Know What's Happening in Defense
Know What's Happening in Defense
Israeli intelligence aids U.S. rescue of downed airman in Iran
Israeli intelligence agencies provided critical location data and operational guidance to U.S. forces during a rescue mission for a stranded airman in Iran on April 5, 2026. The coordination enabled a safe extraction and prompted Israel to temporarily pause regional attacks to avoid interference. The operation highlights rare direct cooperation between the two nations in a high‑risk environment.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Kraken Robotics acquires Colvya Group for $615M
Boeing’s B‑17 Flying Fortress remains the all‑time best‑selling combat aircraft with 12,731 units built, a record set during World War II’s massive production surge. Lockheed Martin, while never eclipsing the B‑17’s single‑model total, boasts several high‑volume platforms—including the C‑130 Hercules (2,700+), F‑16 Fighting Falcon (4,600+), and the historic T‑33 trainer (6,557). Modern programs such as the F‑35 Lightning II have crossed the 1,300‑airframe threshold, illustrating how cost‑sharing and multinational orders drive sales today. The article contrasts Boeing’s historic peak with Lockheed’s breadth of successful models.
Ukraine’s defense tech sector exploded during the war, growing from a handful of firms to over 500 drone manufacturers that produced millions of units annually. Investment surged from $1 million in 2023 to over $105 million projected for 2025, driven by foreign...
Thanassis Cambanis revisits his 2024 call for a U.S. pullout from Syria, noting that the recent American withdrawal has sparked chaos and a power vacuum. The Syrian regime swiftly reclaimed the Kurdish‑held enclave, while the fate of high‑risk Islamic State...
In this episode Ken Miller talks with Dr. Karen Haig, a cognitive EW and AI expert, about how artificial intelligence enables truly cognitive electromagnetic warfare—systems that sense, decide, act, and learn in real time with minimal human input. They explain...
BAE Systems will conduct its first test of the Anti‑Threat System (BATS) in April 2026, followed by live‑fire trials in the summer. Developed in just six months starting October 2025, the AI‑driven command‑and‑control software integrates diverse sensors and effectors through...
The United States launched combat operations against the Islamic Republic of Iran, marking the first direct engagement in roughly two weeks. The author contrasts this brief conflict with a 47‑year history of Iranian aggression and U.S. involvement in the Middle...
russia sending two shipments of oil. and gas to…cuba. will president trump order interdiction? i’d say pretty good chance he will.
The Interlock ransomware gang has been leveraging a maximum‑severity remote code execution flaw (CVE‑2026‑20131) in Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center since late January, giving them a 36‑day zero‑day window before Cisco’s public advisory on March 4, 2026. The exploit permits unauthenticated attackers...
Let's unpack this.. What if the White House has no intention of reopening the Strait of Hormuz? What if this war is really about ships & tariffs? I had a long discussion with senior DOE official yesterday on background. I can’t share...
"Gulf States Want the U.S. to Cripple Iran's Regime Before Ending the War." @WSJ https://t.co/twMeku5of8 “Any long-term political settlement must address the full spectrum of threats, including Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missile capabilities, and their network of regional proxies,” added Sultan...
U.S. Army Special Forces were observed fielding a sniper rifle equipped with a Multi‑Function Muzzle Device (MFMD) during a March 2026 validation exercise at Indiana's Muscatatuck Urban Training Center. The MFMD, developed by Strategic Sciences, integrates flash suppression, recoil control,...
At Fortinet Accelerate 2026, the company unveiled FortiOS 8.0 and previewed FortiSOC, its cloud‑delivered Security Operations Platform. The new OS adds AI‑aware controls, deep OCR‑based DLP, expanded SASE capabilities and built‑in post‑quantum cryptography to protect the growing shadow‑AI surface. FortiSOC consolidates...
Palantir Technologies has partnered with Ondas and World View Enterprises to build an AI‑driven, multi‑domain intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) system that spans stratospheric balloons, autonomous drones and ground assets. The collaboration leverages Palantir’s Artificial Intelligence Platform, World View’s high‑altitude...
Bell Textron announced the successful completion of the Critical Design Review for DARPA’s SPRINT X‑plane program on March 9, clearing the path to build the X‑76 demonstrator. The milestone follows Bell’s Phase 2 down‑selection and integrates Swift Engineering’s composite‑fuselage expertise. The X‑76...
From September to December 2024 the Ministry of Defence (MOD) consulted on a new approach to safeguard the Eskdalemuir Seismological Array against cumulative seismic ground vibration (SGV) from windfarm projects. Following the consultation, the MOD will implement the revised safeguarding...
French President Emmanuel Macron officially named the next‑generation nuclear‑powered carrier France Libre, linking the vessel to the World War II Free France legacy. The 80,000‑ton, 310‑metre ship will replace the 42,000‑ton Charles de Gaulle and features U.S.‑origin EMALS catapults, Advanced Arresting...
On March 12, 2026 Poland’s National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) thwarted a cyber intrusion targeting its IT network. The breach was identified and contained before any disruption to the MARIA research reactor or ongoing scientific work. Preliminary analysis points...
Manufacturers are accelerating counter‑drone (CUAS) development as nations rush to buy systems for battlefield and homeland protection. Recent Middle‑East flare‑ups, including the US‑Israeli strike on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory attacks, have underscored the growing threat of uncrewed aerial systems highlighted...
Poland secured the EU's largest SAFE allocation – €44 billion for 139 defence projects – but President Karol Nawrocki vetoed the financing law on 12 March. Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s cabinet responded with a “Plan B”, suggesting the use of returns from the nation’s gold...
“Russia retains the capability to selectively challenge U.S. interests globally by military and nonmilitary means. Its robust, advanced conventional and nuclear forces are an enduring threat to the Homeland, U.S. allies and partners, and U.S. forces abroad. The most dangerous threat posed by...
On February 12, 2026, the U.S. Army delivered its first AH‑64E Apache helicopters to the 1st Armored Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Bliss. The aircraft mark the unit’s shift toward a Heavy Combat Aviation Brigade, featuring upgraded sensors, networked...
The U.S. Navy’s first MOD 2‑upgraded Arleigh Burke‑class destroyer, USS Pinckney (DDG‑91), made its combat debut by launching Tomahawk missiles against Iranian targets in Operation Epic Fury. The ship carries the SEWIP Block III electronic‑warfare suite, new SPY‑6 radars and an Aegis weapons...
Israel and the United States launched coordinated strikes this week, targeting Iran’s offshore South Pars gas field and missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz, while Israel assassinated Iran’s intelligence minister. The attacks pushed the death toll in Lebanon above 900...
![Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Mar 18, 2026] David Schild on the Comeback Factories Securing America’s Tech Future](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://hixhlmpcokxhartfkpyi.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/images/thumbnails/0df565d992be12abcfc22b99262397b9.webp)
The Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast featured David Schild, executive director of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America, promoting the documentary "The New Frontier: Inside the Comeback Factories Securing America’s Tech Future," which premieres on March 25 in Washington. The...
ALL.SPACE announced on March 18, 2026 that its electronically scanned antenna terminal received the industry’s first certification for simultaneous multi‑orbit connectivity on SES’s O3b mPOWER MEO constellation. The ESA can track GEO, MEO and LEO satellites concurrently without mechanical parts, offering...
I work up thinking about this and think I’m going to update my agent framework to use traffic inspection proxy that only allows specific domain names for DNS. There are other reasons you might want to do that which I’ve...
The Arizona National Guard held its 2026 Adjutant General’s Match at the Florence Training Site, bringing together more than 20 Army and Air Guard teams and civilian partners. The three‑day competition tested individual and team marksmanship across multiple weapons, sharpening...
Researchers at Oasis Security uncovered a trio of vulnerabilities in Anthropic's Claude AI that can be chained into a full‑scale attack dubbed “Claudy Day.” The chain combines an invisible prompt‑injection via URL parameters, an open‑redirect flaw, and a data‑exfiltration route through...
In this episode, Colonel Andrew Menchner, Deputy Commander of Space Systems Command (SSC), explains how SSC acquires, builds, and fields critical space capabilities—such as GPS, missile warning, and satellite communications—for the joint force, allies, and partners. He highlights the command’s...
DroneShield announced a partnership with Robin Radar Systems to integrate the IRIS 3D radar into its open sensor marketplace. The 360‑degree radar enhances DroneShield’s layered counter‑UAS (CUAS) deployments for defense, critical infrastructure, and public safety. By adding radar‑based detection to its...
It’s genuinely astonishing: Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 began along the lines of late-Soviet large-scale land warfare: with armored thrusts and insane massive artillery barrages. Then the war became the stage for a drone revolution that reshaped combat everywhere --...
I’ve worked inside the system. I know how this goes. When the White House overrides national security professionals, DHS stops serving the mission & starts serving politics. The real question for Sen. Markwayne Mullin today isn’t just about competence. It’s...
The U.S. Justice Department announced a $10.5 million settlement with four defendants—including two fabrication firms and their chief executive—over alleged false claims for welding equipment supplied to the Air Force and Navy. Prosecutors said the overcharges stemmed from weld tables used...
Israel's reckless escalation in attacking Iran's South Pars gas facilities - hitting onshore processing facilities for Phases 3-6, gives Iran plausible excuse (if it needed it) to hit back against regional energy facilities Neutrals & world energy consumers will suffer https://t.co/Kx7MytxmEn
Iran’s arsenal has taken a hit, but it likely isn’t exhausted. Launches are sustained and Saudi Arabia is increasingly in focus. The pattern suggests recalibration, not depletion: Iran can impose costs by causing just enough pain. My analysis @business: https://t.co/BVJUzCttTS...
The Pentagon is actively replacing Anthropic’s Claude model with alternative large‑language models, a transition Cameron Stanley says will take more than a month. OpenAI and Elon Musk’s xAI have already secured clearance for classified work, while Google is rolling out...
Distinguished UChicago Prof. John Mearsheimer on Iran’s strategy: “As time goes by, our ability to shoot down those missiles, shoot down drones decreases. It doesn't flatline, and it certainly doesn't increase… The Iranians have a serious set of military options against...
"What is Strategy in War?" There are a TON of people that need to read this right now. Words have meaning. Strategy. Political goals. Levels of War. Tactics. Ends, Ways, Means. With @LiamSCollins in @smallwars https://t.co/o27njmt7mI
Nordic Synthesis: Implications from Global Strategic Trends 7, released on 1 October 2024, gathers defence and policy officials from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden to examine long‑term strategic trends shaping the region. The paper interprets the UK’s Global Strategic Trends 7 outlook and...
Anyone can doubt where the drones are coming from, but when ballistic missiles are fired, you know it is Iran.
U.S. Used Its New 5,000-Pound Bunker Busters To Hit Iranian Anti-Ship Missile Sites: Reports The GBU-72/B sits between the common 2,000lb bunker buster and the far more powerful 30,000lb GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator. https://t.co/oOKanwJgEB
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and the U.S. Air Force completed a landmark autonomy flight test using the MQ‑20 Avenger. The exercise demonstrated that the unmanned jet can coordinate complex combat maneuvers without human input, showcasing the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)...
In some of Russia's harshest criticism of the US war in Iran, which Putin has tried not to say much on, top aide Nikolai Patrushev calls it a "tragedy" that will "set global trade and economics back years" and "has...
How China Is Quietly Helping an Isolated Iran Survive—From buying oil to selling rocket parts, China gives Iran critical support @austinramzy @RoryWSJ https://t.co/xCbI1lO7VO https://t.co/xCbI1lO7VO
Federal reviewers harshly criticized Microsoft’s Government Community Cloud High (GCC High), calling it a “pile of shit” due to missing security documentation and unclear encryption practices. Despite these concerns, the FedRAMP program granted the cloud suite an authorization, effectively giving it...
Headquarters of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet is on the Persian Gulf side of the Strait.
Disingenuous. Israel has closed Al-Aqsa and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during the holiest time for both faiths. And it "justifies" this with a war that it started.
The Ministry of Defence reports that the British Army’s Phase 1 training attrition has fallen to 19 percent in the 2024/25 recruiting year, matching pre‑2020 levels. The dropout rate declined from a peak of 29 percent in 2021/22, then 25 percent in 2022/23, and...
Iraq says Iran gas supplies have completely halted after attack on offshore field, INA reports https://t.co/tZ53tmRYVt
The United Nations nuclear watchdog urged the US and #Iran to resume negotiations, saying concern over Tehran’s nuclear program can’t be solved by military action alone. @virtualnomad https://t.co/PKWhMPuQaw
