Defense News and Headlines
Defense News and Headlines
Defense Pulse
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Raytheon has been awarded a firm‑fixed‑price contract worth $183.68 million to supply new hardware and services for the Patriot missile system in the United Arab Emirates, bringing the total value of the programme to $281.15 million. The award, made under Foreign Military Sales case AE‑B‑ZUW, was the sole bid received and will be executed from Raytheon's Tewksbury, Massachusetts facility with completion slated for March 2031. The contract coincides with a surge in Iran‑linked missile and drone attacks on the Gulf, prompting the UAE to reinforce its air‑defence capabilities. The deal underscores growing demand for advanced U.S. defense systems in a volatile region.
HII has teamed with engineering firm Nominal to overhaul data collection, validation, and analysis for its REMUS autonomous underwater vehicles and ROMULUS uncrewed surface vessels. The partnership will introduce standardized digital‑twin workflows that speed post‑mission analysis and improve traceability from...
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility provided tracking, telemetry and range‑safety services for Rocket Lab’s HASTE suborbital launch on Feb. 27, 2026. The mission, dubbed Cassowary Vex, carried a hypersonic test platform for the Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit. This was the first...
Ukrainian naval and special forces used maritime surface drones and aerial UAVs to strike the Russian‑occupied Syvash drilling platform in the Black Sea on March 5, destroying command equipment and a Kamov Ka‑27 helicopter attempting to land. The platform had been...
On 3 March 2026 HEO Space and Spain’s SATLANTIS signed a memorandum of understanding to deliver sovereign space domain awareness (SDA) capabilities to government and defence clients. The deal merges HEO’s non‑Earth imaging software, analytics and operational expertise with SATLANTIS’s high‑performance optical...
On March 5, 2026 Ukraine announced the return of 200 prisoners of war in a new exchange with Russia. The group includes combatants seized during the 2022 siege of Mariupol, highlighting the lingering human cost of that battle. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy posted on...
Wedbush Securities highlighted Apple, Microsoft, ServiceNow, Palantir and several cybersecurity firms as its top technology picks as geopolitical tensions with Iran rise. The analysts described these stocks as defensive, citing strong cash flows, AI and cloud capabilities, and exposure to...
NASA’s Lockheed Martin‑built X‑59 Quiet Supersonic Transport has entered the envelope‑expansion phase of its flight test program. The aircraft will now conduct a series of supersonic runs to map its performance envelope and verify the low‑boom signature. NASA aims to demonstrate...
NATO secretary‑general Mark Rutte defended his habit of praising U.S. President Donald Trump, acknowledging criticism but insisting the admiration is warranted. He credited Trump with helping NATO adopt a new 5 % of GDP defence‑spending target, a significant increase from the...
The Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC) announced that the U.S. military is inviting proposals to develop domestic production of 13 critical minerals, including tungsten, arsenic and nickel, with submissions due March 20, 2026. The request covers the entire value chain—from...
Six Ukrainian customs officers completed a week‑long advanced maintenance course at the Rapiscan Systems factory in the United Kingdom. The training, part of the EU‑funded EU4IBM‑Resilience project, focused on preventive maintenance, troubleshooting and component replacement for mobile cargo scanners. It...
More tankers were hit in the Gulf as the US‑Iran conflict intensified, with a Bahamas‑flagged vessel attacked by an explosive‑laden boat and another tanker suffering a port‑side explosion and oil spill. Since the war began Saturday, nine civilian ships have...
Estonian robotics firm Milrem Robotics announced it will deliver 150 Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System (THeMIS) uncrewed ground vehicles to Ukrainian forces by the end of 2026, more than doubling the 70 already supplied. The majority—about 90%—are configured for basic...
China controls roughly 90‑95% of global rare‑earth processing, creating a strategic vulnerability for U.S. defense and high‑tech sectors. In response, REalloys (NASDAQ: ALOY) is building North America’s first fully integrated, China‑free heavy rare‑earth supply chain, with a production facility in...
Italy announced it will send air‑defence assistance to Gulf states following Iranian strikes, aligning with the UK, France and Germany. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni emphasized the move protects thousands of Italian expatriates and roughly 2,000 troops stationed in the region while...
The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels have canceled their first two 2026 air shows—El Centro on March 14 and Lemoore on March 21‑22—citing heightened security as the military escalates force‑protection measures amid ongoing operations against Iran. Both installations moved to Force Protection Condition Bravo,...
From Feb. 4‑18, about 100 Minnesota National Guard Soldiers and Airmen participated in NOREX 53, a bilateral Arctic training exchange with Norway’s Home Guard in Haltdalen. The exchange featured a six‑day field exercise, a new Enhanced Winter Warfare Training course, and realistic...
The U.S. Air Force’s Task Force 99 is seeking a vertical‑take‑off‑and‑landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft system to replace its runway‑dependent Group 2 drone for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions in Qatar. Existing platforms need a 200‑meter runway, limiting launch locations and increasing risk....
German defence specialist Renk expects the ongoing Iran‑UAE conflict to spur regional defence spending. CEO Alexander Sagel said the war could drive demand across air, ammunition and ground systems, citing a recent prototype IFV order from a Gulf state. Renk reported...
The U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command has issued a request for industry information to develop a software upgrade for the Large Aircraft Infra‑Red Counter‑Measures (LAIRCM) system on its P‑8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. The upgrade will embed new code...
Bridgepoint is evaluating how to position its capital in Europe’s burgeoning defense sector. A recent Carlyle Group white paper projects that the continent could allocate up to €14 trillion to defense and related infrastructure over the next ten years. The magnitude...
The U.S. Army awarded GM Defense a firm‑fixed‑price contract worth $18.8 million to deliver 121 Infantry Squad Vehicles (ISVs) and associated safety kits. The lightweight ISV, under 2,270 kg, can be air‑lifted by CH‑47 Chinook and UH‑60 Black Hawk helicopters and reaches...
The Indian Navy commissioned INS Anjadip at Chennai Port on 27 February, marking the third vessel of the eight‑ship indigenous ASW Shallow Water Craft programme. Built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, the 77‑metre corvette incorporates more than 80% domestic content, including...
Artificial intelligence is poised to reshape space exploration, offering real‑time data analysis, autonomous navigation, and predictive health monitoring for spacecraft. To realize these gains, AI hardware must survive radiation, extreme temperatures, and power constraints while delivering sufficient compute throughput. The...
Latin America is now the world’s most targeted region for cyber threats, with organizations confronting roughly 3,100 attacks per week—about twice the volume seen in the United States. Check Point’s March 2026 report shows ransomware, infostealers, banking malware and botnets...
Circuits Integrated Hellas (CIH) and Reach Power have signed a multi‑year memorandum of understanding to co‑develop integrated RF/mmWave and wireless power‑at‑a‑distance (WPDT) solutions. CIH will supply custom semiconductor designs, beamforming architectures and heterogeneous integration, while Reach contributes its proven power‑beaming...
India’s Ministry of External Affairs has dismissed allegations that the U.S. Navy is using Indian ports to launch attacks on Iran, labeling the claims as fabricated. The rumors stemmed from a One America News interview with former U.S. Army colonel...
Palantir secured a £240 million contract extension with the UK Ministry of Defence, citing an “absence of competition” for technical reasons. The firm also eyes a potential £500 million NHS Federated Data Platform deal, expanding its footprint in health and defence. Security...
The United Kingdom unveiled a £500 million space funding package aimed at accelerating economic growth and national security. The money targets seven sub‑sectors, with priority given to satellite communications, assured access, in‑orbit servicing, assembly, manufacturing and space domain awareness. The package...
RAND Policy Lab’s Michael Mazarr and Matan Chorev argue that national advantage in the AI era is not determined solely by mastering the technology stack. Their March 5, 2026 webinar stresses that people, governance structures, and the ability to seize opportunities are...
UNION Technologies and Firehawk Aerospace have partnered to merge UNION’s software‑defined manufacturing platform with Firehawk’s high‑throughput energetics and propulsion capabilities, focusing on the 155 mm artillery supply chain. The joint effort seeks to close the integration gap between forged metal parts...
A U.S. nuclear submarine torpedoed the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in international waters off Sri Lanka, killing dozens of sailors. The vessel had been a guest of the Indian Navy after participating in a fleet review in Visakhapatnam, yet New Delhi issued...
Marsun has joined the Thai Shipbuilding and Repairing Association and eight domestic shipyards in signing a Memorandum of Understanding to coordinate large‑scale naval construction projects. The partnership pools expertise in shipbuilding, systems integration and engineering to prepare for the Royal...
The White House has publicly urged Pentagon contractors to "rapidly and aggressively" increase weapons production to support Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. campaign aimed at countering Iran. President Donald Trump personally pressed defense firms to accelerate output, despite Pentagon officials asserting that...
Multi‑factor authentication (MFA) is effective for cloud and federated apps, but many Windows authentication paths—interactive logons, RDP, NTLM, Kerberos tickets, and service accounts—remain outside its protection. Attackers exploit these gaps using stolen passwords, pass‑the‑hash, or forged tickets, gaining lateral movement...
The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) maintains active partnerships with a network of trade associations spanning defence, aerospace, technology, space and maritime sectors. Key bodies such as Team Defence Information, ADS, Make UK Defence, techUK, UKspace and the Society of Maritime Industries...
On March 5, two drones struck the airport in Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan exclave, injuring two people and damaging the terminal. Baku blamed Iran for the attack and warned it could take corresponding measures. The incident comes amid a series of regional drone...
DIODON has launched VIGILANSEA, a three‑year France 2030‑funded programme with SeaOwl and ISAE‑SUPAERO to create a long‑endurance maritime UAV and the DIODON REEF station that autonomously launches, recovers and recharges the UAV from a USV. Building on prior NATO and Dronathlon integrations,...
The UK Ministry of Defence released its 2024 defence export statistics, covering data from 2013 through 2024. Total defence exports reached approximately £13.5 billion in the 2023/24 financial year, marking a 4% increase over the previous year. The report highlights the...
The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) evaluated its Integrated Resource Workload Model (IRWM), a tool launched in 2014 to translate contract‑management demand into staffing needs. The assessment found the model follows best‑practice manpower analysis but suffers from procedural gaps, data‑quality...
A South Korean ruling‑party lawmaker warned that the escalating US‑Israel war with Iran could jeopardize the supply of essential semiconductor materials, particularly helium, which is critical for heat management in chip fabrication. The Korean chip sector, responsible for roughly two‑thirds...
YellowScan introduced the Venturer LiDAR at Geo Week 2026, positioning it as an NDAA‑compliant solution for high‑precision, security‑focused surveying. The system processes all data locally via YellowScan CloudStation, eliminating cloud dependencies and ensuring full data sovereignty. It features 360‑degree adaptive...
The UK Home Office has awarded Indian AI firm Mastek a five‑year, £49 million contract to manage and upgrade its biometric infrastructure, including the Biometrics Services Gateway and the National DNA Database. The deal includes optional two‑year extensions and covers specialist...
On February 28, President Donald Trump ordered a sweeping military strike against Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and decapitated the regime’s senior leadership. The campaign quickly expanded to hit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s missile forces, navy and...
U.S. President Donald Trump announced a national emergency aimed at Cuba, accusing the island of hosting spies and terrorists and threatening tariffs on any nation supplying oil. Following the declaration, U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, intensifying regional...
The Air Force will not sign a contract for an additional 75 KC‑46 Pegasus tankers until Boeing fixes key deficiencies, including the Remote Vision System and boom actuator issues. The extra aircraft were intended as a short‑term bridge to keep...
India’s Ministry of Defence approved a ₹5,083 crore ($550 million) package that includes the ALH Mk‑III MR helicopter and a ₹2,182 crore ($236 million) contract with Russia’s Rosoboronexport for Shtil‑1 vertical‑launch missiles. The Shtil‑1, a semi‑active radar homing system derived from the Buk family,...
The Australian Defence Department has launched domestic production of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) at a new facility in Port Wakefield, South Australia. The first batch of missiles is slated for completion by mid‑March 2026, marking the first GMLRS...
President Trump’s nominee for CISA, Sean Plankey, resigned from his advisory role at the U.S. Coast Guard to allay concerns about his prior shipbuilding contracts that prompted Sen. Rick Scott’s hold. Plankey emphasized his focus on leading CISA and highlighted his turnaround of...
The U.S. House and Senate have unanimously approved legislation authorizing President Joe Biden to award the Medal of Honor to Maj. Nicholas Dockery, a Special Operations Command officer recognized as Military Times’ Soldier of the Year in 2022. Dockery’s 2012...
