DAC Approves Rs 2.38 Lakh Crore Defense Acquisition Proposals
India’s Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) granted Acceptance of Necessity to a roughly $29 billion package of proposals covering the Army, Air Force and Coast Guard. The approvals span new medium‑transport aircraft, additional S‑400 long‑range missile batteries, Tunguska short‑range air‑defense systems, artillery, drones and a fleet of heavy‑duty hovercraft for coastal patrols. While cost details and delivery schedules remain undisclosed, the package emphasizes air‑defence, mobility and sustainment, with a mix of domestic firms and foreign vendors under “Buy Indian” rules. Financing will draw from the defence budget and government‑to‑government agreements.
France Hands Over 39 VAB Armored Vehicles to Lebanese Armed Forces
France transferred 39 VAB 4×4 armored personnel carriers to the Lebanese Armed Forces during a ceremony in Beirut, attended by French Minister Alice Rufo and Lebanese General Hassan Audi. The VAB, a 1970s‑designed, amphibious vehicle that carries up to ten troops and...
GCAP Agency Awards First Contract to Edgewing for Next-Gen Combat Aircraft
The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) awarded its first design-and-development contract to Edgewing, a UK‑Italy‑Japan consortium, for up to £686 million ($905 million). The agreement, running through June 2026, funds initial engineering to accelerate the unified sixth‑generation stealth fighter program. Edgewing will...
Iran-Backed Iraqi Militia Releases Kidnapped American Journalist
American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson was released on April 7 after a week of captivity by the Iran‑backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah. The group had reportedly tied her freedom to the release of detained militia members, though U.S. and Iraqi...
Pratt & Whitney Secures $6.6 Billion F135 Engine Contract
Pratt & Whitney secured a $6.6 billion contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to supply F135 engines for Lots 18 and 19 of the F‑35 Joint Strike Fighter program. The award, which combines a $3.8 billion 2026 modification with a prior $2.88 billion award,...
White House: Iranian Threats To Not Reopen Strait Of Hormuz Over Lebanon Airstrikes “Totally Unacceptable”
The White House labeled Iran’s threat to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon as “totally unacceptable.” President Trump has floated a proposal to discuss a toll‑free reopening of the strait within two weeks,...
US-Japan SPY-7 Radar Tracking Test for Aegis System
In March 2026, the new AN/SPY‑7 S‑band AESA radar aboard Japan’s future Aegis‑equipped destroyers successfully tracked live missile targets during the JFTX‑01 joint test with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. The radar, built by Mitsubishi under a Foreign Military Sale,...
GKN Aerospace Delivers First Upgraded Gripen C/D Engine to Sweden
GKN Aerospace handed over the first upgraded RM12EP engine to Sweden on 24 March, marking a milestone in the Gripen C/D Enhanced Performance programme. The SEK 400 million (≈ $40 million) contract upgrades the GE‑derived RM12 with stronger turbine components and new digital control software,...
MGI Engineering Completes First Flights of TigerShark Strike Platform
MGI Engineering announced the TigerShark, an autonomous deep‑strike UAV, completed its first flight on April 1, marking the first European system of this class tested in over a decade. The subsonic, one‑way platform can carry a 300 kg payload, has a cruise...
South Korea’s Navy Deploys First Two MH-60R Seahawks Amid Pyongyang Regime Sub Threat
South Korea’s navy placed its first two MH‑60R Seahawk helicopters into service on April 1, completing delivery of ten of the twelve aircraft ordered under a 2020 U.S. Foreign Military Sales deal. The helicopters, equipped with advanced sonar, radar and anti‑ship...
Trump “Not At All” Concerned If Iranian Infrastructure Bombings Are War Crimes
President Donald Trump told reporters he was "not at all" worried that his order to bomb Iran’s civil infrastructure could be classified as a war crime. He warned that if a peace deal was not reached by Tuesday 8 p.m. ET,...
Australia’s Homegrown Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles Roll Off the Assembly Line
The first seven Australian‑built Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRVs) have rolled off Rheinmetall Defence Australia’s Redbank plant. The programme calls for 211 Boxers, including 133 CRVs, to replace the aging ASLAV fleet under LAND 400 Phase 2. A parallel contract to produce...
Trump, Hegseth Claim Successful “Regime Change” In Iran
President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth each asserted that the United States has achieved "regime change" in Iran after a series of targeted killings of senior officials. The statements came amid the second month of a U.S.-Israeli military...
The US Approves an Expanded $1 Billion AUKUS Support Package for the UK’s Next-Generation Nuclear Submarines
The U.S. State Department has approved a roughly $1 billion foreign‑military‑sales package for the United Kingdom under the AUKUS pact, expanding the original $50 million assistance. The funds will cover design and integration of vertical launch tubes, missile launchers, network hardware, simulation...
Netherlands Orders 12 V-BAT Drones as Arctic NATO Tests Prove Performance
The Dutch Ministry of Defence has ordered 12 Shield AI V‑BAT (MQ‑35A) unmanned aerial systems for deployment across eight Royal Netherlands Navy vessels. The vertical‑takeoff drones, which can operate for more than 12 hours on JP‑5 fuel, have already demonstrated...
BAE Systems Won a Contract to Upgrade the AN/ALQ-221 Electronic Warfare System on U.S. Air Force U-2 Aircraft
BAE Systems secured a contract to provide field service support and implement upgrades to the AN/ALQ-221 electronic warfare system on the U.S. Air Force’s U‑2 reconnaissance fleet. The effort will refresh software libraries, enhance signal‑processing algorithms and add new threat...
US Air Force Awards Boeing $2.4B Contract for E-7A Wedgetail AWACS Production
The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing a $2.4 billion contract to transition the E‑7A Wedgetail from prototype to full‑rate production. The award includes a $2.3 billion exercised option and a $99 million modification for developmental jets and radar components. The Wedgetail, built on...
Lockheed Martin Secures $700M F-35A Production Contract From Denmark
Lockheed Martin secured a $700.4 million contract in March 2026 to produce 16 additional F‑35A Lightning II jets for Denmark, raising the Royal Danish Air Force’s fleet to 43 aircraft. The agreement covers long‑lead parts for Lots 20‑21 and will be executed primarily...
Iraq Protests U.S. Airstrike On Anbar Military Clinic
The Iraqi government accused the United States of conducting an A‑10 airstrike on a military clinic at the Al‑Habbaniyah base in Anbar province, killing seven Iraqi soldiers and wounding 13. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al‑Sudani summoned the U.S. chargé d’affaires...
U.S. Army Awards Anduril $20 Billion AI Battlefield Tech Contract
The U.S. Army awarded Anduril Industries a 10‑year, firm‑fixed‑price IDIQ contract worth up to $20 billion, consolidating more than 120 prior agreements into a single procurement vehicle. The deal centers on Anduril’s open‑architecture Lattice software, which fuses data from drones, radars,...
U.S. And Japan Agree On Quadrupling SM-3 Missile Production In Japan
The United States and Japan agreed to quadruple production of Standard Missile‑3 Block IIA missiles in Japan after a summit between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The deal builds on Raytheon's $8.4 billion contract expansion and aims to...
Indonesia Acquires BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missiles From India
Indonesia’s Defence Ministry confirmed a deal with India to acquire BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, valued at roughly $300‑450 million. The agreement, negotiated since 2023, will deliver at least one missile battery for coastal defence, with contract signing slated for mid‑2026. The...
IRocket iRX-100 Missile Test with Arnold Defense Launcher
On March 11, U.S. startup iRocket and Arnold Defense successfully conducted a live‑fire test of the iRocket iRX‑100 tactical missile from an Arnold Defense 70 mm rocket launcher in the Mojave Desert. The solid‑fuel missile accelerated to roughly Mach 2, traveling about...
The U.S. Department of State Approved an Emergency $152 Million Sale of BLU-110A/B Bomb Bodies to Israel
The U.S. State Department approved an emergency $151.8 million sale of 12,000 BLU‑110A/B 1,000‑pound bomb bodies to Israel, bypassing the standard 30‑day congressional review. The package combines newly manufactured units from Repkon USA with inventory from existing stockpiles and includes engineering,...
Rheinmetall Live-Fires 120mm Ragnarok Mortar with New Mission Module in Norway
Rheinmetall’s Nordic unit demonstrated the next‑generation Ragnarok 120 mm mortar integrated into a new Mortar Mission Module on an HX truck during a live‑fire test in Rena, Norway. Despite sub‑zero temperatures and high humidity, the system achieved high accuracy and rapid...
Japan Commissions Fifth Taigei-Class Submarine – JS Chõgei
Japan commissioned its fifth Taigei‑class attack submarine, JS Chōgei (SS‑517), on 10 March 2026. Built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the 84‑metre vessel features a diesel‑electric drive, 6,000 hp engine and large lithium‑ion batteries that extend submerged endurance. The sub incorporates the new ZQQ‑8...
France Unveils FLP-T 150 Long-Range Rocket Launcher
France unveiled the FLP‑T 150, a 150 km long‑range guided rocket artillery system developed by ArianeGroup and Thales. The ITAR‑free launcher, mounted on a Mercedes‑Zetros 8×8 truck, carries eight rockets in a single container and uses sub‑decametric GPS/INS for single‑digit meter...
Netherlands Selects French F21 Torpedo for Orka-Class Submarines
The Dutch Ministry of Defence announced that the upcoming Orka‑class diesel‑electric attack submarines will be equipped with France’s F21 MK2 heavyweight torpedo, replacing the US‑made Mk48. The F21, an electric‑propelled, 200 kg warhead torpedo with a 57 km range and speeds up...
Mercedes-Benz Zetros Completes Arctic Winter Trials
Mercedes‑Benz’s Zetros 6×6 military truck successfully completed a series of Arctic winter trials in Finland’s Arctic Circle, where temperatures dropped to –20 °C and a cold‑chamber test reached –40 °C. The Special Trucks Team evaluated cold‑start procedures, electronic stability, brake performance, tire‑pressure...
US Army Orders 50 AMPVs to Replace M113s Sent to Ukraine
The U.S. Army will procure 50 Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles (AMPVs) for roughly $250 million, with delivery slated for early spring 2026. The order replaces the legacy M113 fleet depleted after shipping about 900 units to Ukraine under the Presidential Drawdown Authority....
PBS Aerospace Secured a Multi-Year Subcontract with Zone 5 Technologies to Expand US Turbojet Engine Production
PBS Aerospace, the U.S. arm of Czech PBS Group, landed a multi‑year subcontract with California‑based Zone 5 Technologies valued at several tens of millions of dollars. The agreement tasks the Roswell, Georgia plant—recently expanded with a $20 million investment—to produce the...
Indian Air Force’s Medium Transport Aircraft Program Takes Flight
The Defence Procurement Board cleared a ₹1 Lakh Crore (≈$11 billion) programme to acquire 60 medium‑transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force, replacing aging Antonov An‑32s. Under a “Buy and Make” model, 12 aircraft will be bought fly‑away while 48 will be assembled...
Canada To Transfer 383 Roshel Senator & 66 LAV 6 Armored Vehicles to Ukraine
Canada announced a new military aid package that will transfer 383 Roshel Senator armored personnel carriers and 66 General Dynamics LAV‑6 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. The donation is part of a CAD $2 billion (US $1.46 billion) budget for the 2026‑27 fiscal year...
Indian Navy Concludes MILAN 2026 Naval Exercise On-Board INS Vikrant
The Indian Navy wrapped up its flagship MILAN 2026 exercise on 25 February with a closing ceremony aboard the indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant off Visakhapatnam. The multilateral drill involved 42 ships, 29 aircraft and 18 foreign vessels, showcasing...
Indian Navy Commissions INS Anjadip
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...
Indian Air Force Conducts Major Exercise ‘Vayu Shakti 2026’ at Pokhran
On February 27 the Indian Air Force staged Exercise Vayushakti‑26 at Pokhran, field‑testing more than 130 aircraft across fighter, transport, and helicopter fleets. President Droupadi Murmu attended and flew in an indigenously built HAL Prachand light combat helicopter. The drill featured...
IAI and TKMS Deliver BlueWhale AUV to the German Navy
Israel Aerospace Industries and Germany’s TKMS handed over the BlueWhale autonomous underwater vehicle to the German Navy, marking a milestone in the Marine 2035+ modernization. The 11‑12 meter AUV can operate for weeks without crew, carrying a telescoping mast with radar and...
DRDO Conducts Successful Flight Trials of Very Short-Range Air Defence System
The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully completed three successive flight trials of its Very Short‑Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) from Chandipur’s Integrated Test Range on 27 February. The missiles intercepted high‑speed aerial targets across varied speeds, ranges and...
Malaysia Scraps Kuwaiti Hornet Purchase Plans
Malaysia’s cabinet has officially cancelled its plan to buy used F/A‑18 Hornets from Kuwait, citing uncertain delivery dates and unresolved long‑term logistical support. Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari said a technical assessment by a Royal Malaysian Air Force delegation in...
Iran Rejects Negotiations With U.S. After U.S.-Israeli Attacks, Friendly Fire Downs Several U.S. F-15s
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council rejected President Trump’s claim that Tehran is open to talks after the U.S.-Israel "Operation Epic Fury" killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and other senior officials. In retaliation, Iran launched ballistic missiles and one‑way drones at...
Dutch MOD Receive First Shipment Hexonia Combat Clothing System
The Dutch Ministry of Defence has taken delivery of the first batch of the Defence Operational Clothing System (DOKS) from German maker Hexonia GmbH. While the new kit replaces legacy uniforms, it retains the Netherlands Fractal Pattern (NFP) camouflage introduced...
Philippines to Send Observers to Thai-Cambodian Border
The Philippines has taken the helm of an ASEAN observer team monitoring the Thailand‑Cambodia border conflict, with General Romeo S. Brawner appointed as chairman. A Philippine Armed Forces delegation visited both nations from February 9‑13, meeting senior defense officials and reaffirming...
Danish Air Force Establishes 729 Squadron for MQ-9B SeaGuardian Drones
Denmark’s Royal Danish Air Force activated 729 Squadron on 16 February to operate four General Atomics MQ‑9B SeaGuardian UAVs. Ordered in 2025 with deliveries beginning in 2028, the drones will be based at Aalborg Air Base and tasked with high‑endurance surveillance...
India Approves a $1.1 Billion Deal with Russia for 288 S-400 Missiles
India’s Defence Acquisition Council has approved a $1.1 billion purchase of 288 Russian S‑400 missiles, comprising 120 short‑range and 168 long‑range interceptors. The order fast‑tracks replenishment after heavy missile expenditure during the 2025 air clash with Pakistan. The missiles will augment...
Slovakia in Talks with U.S. to Expand F-16 Fleet to 18 Aircraft
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to discuss adding four Block 70 F‑16 fighter jets, expanding Slovakia’s fleet to 18 aircraft. The contract, expected to be signed this year, builds on the €1.58 billion deal for...
Blue Water Autonomy Unveils Liberty Class Autonomous Ship for U.S. Navy
Blue Water Autonomy, a Boston‑based tech and shipbuilding firm, announced the Liberty class, a 60‑metre autonomous vessel built on Damen’s Stan Patrol 6009 platform. The ship features the proven Axe Bow hull, can carry over 150 tonnes, and boasts a...
Hanwha Aerospace, Frankenburg to Develop Counter-Drone Systems for Future Armored Vehicles
South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace and Estonia's Frankenburg Technologies signed an MoU to co‑develop counter‑unmanned aerial systems (C‑UAS) for next‑generation armored platforms. The collaboration will integrate Frankenburg's interceptor missiles, launchers and fire‑control software into Hanwha's upcoming armored command vehicle. Hanwha will...
Taiwan’s Air Force Cancels C-130H Upgrade, Will Acquire 10 U.S. C-130J Transport Aircraft
Taiwan’s Air Force has scrapped a multi‑year upgrade of its legacy C‑130H fleet, deeming it too costly, and approved the purchase of ten new Lockheed Martin C‑130J Super Hercules transports from the United States. The decision creates a mixed “high‑low”...
Taiwan Completes Integration Test of Jointly Developed Mighty Hornet IV Drone
Taiwan announced on February 6 that the National Chung‑shan Institute of Science and Technology and Kratos successfully completed a systems integration test of the Mighty Hornet IV drone, a Taiwan‑specific variant of the US‑made Firejet. The test proved the platform can carry a...
CSG and Aselsan Form EU-Based Joint Ventures to Unveil the Korkut Air Defense System
Czech defence group CSG and Turkey’s Aselsan signed a joint venture on 4 February 2026 to produce the Korkut short‑range air‑defence system in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The partnership relocates manufacturing and integration to EU facilities, ensuring compliance with NATO...