F-35

• SANTA ANA, Calif., April 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ducommun Incorporated (NYSE: DCO) (“Ducommun” or the “Company”), a global supplier of innovative electronic and structural solutions for the aerospace & defense industry, today announced that it has been recognized as part of an elite group of top performing suppliers by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (NYSE:LMT) for 2023 as a recipient of the Elite Supplier Award.
• “We are thrilled and honored to be selected for the Elite Supplier Award by Lockheed Martin as we work together to keep our nation and allies safe.
• To be recognized as an Elite Supplier Award recipient is an outstanding achievement by Ducommun and a fitting testament to the hard work, dedication, and commitment of a highly professional team.
• Ducommun has been supplying F-35 harnesses to a global customer base for many years, supporting a broad range of major commercial and military aerospace programs.

• Following Iran’s barrage of drone and missile attacks on April 13, Israel has retaliated and conducted a strike attack near the city of Isfahan in southern Iran.
• Both sides have now matched each other in striking targets within each other’s national border.
• However, details of the extent of any damage done by Israel’s strike are disputed and are being played down by Iran.

The politics of status

• Domestic issues can play an important role here, in how the political and military elites of both states decide to react.
• Despite the majority of the Israeli public being in favour of the campaign to eradicate Hamas in Gaza, he remains unpopular.
• Hence there are good reasons for him to respond military to the challenge posed by Iran.

Regime forged in war

• Historically, the trauma of war has been used by the Islamic Republic to foster nationalism among the population.
• Following the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, the loss of Iranian life, which totalled in the hundreds of thousands, played a huge role in cementing “the formation and empowerment of the Islamic Republic”.
• Militarily contesting Israel can be perceived as a means of solidifying the regime’s position internally and enhancing the country’s image within the region.
• At present, neither side has the ability to send an expeditionary force into each other’s territory.

Ben Soodavar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• The demonstration completes the first phase of the United States Marine Corps’ Penetrating Affordable Autonomous Collaborative Killer – Portfolio (PAACK-P) program.
• Flight test support was provided by the 40th Flight Test Squadron, 96th Test Wing.
• Flying since 2019, the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie is a high-performance, runway-independent tactical UAV capable of long-range flights at high-subsonic speeds.
• “MUX TACAIR promises to increase the lethality and survivability of our current crewed platforms,” said Lt. Col. Bradley Buick, Cunningham Group Capabilities, Research, and Integration Officer.

• e-VAC, which is part of Vacuumschmelze ("VAC Group" or "VAC"), produces rare earth neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets, which are critical to automotive, defense, industrial and renewable energy applications.
• The Company broke ground on the state-of-the-art facility in March, and expects to complete the facility in late fall 2025.
• "e-VAC is proud to invest in America's 21st century supply chain and to advance clean energy manufacturing efforts," said VAC Group Chief Executive Officer Dr. Erik Eschen.
• "This award demonstrates the importance of high-quality, high-performance magnetic materials, which are key enablers to electrification and energy efficiency across a range of industries.