Airbus

• SAN FRANCISCO - FBI veteran Michael Morgan joins NightDragon

• TOULOUSE - Loft Orbital picks Frédéric Cristini

• WARSAW - Polish border guards renew maritime surveillance aircraft

Western partners pull away from Dahra in wake of espionage scandal 

Dahra Global's defence partners and the companies it distributes are trying to distance themselves from the Omani defence reseller. It has been accused of being used by Israeli intelligence to garner information on a top secret programme in Qatar, revealed at the time by Intelligence Online.

Burdeshaw, AECOM, Civic Partnership and CMAX maintain US presence in Australian defence sector 

US defence manufacturers looking to cash in on Australian defence contracts can count on the support of an extensive local network of American advisers and lobbyists in the naval, air, cyber and space sectors.

French intelligence services' spending surges before budget boost 

The French government has earmarked more funding for intelligence over the next five years, but France's intelligence services, particularly the DGSE, have already exceeded their 2022 provisional budgets.

Airbus keeps low profile in Saudi mission-critical communications bid 

Now the leading French mission-critical communications provider, Airbus is seeking to earn a share of the Saudi defence ministry's mission-critical communications contract. But delays on France's RRF radio network of the future project have the firm treading very cautiously in Riyadh.

Leonardo and Airbus wage battle for Malaysian skies 

Competition for the helicopter market in Malaysia is ramping up with the arrival of a local newcomer backed by Airbus, which is upsetting the monopoly previously enjoyed by Leonardo's local partner, Weststar.

On the run from Mohammed bin Salman, King Abdullah's key arms broker finds refuge in Beirut 

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's investigators are still on the hunt for Salah Fustok, the main negotiator of arms contracts with the National Guard under King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. The fugitive agent holds secrets about many Western defence companies' business dealings in Saudi Arabia.

Polish GEOINT firm SATIM eyes US market 

Mindful of a growing need to monitor vast contested maritime areas that are conducive to clandestine actions, SATIM is trying to sell its synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image analysis tools in the US and Europe.

Convicted Vietnamese defence agent Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan's French connections 

Wanted on corruption charges, the former CEO of AIC Group, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, who served as a go-between for Western defence companies in Vietnam, is now on the run in China. Before that, she built an extensive network of contacts in France's political and defence circles.

Airbus looks for new approach in Saudi Arabia as Boeing returns to kingdom's civil aviation market 

Following the award of a massive new aircraft contract to Boeing by the Saudi authorities, the European aircraft manufacturer is looking to reorganise its sales strategy to ensure it keeps its place in the kingdom's aviation sector.

• LONDON - KCS gets in the game with new football investigations' unit

• HOUSTON - Straife poaches Croissant as it prospects in Caucasus
  

• PARIS/BEIJING - Diplomat consultant Gourdault-Montagne extends China stay
  

Leonardo, Bell and Russian influence fail to deter Airbus Helicopters 

Airbus Helicopters is not letting competition from Leonardo and Bell discourage it from the Vietnamese market. But despite having long-standing relations with potential clients in the country, including the Minister of Public Security, a tug-of-war between pro-Russian and pro-West factions of the Minister of Defence is taking a toll on those ambitions.

New French, German and US trio advise Kazakh national holding company 

The national holding company Baiterek is weighing in to help Kazakhstan's negotiations to increase commodities exports to Western countries, assisted by a trio of well-connected new consultants from Germany, France and the United States.

Bell flies full speed ahead on helicopter sales in Vietnam 

US manufacturer Bell was part of a large business delegation that travelled to Hanoi in March. It hopes to sell helicopters to the Ministry of Public Safety in Hanoi. For the first time since the two countries were at war, Vietnamese helicopter pilots are being trained on US soil.

Gulf nations show little interest in France's special forces seminar 

SOFINS, the trade fair designed to put French defence industry players in touch with their special forces and intelligence clients, is traditionally the go-to place to impress foreign delegations. However, this year's event failed to garner as much attention from the Gulf as its organisers would have liked.

Not over for Lockheed Martin on spy satellite tender  Free

The US defence giant Lockheed Martin is back in the running for a contract to provide Vietnam with an observation satellite. With the US willing to evoke ITAR to block the initial winner of the contract, Israel Aerospace Industries, and Airbus seeming to have fallen behind, its chances of taking the lead have increased.