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Americas Bell Boeing won a $21.3 million order, which provides for the production and delivery of 59 line clearance kits, 18 integrated aircraft survivability equipment (IASE) A-Kits, and installation of 16 IASE A-Kits, allowing increased infrared countermeasure and radar warning capability and aircraft survivability, in support of the MV-22 Osprey aircraft sustainment efforts for the […]View the full article

Swarmbotics AI, a robotics developer, is pitching a new class of ground-based, modular unmanned systems that operate in coordinated swarms and carry anti-tank effects, the company says. The firm confirmed that its antitank variant is called FireAnt, a lightweight, attritable unmanned ground vehicle intended to work in groups under a single operator to detect, track […]View the full article

Russian defense enterprise Koncern Granit has introduced a new twin-engine reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designated Os-25-R, designed for optical-electronic intelligence missions at tactical depth. The company says the drone’s structure is produced using domestic materials and technologies that allow rapid manufacturing and high durability. According to Granit, the Os-25-R belongs to the same class […] The post Russia introduces new twin-engine tactical drone first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Russia’s Azimut company, part of the state-owned Rostec defense conglomerate, has begun field testing a new domestically developed reconnaissance drone produced with additive manufacturing technology. The prototype features a fuselage that is entirely 3D-printed, a design the company says reduces both production time and cost while expanding mission flexibility. According to Azimut, the drone’s body […] The post Russia builds fully 3D-printed spy drone first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas Systems Planning and Analysis won a $13 million modification to provide support services for the Trident II Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile Strategic Weapons System. Tasks to be performed include technical services, program support services, assessments, special studies, and systems engineering services. Work is expected to be completed September 30, 2025. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. The US Air Force’s B-21 Raider program is gaining momentum, with significant progress reported during the Air and Space Force Association’s recent conference. Air Force leaders and industry partners provided key updates on the develop…

Americas According to Defense Post, L3Harris Technologies has received a $999-million contract to deliver critical radio solutions for the US and allied forces. Under this indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity award, the company will provide Multifunctional Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio System Terminals, modern, software-defined communication radio devices compatible with ground, air, and maritime vehicles. The radio applies Link 16 technology, a common tactical data standard found across international militaries, including NATO members, that features a secure and fast exchange of voice, text, and imagery among users. The US Air Force (USAF) has …

Finland-based arms manufacturer SAKO has announced the launch of its new Arctic Rifle Generation (ARG), a family of military rifles developed in close cooperation with the Finnish and Swedish Defense Forces. The company says the system is designed to replace aging assault rifles with a modular, next-generation platform tailored for Arctic warfare and tested to […] The post Finnish gun-maker debuts ARG next-gen rifle system first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas Boeing won a $40.6 million modification to deliver 13 mechanisms for P-8A surveillance aircraft and two forward mechanisms for P-8A trainers. The P-8A Poseidon is designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The US Navy, the Indian Navy, and the Royal Australian Air Force operate the aircraft. Boeing […]View the full article

Americas Boeing’s KC-46A Pegasus has encountered some turbulence. Plagued by technical glitches and safety concerns, the aerial refueller has faced a $7 billion headwind. Boeing is taking the Pegasus back to the hangar for a thorough overhaul. Six critical issues stand between the Pegasus and its full potential. Michael Marrow from Breaking Defense toured Boeing’s […]View the full article

Americas Canada has awarded Bell Textron a $2.28-billion contract to deliver in-service support for its air force’s CH-146 Griffon multirole utility helicopters. The agreement will cover program management as well as technical, engineering, and design change services for the fleet. The US Army has awarded Allison Transmission an $83.3 million contract to supply upgraded and new X1100 […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $21 million modification, which exercises an option to provide maintenance and sustainment operations of the Australia, Canada and United Kingdom Reprogramming Laboratory facilities and systems for the F-35 A/B aircraft program. Work will be performed in Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and is expected to be completed in April 2025. […]View the full article

No, neither that pic above nor the one below is the F/A-XX, but it’s the closest we’ve got. However, let’s review the decades-long Salamander Requirements List we have set out for the next Navy tactical aircraft. All hail the return of the heavy fighter to the airwing: Range: It has to fight in the Pacific and engage other enemies from a distance. Payload: It must be able to carry at least a half-dozen AIM-174B Gunslinger, with a minimum of four of them internally. As the drone wars over Israel have proven its utility again, it must have an internal gun. Flexibility: Must perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions like the Super Hornet it will replace.. Two Engines:…

Raymond, We Will Miss YouView the full article

U.S. Army soldiers attached a solar-powered fixed-wing aircraft to a high-altitude balloon at Orote Airfield on Naval Station Guam on June 24, 2026, and prepared to launch the combination into the stratosphere as part of Valiant Shield 2026, the largest U.S.-led joint exercise in the Indo-Pacific. The aircraft is the Apollo R, built by Icarus, […]View the full article

UCAS-D/ N-UCAS concept (click to view full) The idea of UAVs with full stealth and combat capabilities has come a long way, quickly. Air forces around the world are pursuing R&D programs, but in the USA, progress is being led by the US Navy. Their interest is well-founded. A May 2007 non-partisan report discussed the […]View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $2 billion modification for Phased Array Tracking Radar Intercept on Target (PATRIOT) Advanced Capability-3 missile production. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas, with an estimated completion date of December 31, 2029. The PATRIOT Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) is a missile defense system developed by the United States, designed to […]View the full article

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) scrambled fighter aircraft on Sunday after four civilian planes violated temporary flight restrictions over Norfolk, Virginia, prompting multiple intercepts and aerial escorts. According to NORAD, the series of incursions into restricted airspace occurred throughout the day on October 5, 2025, and required immediate responses under the binational command’s […] The post Four planes intercepted after violating no-fly zone in Virginia first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Americas The New Zealand Defense Force has finalized the sale of four retired Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130H Hercules aircraft to American aerial firefighting company Coulson Aviation for $9 million. The deal, announced on April 11, marks a new chapter for the venerable aircraft that were officially retired from military service earlier this year. The aircraft will be prepared for flight and flown to Coulson’s Maintenance Base in Thermal, California by a commercial crew over the next few months, where they will undergo substantial upgrades and conversion to firefighting tankers. Bell Textron, based in Fort Worth, Texas, has received a contract extension worth about $1…

Americas Northrop Grumman won a $60.2 million modification, which is to procure the non-recurring engineering, material, tooling, and labor required to complete the Integrated Functional Capability 4 change requests and engineering change proposals in support of the MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System air vehicle B11 for the Navy. Work is expected to be completed February 2029. Fiscal 2025 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $60,249,668 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. The US Army is rethinking how it u…

Americas The US Marine Corps’ 3d Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR) has executed a successful live-fire exercise of the Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS), conducted at the Pohakuloa Training Area on January 25. This event, marking the first live-fire of MADIS on a Hawaiian island since its introduction in December, underscores a critical step in the Corps’ Force Design modernisation efforts. The MADIS, a mobile, short-range, surface-to-air defence system, is designed to counter a range of aerial threats, particularly the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). As a key component of the Marine Corps’ modernisation strategy, MADIS enhances the 3d MLR’s tacti…