Defense News and Headlines
Defense News and Headlines
Defense Pulse
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The U.S. Army has placed a $186 million delivery order with AeroVironment for its Switchblade loitering‑munition family, covering the 600 Block 2 and 300 Block 2 variants. The Switchblade 600 Block 2, co‑developed with SOCOM, features AI‑driven target detection and can operate from sea‑based platforms. The Switchblade 300 Block 2, marketed as a “tank killer,” will be fielded with an Explosively Formed Penetrator warhead for enhanced anti‑armor performance. The order underscores the Army’s shift toward autonomous, one‑way attack drones for dispersed, high‑tempo operations.
Former public servant Mike Pezzullo addressed the Universities Australia Solutions Summit, reflecting on the 2019 cyber‑attack that compromised nearly 20 years of Australian National University (ANU) student and staff records. The breach, attributed to Chinese state‑linked threat actors, exposed bank...
The U.S. Navy has awarded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions a $61.07 million contract modification to initiate full‑rate production of the BQM‑177A subsonic aerial target, delivering 70 units and associated RATO kits. The award brings the total value of the BQM‑177A...
Defense AI startup NODA AI announced a $25 million Series A round, led by Bessemer Venture Partners and joined by Booz Allen Ventures, Draper Associates, Bloomberg Beta and Alumni Ventures. The Austin‑based company builds AI software that orchestrates mixed fleets of autonomous...
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit, India and Israel signed multiple agreements to deepen cooperation in technology and cybersecurity. The pacts create a joint innovation fund, enable real‑time cyber‑threat intelligence sharing, and launch collaborative projects in artificial intelligence, quantum...
Juniper Networks disclosed a critical CVE‑2026‑21902 vulnerability in the On‑Box Anomaly Detection framework of its Junos OS Evolved running on PTX Series routers. The flaw lets an unauthenticated attacker reach a root‑level service over an external port, enabling full device...
MP Materials announced a $1.25 billion investment to build a 120‑acre rare‑earth magnet campus in Northlake, Texas, under its “10X” program and a public‑private partnership with the U.S. Department of War. The facility will add roughly 10,000 metric tons of NdFeB magnet...
Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani indicated that the UK Ministry of Defence will announce the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) contract within days, ending weeks of speculation. Leonardo is the only bidder for the £1 billion (US$1.3 billion) programme, positioning the company to secure...
The British Army’s 507 Specialist Team Royal Engineers (STRE) is the only dedicated railway engineering reserve unit, tasked with repairing and constructing rail infrastructure in hostile, short‑notice environments. Drawing on civilian rail, construction and heritage expertise, the 46‑strong team focuses...
Airbus Defence and Space reported €13.4 billion in space revenues for 2025, an 11 % increase from the prior year, while Leonardo’s Space division posted just over €1 billion, also up 11 %. Both companies improved profitability through restructuring, cutting over 2,000 jobs and...
Olympique de Marseille confirmed it was the target of an attempted cyberattack after a threat actor claimed to have breached its servers and leaked a sample of a database containing staff and supporter information. The club said its technical teams...
In the late 1970s Canada’s New Fighter Aircraft (NFA) program pitted the F/A‑18 Hornet against the F‑15, F‑16 and Mirage F‑1, ultimately selecting the twin‑engine Hornet for its cost, reliability and Arctic suitability. Decades later the Royal Canadian Air Force...
Whittington Range has continuously updated its firing schedule, posting weekly and monthly timetables from 2021 through February 2026. Each entry details specific firing windows, often adjusting dates, adding new periods, or deleting outdated slots. The updates are published on a...
Lt. Gen. Rebecca Sonkiss, the interim commander of Air Mobility Command, addressed service members, industry partners, and the press at the 2026 Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium. She underscored the twin priorities of maintaining Airmen readiness and ensuring...
Lt. Gen. Rebecca Sonkiss, interim commander of Air Mobility Command, used the 2026 Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium to stress that aircraft and Airmen readiness hinges on rapid modernization, enhanced connectivity, and survivability. She called for accelerating the...
Cisco Talos has identified a new threat cluster, UAT-10027, delivering a novel backdoor called Dohdoor that leverages DNS‑over‑HTTPS for command‑and‑control. The malware uses DLL side‑loading through legitimate Windows executables and drops a Cobalt Strike beacon that unhooks NTDLL calls to evade...
Europe faces its most contested security decade since the Cold War, with the digital backbone—networks, data infrastructures and connectivity—now the primary frontline. Recent blackouts in Portugal and Spain illustrate how digital failures become national security events, while adversaries target subsea...
Russia’s foreign ministry warned that deploying British troops to Ukraine would lengthen the war, countering the UK defence minister’s pledge to send forces after a cease‑fire. In Europe, ECB President Christine Lagarde reiterated she will serve her full term to 2027,...
The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence has released a new supplier outreach leaflet titled “Find opportunities to become a supplier with the Ministry of Defence.” The eight‑page PDF (679 KB) and an HTML version outline how businesses can engage with Defence,...
Trump’s administration abandoned the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in May 2023, replacing multilateral diplomacy with a “maximum‑sanctions” approach toward Iran’s nuclear program. The withdrawal re‑imposed crippling sanctions on Tehran’s oil sector and halted inspection mechanisms, prompting Iran to accelerate...
Maj. Gen. Sean Flynn, a New York Army National Guard officer, has become the top‑ranking American at NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum. He now serves as deputy chief of staff for operations, overseeing coordination of up to 250,000 troops...
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that both China and Iran have expressed interest in replicating the Belarus‑Russia Union State's region‑to‑region cooperation framework. The declaration came during the Supreme State Council in Moscow, co‑chaired by Vladimir Putin, as the Union State...
The West Virginia National Guard hosted senior Qatar Military Police leaders to plan joint security for the upcoming National Scout Jamboree. Both forces will field roughly 40‑45 Qatari personnel alongside Guard members to manage crowd control, route security, and facility...
GE Aerospace has secured its first TrueChoice Defense contract, applying AI and advanced analytics to the J85 engine that powers the Air Force’s T‑38 trainer. The seven‑month deal, with an optional four‑year, five‑month extension, aims to boost engine readiness through...
General Atomics and Divergent will co‑keynote the 2026 AMUG Conference, presenting "From Hypercars to Defense Drones" on March 17 in Reno. The session highlights how a 2022 AMUG talk sparked a cross‑industry partnership that leverages additive manufacturing across aerospace and...
Raytheon ELCAN, a unit of RTX, secured a contract to supply a customized Specter DR 1‑4× sight to the German Bundeswehr as part of Germany’s soldier‑system modernization. The configuration pairs the variable‑power optic with an Aimpoint reflex sight for seamless...
Chainalysis reports ransomware victims paid only 28% of demanded sums in 2025, the lowest rate on record despite a 50% surge in attacks. Total on‑chain ransomware payments are near $820 million and could exceed $900 million as attribution improves. While the number...
Textron Systems won a U.S. Army prototype contract to field its Damocles™ loitering munition under the Low Altitude Stalking & Strike Ordnance (LASSO) program. The system integrates a vertical take‑off and landing (VTOL) uncrewed aircraft with a GEN2 Explosively Formed...
The UK has reduced its Type 26 frigate programme from thirteen hulls to eight, while Norway has committed to buying at least five of the same design. Both governments are exploring the possibility of reallocating UK‑built slots to fulfill Norway’s order,...
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski warned allies not to treat Poland as a “sucker,” emphasizing the country’s resolve amid escalating Russian hybrid attacks and a surge in sanctions against Moscow’s shadow fleet. He highlighted Poland’s pivotal role during its EU presidency,...
Iranian and American negotiators held the third round of nuclear talks in Geneva on February 26, briefly pausing before resuming later that day. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Busaidi, who is mediating the talks, described the atmosphere as "creative and positive." The International...
CesiumAstro announced the acquisition of AI‑focused startup Vidrovr to embed artificial intelligence into its space‑based communications payloads. The deal, closed in late 2025, adds multimodal signal‑analysis and edge‑computing capabilities to CesiumAstro’s software‑defined phased‑array systems, including the Element satellite. By integrating...
Sierra Space announced that longtime defense executive Dan Jablonsky will assume the role of chief executive officer on March 2, succeeding interim CEO and founder Fatih Ozmen, who will remain board chair. Jablonsky previously led Ursa Major Technologies and Maxar Technologies, bringing deep aerospace...
Phantom Space has acquired launch assets from the defunct Vector Launch, including flight‑proven design elements and engineering data. The assets will be integrated into Phantom’s Daytona two‑stage rocket to cut development risk and accelerate its schedule. Phantom, which has raised...
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi, a veteran negotiator backed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, is spearheading a fresh push to revive a nuclear deal and avert U.S. military action. He frames Iran’s approach as “bazaar‑style” bargaining—patient, continuous, and strategic—while warning that...
The UK Royal Navy’s Maritime Aviation Transformation (MATX) programme is advancing toward a hybrid air wing by 2040, with recent progress highlighted at the Defence IQ International Military Helicopter 2026 conference. Officials confirmed ongoing discussions to expand the deployment of the Peregrine...
Raytheon, an RTX business, has chosen ST Engineering iDirect's Manufacturing Competence Center in Erpe‑Mere, Belgium, to support the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) Block II program. The selection underscores the MCC’s proven ability to handle high‑complexity, high‑mix defense production and its...
China’s decades‑long dominance of rare‑earth processing is being challenged as the United States and allies pour over $8.5 billion into reshaping the supply chain. REAlloys Inc. has become the only North‑American company that can convert rare‑earth concentrates into metals and alloys,...
Spanish shipbuilder Navantia and Italy’s Fincantieri have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly manage the European Patrol Corvette (EPC) programme. The MoU will establish a joint venture that can involve other partners and will focus on the Full Combat...
ResidentBat is a custom Android spyware implant deployed by the Belarusian KGB to turn seized smartphones into persistent surveillance tools. The malware is sideloaded via Android Debug Bridge after physical access, granting extensive data collection and remote‑wipe capabilities. First disclosed...
One year after its launch, the Pentagon’s Golden Dome for America program aims to create a layered “shield” of sensors and interceptors to protect the U.S. homeland from aerial threats. The effort, a complex system‑of‑systems, is hampered by inter‑service integration...
HireClearedTalent.com launched a dedicated marketplace that links federal contractors, subcontractors and small businesses with more than one million pre‑vetted security‑cleared professionals. The platform combines AI‑driven role matching with a network of over 100 live recruiters experienced in DoD, DHS, DOE...
The U.S. Navy has launched a market‑research effort to field single‑use Active Expendable Decoys (AED) for its F‑35 and F‑18 fighter fleets. The program targets an initial purchase of roughly 3,000 decoys per year, rising to about 6,000 units annually...
Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden will roll out a common Nordic Combat Uniform (NCU) from 2026, a €425 million project that standardises functional elements while preserving national camouflage patterns. The initiative, launched in 2016, relied on extensive field testing across diverse...
TrendAI, the enterprise arm of Trend Micro, released patches for eight vulnerabilities in its Apex One endpoint security suite. Two critical CVEs (2025‑71210 and 2025‑71211) could let remote attackers upload malicious code and execute commands via the management console, while six high‑severity...
The UK’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) provides third‑country support—including accommodation, transport and medical care—to locally employed Afghan staff eligible for resettlement in the UK. Since its first publication in January 2021, the policy has been repeatedly updated, most recently...
The Myanmar military has turned its information operations into a decisive battlefield, deploying state media, Russian cognitive‑warfare expertise, and costly U.S. public‑relations firms to portray the National Unity Government (NUG) as corrupt and fragmented. Domestically, propaganda attacks the NUG and...
Russian officials have claimed that nuclear weapons are stationed in Ukraine, a charge that President Volodymyr Zelensky promptly rejected as false. The allegation emerges as both sides prepare for a new round of Ukraine‑US‑Russia peace negotiations, with Moscow hoping to...
The U.S. Army issued a sources‑sought notice to find industry partners capable of delivering a standardized munition payload interface for uncrewed aerial systems, based on the Picatinny Common Lethality Interface Kit (CLIK) and the smaller Universal Payload Interface (sUPI). The...
The U.S. Air Force has launched the Polar Modernization LC‑130J program to replace its aging LC‑130H fleet with a digitally upgraded, ski‑equipped variant of the C‑130J. The initiative will study structural reinforcements, avionics integration, and thermal protections needed for Arctic...
