacy platforms. Equipped with the latest automation and robotics, the San Diego facility will enhance product reliability, boost efficiency, and reduce turnaround times for our global partners. With this expansion, the facility now supports over 400 customers with repair technologies for both civil and military aero-engines. GKN Aerospace’s current team in San Diego of 900 employees is set to grow significantly in the coming years, and GKN Aerospace will continue to invest in developing specialist skills and capabilities.
17 Dec 24. Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, announced a facility site selection today to support production of the U.S. Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA). The new 447,000 sq. ft. factory, located in the Denton County region of Fort Worth, Texas, will be dedicated to FLRAA component manufacturing. Bell plans to begin facility modification and equipment installation and achieve facility readiness for Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) by 2028. Following the U.S. Army’s FLRAA contract award in December 2022, Bell has established several new state-of-the-art facilities to instantiate innovative manufacturing processes driving affordability, schedule and performance. As Bell and the FLRAA team work through the EMD phase, Bell’s focus will be on continued design maturation and prototyping. The U.S. Army’s new long-range assault aircraft will fly twice as far and twice as fast as the current fleet. By utilizing mature tiltrotor technology coupled with an innovative digital engineering approach and a modular open systems approach, it will be the most reliable, affordable and high-performing long-range assault aircraft in the world.
MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT
PERSONNEL
17 Dec 24. Government buys back 36,347 military homes to improve housing for forces families and save taxpayers billions.
A major deal to bring the Armed Forces housing estate back into public ownership has been agreed by the government.
- Landmark deal struck to bring military housing estate back into public hands.
- Major deal unlocks new-build housing projects for military families plus essential refurbishments.
- End to huge annual rental bill to save around £230m per year.
Bns of pounds will be saved by the deal over the next decade, delivering savings for taxpayers and enabling additional investment into homes for military families. The landmark move reverses a sale undertaken by the Government in 1996.
The Defence Secretary describes today’s announcement as a “decisive break” with the failed approach of the past, which will enable the first steps to be taken to fix the long-term decline in housing for military families and deliver homes fit for heroes. He will also commit to using the deal to help achieve the Government’s milestones on kickstarting economic growth and boosting housebuilding across the country.
Today’s deal will bring to an end to an arrangement which has seen the taxpayer spend bns of pounds on rental payments for military housing while still being liable for rising maintenance costs and handing back bns of pounds worth of military properties.
Under the agreement, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will buy back 36,347 houses, making major redevelopment and improvements possible. The deal is part of the Government’s drive to boost military morale, tackle recruitment and retention challenges and renew the nation’s contract with those who serve.
The MOD, supported by UK Government Investments, and Annington have formally agreed that the MOD will reacquire the service family estate sold in 1996, which is now valued at £10.1bn when not subject to leases, and is being purchased for £5,994,500,000, representing excellent value for money.
The new deal will see the immediate saving of more than £600,000 of taxpayers’ money each day, with the current annual bill of £230m in rent being eliminated. These savings to the defence budget will help to fix “deep-set problems” in military housing, and support the development of a high-quality new homes for military families.
The announcement comes as the Government kickstarts work on a new military housing strategy, to be published next year. Key principles of the strategy will include: a generational renewal of Armed Forces accommodation; new opportunities for forces homeownership; and better use of MOD land to support the delivery of affordable homes for families across Britain.
The first steps in the strategy will include the rapid development of an action plan to deliver on the “once in a generation” opportunities unlocked by today’s deal. This work will involve independent experts, forces families and cross-government input.
This will support the Government’s Plan for Change, which is built on the strong foundation of national security. It also comes alongside the Prime Minister’s Homes for Heroes pledge to exempt veterans from rules requiring a connection to a local area before accessing social housing.
Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, said: “This deal shows our government is determined to deliver homes fit for our heroes. This is a once in a generation opportunity, not only to fix the dire state of military housing but to help drive forward our economic growth mission, creating jobs and boosting British housebuilding.”
Our armed forces and their families make extraordinary sacrifices: theirs is the ultimate public service. It is shameful that in the lead up to Christmas, too many military families will be living with damp, mould and sub-standard homes – issues which have built up over the past decade.
We are determined to turn this around and renew the nation’s contract with those who serve. These important savings to the defence budget will help fix the deep-set problems we inherited. I thank the teams who have helped us reach this landmark deal at pace – another example of this government delivering for defence.
There is still a lot of work to do to deliver the homes our military families deserve, and these problems will not be fixed overnight. But this is a decisive break with the failed approach of the past and a major step forward on that journey.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones said: “This is a landmark deal that will start saving the taxpayer money immediately, all while driving forward our mission to create growth across the country. Not only does it open the door to major development and improvements across the military housing estate, but most important of all, it will help us on our mission to build more houses and deliver our service personnel the homes they deserve.”
The original agreement did not strike an appropriate balance of risk and reward, and it is estimated the taxpayer is nearly £8bn worse off as a result. Money which should have been better spent on maintaining and improving our service family homes.
Eliminating the liabilities associated with the leases creates budgetary headroom to partially fund this purchase, meaning that the public expenditure impact of this measure, and the impact on net financial debt, is confined to £1.7bn.
The 1996 sale saw 55,000 houses sold for an average of just £27,000 each property. In buying these houses back, the government will control properties worth almost ten times that average value and will no longer be paying £230m annually in rent.
Other areas of the deal that have cost taxpayers money or prevented improvements to the estate include:
- Annually handing back hundreds of empty properties to Annington, totalling more than 18,000 properties since 1996 – worth an estimated £5.2 bn by today’s valuations.
- Although the deal included a discount from market rent rates, the MOD – and therefore the taxpayer – have been responsible for all maintenance on all properties.
- If the MOD spent money improving a property for service families, in some circumstances this could incur greater rental costs under the terms of the deal.
- Despite most of the properties having been built in the 1950s and 1960s, the deal has prevented the MOD from being able to demolish properties or build additional houses for Service Families.
Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said:
Housing provision is a constant part of life for Service Personnel and their families, who support them closely throughout their military careers. We understand the importance placed on this for people’s morale and decisions on whether to continue in the Armed Forces long-term.
This deal is a crucial step in being able to deliver meaningful change for those who serve – an opportunity to regain control of the estate and move forward with substantial redevelopment and refurbishment. This work will provide military families the higher-quality houses they fully deserve. It is very significant and very welcome.
Following today’s deal, the MOD can start work on substantive redevelopment and improvements. The agreement frees up our ability to build on the Service Family Accommodation estate with a more modern estate, helping reduce maintenance costs and, as part of work facilitated by the deal, programmes to build new houses are being accelerated.
Planning applications will be submitted in the coming days for 265 new houses and apartments at RAF Brize Norton, and further plans will be submitted in the Spring for around 300 new houses at Catterick Garrison.
The potential for improvements to the estate can already be seen where family housing is being provided outside of the 1996 deal. At Imjin Barracks in Gloucestershire 176 modern homes are being built, which include low-carbon heating systems and solar panels, reducing energy costs for military families and improving sustainability.
The landmark deal to repurchase the estate from Annington follows the MOD’s comprehensive success in the High Court last year. The agreement brings the properties back to public ownership and delivering long term value for money for current and future taxpayers.
Since July, the Government has slashed recruitment red tape to make the process more straightforward for those wanting to join the military, announced the largest Armed Forces pay increase for 22 years and recently the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill passed its Second Reading in the House of Commons.
Background
The estimated overall budgetary impact of the agreement over the next 10 years – if no deal had been agreed – would be around £5.9bn in rent payments and capital charges, as well as additional properties currently valued at around £1.3 bn being handed back to Annington.
Taxpayers being £8bn worse off as a result of the deal:
- £4.3bn spent in rent.
- 18,000 properties handed back to Annington – with an estimated current market value of £5.2bn.
- £1.7 bn income generated in 1996 for the taxpayer as part of the original deal.
- Total – £7.8bn worse off.
(Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
EUROPE APPOINTMENTS
17 Dec 24. Senior Rolls-Royce plc executive Edward Prince has been appointed as Director of Large Corporates & International at UK Export Finance (UKEF). With a £60bn remit, UKEF is a ministerial government department operating as the nation’s export credit agency. Its mission is to ensure no viable export fails from a lack of finance or insurance, doing so sustainably and at no net cost to the taxpayer. Mr Prince, who joins UKEF in the new year, will oversee the directorate responsible for issuing and underwriting the department’s suite of financial products developed to support British exporters of all sizes, so that they can increase their orderbooks and grow.
16 Dec 24. Ms Rebecca Terzeon has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Zambia in succession to Mr Nicholas Woolley. Ms Terzeon will take up her appointment during January 2025.
INDUSTRY
INDUSTRY TEAMINGS
17 Dec 24. Fincantieri, a global leader in shipbuilding and marine technologies, is proud to announce its newly signed Memorandum of Understanding with Sparkle, Italy’s foremost international service operator and a top global player in telecommunications. This strategic partnership focuses on developing innovative technological solutions to enhance the surveillance and protection of submarine telecommunications cables—vital infrastructures that underpin global connectivity and digital security.
This collaboration reflects a shared vision to strengthen Italy’s technological leadership on the international stage. By combining Fincantieri’s expertise in the underwater domain with Sparkle’s proprietary fibre-optic network spanning over 600,000 kilometres globally, the partnership aims to identify and implement advanced solutions for the resilience and security of subsea infrastructures.
Fincantieri brings its unparalleled proficiency in underwater technologies, combining decades of naval expertise with cutting-edge innovations to create advanced systems for monitoring and safeguarding critical maritime assets. This initiative highlights the company’s dedication to enhancing both civil and military diving capabilities while solidifying its status as a global leader in underwater technology development.
Under the agreement, joint teams from Fincantieri and Sparkle will work closely to address emerging challenges in the underwater sector, leveraging cutting-edge technologies and shared knowledge to safeguard these essential assets. As geopolitical tensions rise and reliance on digital infrastructures grows, this initiative highlights the critical importance of protecting subsea cables for both national security and global economic stability.
Commenting on the announcement, Pierroberto Folgiero, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Fincantieri said: “The agreement with Sparkle marks an important step in our technological development path in the protection of critical subsea infrastructures. We are ready to deploy our Group’s know-how to develop cutting-edge solutions that combine reliability and innovation. Thanks to this collaboration, in addition to strengthening our commitment to digital security, we concretize the development of civil diving alongside military diving, and we project the role of Fincantieri and Italy as industrial leaders on an international scale, through the synergies between national excellences.”
PERSONNEL
EUROPE APPOINTMENTS
17 Dec 24. ADS Group welcomed the election of Clive Higgins, CEO of Leonardo UK, as their new Vice-President Defence. With an exceptional track record in transforming high-performing organizations, Clive’s deep understanding of the UK’s defence industry will be invaluable in driving forward ADS’ mission to secure UK advantage in an increasingly competitive global environment.
18 Dec 24. Patrick Morgan joins Canny Comms. Patrick, our newest team member. Patrick joins us as an account manager. With a BA in War Studies and a masters in Intelligence and International Security from King’s College London, Patrick brings valuable experience from his time at Raconteur and AKE. His background in client services and deep understanding of the defence sector makes him an excellent addition to our team.
17 Dec 24. German engine manufacturer MTU Aero Engines named Johannes Bussmann on Tuesday to replace CEO Lars Wagner when his term ends on Dec. 31, 2025. Wagner informed the board in October that he will not be extending his mandate, as Airbus (AIR.PA) announced he would become head of plane-making for the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer in 2026. Wagner, a former Airbus industrial manager, has held several MTU positions during a turbulent period dominated by a crisis in production and availability of new Geared Turbofan engines made for Airbus. Last month, MTU estimated 2025 sales of 8.3bn euros ($8.71bn) to 8.5bn euros ($8.92 bn), and adjusted earnings before taxes to increase to the low- to mid-teen percentage range. ($1 = 0.9531 euros) (Source: Reuters)
U.S. APPOINTMENTS
13 Dec 24. Dr. Johney Green Jr. has been named the next Laboratory Director at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). He currently serves as the Associate Laboratory Director for mechanical and thermal engineering sciences at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). SRNL, a multi-program national laboratory with an annual operating budget of about $400 m, is a leading research and development institution for the Offices of Environmental Management and Legacy Management at the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Weapons and Nonproliferation programs for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
REST OF THE WORLD APPOINTMENTS
16 Dec 24. DroneShield Strategically Expands into Latin America to Address Drone Threats. DroneShield (ASX:DRO), a global leader in counterdrone technology and security solutions, announced its expanded presence in Latin America to address the growing misuse of drones. This move reflects DroneShield’s commitment to enhancing security in regions with significant aerial threats. DroneShield has appointed Carlos Gutierrez as its Regional Director to lead this effort. Gutierrez brings extensive experience in technology and enterprise sales, having worked as a Global Portfolio Manager at SES Satellites, and as Sr. Regional Sales Manager at Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, in Mexico City. His knowledge of the regional market and proven success in delivering results make him a strong leader for DroneShield’s Latin America expansion.
16 Dec 24. Hanwha Aerospace has appointed Michael Coulter as Global Defense CEO to manage the company’s business initiatives in the global defense market. In this newly created position, Coulter will be responsible for overseeing the global defense businesses of Hanwha Aerospace and its subsidiaries such as Hanwha Ocean and Hanwha Systems. His appointment underscores the company’s commitment to expanding its international presence and consolidating its defense sector leadership. With Coulter’s appointment, Hanwha aims to strengthen its strategic position by delivering integrated land, sea, and air solutions in key global markets, particularly the United States, as part of its vision to become a world-class defense company. Coulter brings an exceptional and distinguished background to this role, with his extensive experience in both government and defense sectors. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Business Development for Leonardo DRS and President of Leonardo DRS International, where he led the company’s growth and transformation from a primarily U.S. business to a global player in the aerospace and defense industry.