On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss Wall Street’s down week on unexpectedly high jobs numbers that renewed fears the Federal Reserve will hike borrowing rates; US budget as the House joins the Senate in passing a continuing resolution to keep government open until December; US and Iranian forces trade strikes driving up energy prices as diesel hits a record high; the Trump administration courts Russia to end the Ukraine war and get Moscow’s help to pressure Iran even as Germany calls out Moscow for the unsuccessful explosive drone attack at Leipzig airport and suspected role in sabotage across Europe including the recent fire at Rohde & Schwarz’s headquarters; Trump’s demand that European nations pay for US munitions provided to Kyiv; Germany’s Isar Space’s successful Spectrum rocket launch that was the first from Western Europe to reach space; US Navy’s expected FA-XX award this coming week as the service issued a request for proposal for an new autonomous carrier-capable jet with external carriage of as many as four 2,500 pound weapons and delayed the deadline for its Undergraduate Jet Training System proposal to Oct. 30, delaying contract award from next March to June 30, 2027; after saying it would invest $100 billion on a new Louisiana spaceport, SpaceX also said it would invest in capabilities to make blades for industrial gas turbines; and Airbus decision to resume A330neo jet deliveries suspended after a stray tool was found in the tail of one of the jets.
