Today's Defense Pulse
UK MOD issues new RA 5219 rules for flight‑test instrumentation and data recorders
Regulatory Article 5219 now mandates specific sensors, recorder capacities, data‑retention periods and compliance procedures for UK military air‑system flight trials. The latest Issue 8 revision was released on 29 May 2026, replacing earlier versions dating back to 2014. The rule applies to all future flight‑test programs of air platforms.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Disciplined Growth Acquisition Corp raises $150M in IPO
Researchers Expose Critical Security Vulnerability in Autonomous Drones
UC Irvine computer scientists have uncovered a critical flaw in camera‑based autonomous target‑tracking drones, dubbed the FlyTrap attack. By attaching a specially designed visual pattern to an ordinary umbrella, attackers can trick drones into believing the target is receding, causing the aircraft to fly closer until it can be captured or crashed. The team demonstrated the technique on three commercial models—DJI Mini 4 Pro, DJI Neo, and HoverAir X1—and presented the findings at NDSS 2026, responsibly disclosing the vulnerability to the manufacturers. The discovery highlights a tangible physical‑world threat to drone operations used in security, border patrol, and privacy contexts.
Australian Defence, DroneShield Agree to Advance Counter-Drone Research
The Australian Department of Defence has signed a three‑year agreement with DroneShield to enhance counter‑drone capabilities through joint research and technology sharing. The partnership will involve data exchange on emerging drone technologies via the Defence Science and Technology Group, and...
Valve Malfunction Blamed for Failure of Indian Satellite to Raise Its Orbit
India’s ISRO confirmed that a pyrotechnic valve malfunction prevented the NVS‑02 navigation satellite from igniting its orbit‑raising engine, leaving it stranded in a geostationary transfer orbit. The valve failed to open because the command signal did not reach it, likely...
Four Years On, Ukraine’s War Still Refuses to End
Four years after Russia’s 2022 invasion, the conflict has settled into a grinding stalemate, with Russia controlling roughly one‑fifth of Ukrainian territory and both sides suffering up to 1.8 million casualties. Civilian deaths exceed 15,000 and millions remain displaced, while reconstruction...
NASA Seeks IBM Partner to Manage Agency's Software Portfolio
NASA has issued a request for information (RFI) to find an IBM Platinum Partner that will manage its extensive software portfolio. The agency intends to establish a five‑year blanket purchase agreement covering licenses, subscription support, expert lab services, and remote...
Tell Congress: No Funding for Nuclear Testing
President Trump has signaled intent to resume explosive nuclear weapons testing, prompting advocacy groups to urge Congress to block related funding. The article highlights historical fallout from past tests, noting lingering health and environmental impacts. Experts claim no technical justification...
Resilience and Resistance: Interdisciplinary Lessons in Competition, Deterrence, and Irregular Warfare
The Joint Special Operations University released "Resilience and Resistance," the first comprehensive canon guiding SOF, interagency, and conventional forces on irregular warfare, competition, and deterrence. The volume blends military science, political science, sociology, and history, offering case studies from Cuba...
UnsolicitedBooker Targets Telecoms in Central Asia with New Backdoors
The China‑aligned threat group UnsolicitedBooker has begun targeting telecommunications providers in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The campaign employs two custom backdoors, LuciDoor and MarsSnake, delivered through phishing emails that embed malicious Office macros and loaders such as LuciLoad. These implants can...
Lessons From an Intelligence Officer on Ukraine’s Frontline
The essay by Austin Gray in Proceedings draws on his experience with Ukrainian intelligence near Bakhmut, highlighting four lessons for modern warfare. He argues that countertargeting, a survivable‑or‑attritable platform paradigm, organic information‑warfare capabilities, and resilient leadership are essential for naval...
U.S. Treasury Sanctions 12 Tankers in Iran’s Shadow Fleet
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions on 12 tankers and their owners that have shipped hundreds of millions of dollars in Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products. The designations also include nine individuals and entities in Iran,...
Boron Nitride Nanosheets Create Ceramic that Is Both Tough and Radar-Invisible
Researchers at Nanchang Hangkong University have created a dual‑phase silicon carbide ceramic reinforced with multilayer boron nitride nanosheets, delivering a 94.5% increase in flexural strength to 477 MPa and a 50% boost in fracture toughness. The composite, called DS@4MBNS, also achieves...
Airbus Defence and Space and Greenerwave Strengthen Their Strategic Partnership in Satcom Through Two New Contracts
Airbus Defence and Space and Greenerwave have signed two additional contracts worth several million euros, expanding the partnership first announced at the June 2025 Paris Air Show. The deals integrate Greenerwave’s flat‑panel, multi‑orbit, low‑power antennas into Airbus’s end‑to‑end satellite communications...
Russia's 2022 Kyiv Offensive Failed to Achieve Strategic Goals
4 years ago today Russia attempted to take Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, to overthrow the government, they were defeated, failed to achieve their strategic goals. Read our @WarInstitute case study to learn why: https://t.co/GnnoOSFV9R The Battle of Kyiv occurred between February 24...
Ukraine Is Reshaping the Armored Battlefield. The US Army Is Trying to Keep Up.
The U.S. Army’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team at Fort Stewart is integrating drone operations into its cavalry scout mission, using the commercial Liftoff simulator to train soldiers before real‑world flights. This effort is part of the Transformation in Contact...
Britain’s Attitude Toward Nato Across the Political Parties
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is championing a “NATO First” agenda and a defence budget of 3 percent of GDP, aiming to raise spending by about $23 billion a year. The Conservatives, now in opposition, echo the 3 percent target for 2030 and suggest shifting...
GSA Proposes New SAM Certification Language for Federal Funding Recipients Addressing DEI, Immigration, and National Security
On February 18, 2026 the General Services Administration issued a proposed revision to the System for Award Management (SAM) certifications required of federal financial assistance recipients. The draft adds attestations covering diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) compliance, immigration status verification,...
Oklahoma Army National Guard Deploys for Fire Suppression Mission
The Oklahoma Army National Guard answered a state request by deploying UH‑60 Black Hawk helicopters equipped with 660‑gallon water buckets and two ground hand crews to combat wildfires in northwest Oklahoma. The Guard’s Wildland Firefighting Program, which has trained 130...
Seekr and Wyvern Partner to Launch AI-Driven Hyperspectral Reasoning Engine
Seekr announced the launch of SeekrGeo, an AI‑driven geospatial reasoning engine that fuses hyperspectral, SAR and optical satellite data. The platform is powered by a Remote Sensing Foundation Model and Vision‑Language Models, enabling autonomous chemical, moisture and mineral detection. A...
Is Claude Out of the War Business? W/ Amos Toh
In this brief episode, host explores the controversial use of Anthropic's Claude AI model in the alleged Venezuelan invasion, discussing legal and ethical concerns around its deployment in military operations. Guest Amos Toh, a researcher at the Brennan Center, explains...
SLH Offers $500–$1,000 Per Call to Recruit Women for IT Help Desk Vishing Attacks
Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters (SLH) is paying women $500 to $1,000 per call to conduct voice‑phishing attacks against IT help desks. The group supplies pre‑written scripts and leverages legitimate proxy services and tunneling tools to evade detection. These vishing campaigns aim...
War Toll: Millions Displaced, Thousands Killed, Aid Shrinks
"4 years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a look at the war by the numbers" @AP 1.8 million - The upper end of the estimated number of soldiers killed, wounded, or missing on both sides https://t.co/nhfGYwJWG9 19.4% - Ukrainian land...
The OpenClaw Hype: Analysis of Chatter From Open-Source Deep and Dark Web
OpenClaw, an AI‑driven automation framework with a modular skill marketplace, has sparked intense discussion across developer forums and security‑research channels. Critical flaws—including CVE‑2026‑25253, which enables one‑click remote code execution, and a lack of skill sandboxing—expose users to credential theft and...
Illinois, Pennsylvania and California Guardsmen Strengthen Ties with State Partners
The Lithuanian‑Polish‑Ukrainian Brigade (LITPOLUKRBRIG) held its annual Exercise Brave Band 2026 in Lublin, Poland, from Jan. 25 to Feb. 6. National Guard units from Illinois, Pennsylvania and California participated, marking the 11th consecutive year of U.S. involvement through the State Partnership Program. The exercise...
Ukraine Targets Russian Army Command Post Using ATACMS Missiles
Ukraine confirmed the use of U.S.-supplied ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles to strike a Russian 5th Army auxiliary command post near Novopetrivka in occupied Donetsk on Feb. 24. The operation also hit ammunition depots, UAV‑control sites and three additional command‑observation posts, marking...
![Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Feb 25, 2026] Mesh Feigenbaum on Global Industrial Capacity](https://hixhlmpcokxhartfkpyi.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/images/thumbnails/1cb37981ae9f3cdac29002d825392184.webp)
Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Feb 25, 2026] Mesh Feigenbaum on Global Industrial Capacity
Mesh Feigenbaum, a leading forging‑press expert, released an updated benchmark revealing that global capacity for massive aerospace and defense forging presses is shrinking as aging equipment retires faster than replacements arrive. The study warns that unplanned press failures can stall...
Combatant Command Leaders Say They’re Working Closely with Golden Dome Director
U.S. Northern, Space and Strategic Commands are deepening coordination with Golden Dome program manager Gen. Michael Guetlein to accelerate the missile‑defense system’s fielding. Senior leaders, including Gen. Stephen Whiting and Gen. Gregory Guillot, have placed liaison officers in the Pentagon...
Top 5 Ways Broken Triage Increases Business Risk Instead of Reducing It
The article outlines five common triage failures that inflate business risk, from decisions made without execution evidence to manual, error‑prone processes. It shows how interactive sandboxes—exemplified by ANY.RUN—provide rapid execution evidence, enabling analysts to reach evidence‑backed verdicts within seconds. Reported...
BAE Systems Wins US Army Contract for M109A7 Paladin SPHs
BAE Systems secured a contract worth over $500 million to deliver additional M109A7 Paladin self‑propelled howitzers and M992A3 ammunition carriers to the U.S. Army’s armored brigade combat teams. The deal, awarded in December, includes a later $473 million order for 40 more...
Middle East UAV Market Underscored by $17bn in Unsigned Deals
The Middle East UAV market still has about $17 billion in pending contracts, according to Shephard Defence Insight. Saudi Arabia leads the pipeline, eyeing MQ‑9B and Gambit systems, while other regional programs remain unawarded. Recent trade shows in Dubai, Abu Dhabi...
Why 'Call This Number' TOAD Emails Beat Gateways
Researchers at StrongestLayer analyzed about 5,000 phishing emails that evaded secure email gateways between December 2025 and early 2026. They found that telephone‑oriented attack delivery (TOAD), which consists solely of a phone number, represented roughly 28 % of all bypasses and...
How to Prevent the U.N. Global Counterterrorism Strategy Negotiations From Blowing Up
The United Nations will adopt the ninth Global Counter‑terrorism Strategy (GCTS) by June, marking the 20th anniversary of the original resolution. Recent budget turmoil and Security Council tensions have raised doubts about achieving consensus among 192 member states. Co‑facilitators from...
SYOS Aerospace Develops Frontline-Proven Multi-Domain Autonomy Solutions
SYOS Aerospace announced that frontline feedback is accelerating upgrades to its uncrewed maritime, ground and aerial platforms, enabling rapid development cycles. The firm has produced over 140 uncrewed surface vessels in the past year and is expanding production for NATO...
US May Seize Chip Foundries Amid China‑US GPU Race
This isn’t new. Here’s an article from 2024. US Generals have publicly indicated 2027, but the recent PLA leadership purge should be alarming. And China realizes they need bleeding edge GPU to keep pace with US models and datacenters. Alarmed...
Scrutinize Defense Procurement, Invest Across Supply Chain
Germany’s @_FriedrichMerz is right to scrutinize defense #procurement—which can be rather murky. Spending w/ start-ups & young cos. will likely foster innovation, though the money should spread across the #supplychain. Via @laurapitel & @ChassNews @FT https://t.co/MFeG0WiDwx
Indonesian Defence in the Indo-Pacific. How France Became the Main Partner?
Indonesia is accelerating its defence modernisation amid rising Indo‑Pacific tensions, but its spending remains low at about 0.77% of GDP. France has emerged as Jakarta’s principal European partner, signing multi‑billion‑dollar deals for Rafale fighters, Scorpène‑class submarines and a Thales‑LEN joint...
North Korea, Iran Co‑Develop LPRE, Potential ICBM Threat
North Korea's "3.18 Revolution" liquid propellant rocket engine (LPRE) was co-developed with Iran. Iran released pictures of an itty bitty model of one at the space day last year. Might be for an SLV, but also makes a great ICBM...
34‑year‑old Azov Hero Pro
So, Denys “Redis” Prokopenko, commander of the 1st Army Corps “Azov” and a distinguished hero of the Battle of Mariupol, was promoted to the rank of brigadier general today. He is only 34 years old. https://t.co/3EQtcso3Ca
Naval Group Teams up with Croatian Partners on Gowind Corvette Program
Naval Group signed three Memoranda of Understanding with Croatian firms AITAC, Adria Winch and CoE MARBLE on 24 February 2026 in Split, laying the groundwork for a Gowind‑class multirole corvette for the Croatian Navy. The agreement positions Croatia to acquire...
Kremlin Says Putin‑Zelensky Meeting Would Be Futile
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pours cold water over Steve Witkoff's recent claim that Putin and Zelensky could meet in the next three weeks. "What's the point of a top-level meeting if [Ukraine] keeps its current position?" he says. https://t.co/zSzov17j0i
Pentagon Allocates $12.6B for China Military Surveillance
Just in: The Pentagon plans to spend an additional $12.6 billion to improve surveillance of China’s military maneuvers, submarines and satellites, according to a budget document sent to Congress. https://t.co/VkzZaK2woV
Early Edition: February 25, 2026
The United States dispatched a dozen F‑22 Raptor jets from the United Kingdom to Israel and has moved more than 150 aircraft to bases across Europe and the Middle East following the collapse of the second round of nuclear talks...
US Deploys F‑16s, F‑
F-16s Arrive To Protect Diego Garcia, F-22s Forward Deploy To Israel As tensions between Iran and the United States threaten to erupt into war, much may depend on the result of the next round of nuclear talks in Geneva. Latest: https://t.co/CIQAJK8qQX
Cyberattacks Eclipse Inflation, Recession as SMBs' Top 2026 Threat
Cyberattacks Overtake Inflation and Recession Concerns as the #1 Threat to SMBs in 2026, New VikingCloud Research Finds https://t.co/O8FsxVZLOe
How Algorithms and Drones Are Replacing Ukraine’s Infantry
Four years into the Ukraine‑Russia war, Kyiv’s ground forces have dwindled to as low as 30‑60% of authorized strength, prompting a rapid shift toward a machine‑centric defense. The Ukrainian military now relies on dense networks of drones, ground robots and...
Russian Spy Nomma Zarubina Sent to U.S. Prison
Nomma Zarubina, who once drunk-texted an FBI agent saying "Catch me baby. So many spies," is heading to U.S. prison for spying for Russian intelligence. https://t.co/UnZ15LNWq6
Mark Your Calendar: RAeS Future Air & Space Summit
Mark diaries for the RAeS Future Air and Space Defence Summit - 20-21 May, RAeS HQ, London #avgeek #GCAP #FCAS #Tempest https://t.co/o1hRSTY3OR https://t.co/tkbs3FWhwm
Zyxel Warns of Critical RCE Flaw Affecting over a Dozen Routers
Zyxel has issued security updates to fix a critical remote code execution flaw (CVE‑2025‑13942) affecting more than a dozen of its router, CPE and extender models. The vulnerability exploits the UPnP function and requires both UPnP and WAN access to...
Mar
The chokepoint that shows whether we have learnt anything. There are many players in maritime that can affect here. Then there are external factors. Including terrorists and war. Risk mitigation. And not. https://t.co/rVUH537CAZ
Wynn Resorts Hit by Cyberattack, $1.5M Ransom Demanded
Wynn Resorts reportedly cyberattacked and asked to pay $1.5M ransom | Casinos & Gaming | Business https://t.co/x191MhE93X
Ethiopia Is Sliding Fast Toward Major War
In this episode of Global Dispatches, host Mark Leon Goldberg talks with Ethiopian‑Canadian journalist Zacharias Zelalem about Ethiopia’s rapid slide toward a new, potentially regional war. Zelalem outlines recent flashpoints: mass troop deployments northward, the Ethiopian government’s revocation of Tigray’s...