US Air Force Tests Long Endurance ISR UAVs
The US Air Force tested ULTRA UAVs for long-endurance ISR missions. The force might allocate $35 million for four of these systems in the 2025 budget.
USA News
Unmanned Systems
Navy / Maritime
Constellation-class Goes Through FCR Dilemma
NAVSEA and Congressional Research Service disagree over needing a fire control radar (FCR) for future Constellation-class frigates.
Weapon / Missile
Croatia Acquires M142 HIMARS
The State Department approved a possible FMS to Croatia for M142 HIMARS and related equipment and services, estimated to cost $390 million.
Air
E/W
USAF Deploys its First EA-37 Electronic Attack Aircraft
US Air Force’s first EA-37 Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft is deployed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
Weapon / Missile
The Netherlands acquires Patriot Launching Stations
The State Department approved a possible FMS to the Netherlands of PATRIOT M903 Launching Stations for an estimated cost of $224 million.
Weapon / Missile
U.S. Approves RIM-116 FMS to Turkiye
The 94 RIM-116 FMS for around $90 million to Turkiye was announced at the U.S. House of Representatives but not at DSCA.
Air
Royal Thai Air Force Picks Gripen NG Over F-16 Block 70
After evaluating alternatives for ten months, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has selected Saab's Gripen NG (E/F) Over Lockheed Martin's F-16 Block 70.
Navy / Maritime
Air
Italy Declares IOC for F-35B STOVL Fighters
Italian Navy Chief Admiral Enrico Credendino has stated that the F-35Bs of the carrier ITS Cavour (C550) have reached IOC.
Weapon / Missile
The U.S. Denies Norway PrSM Missiles
Norway wasn't allowed to acquire the U.S.'s new PrSM short-range ballistic missile for HIMARS and M270 MLRS to succeed ATACMS missiles.
Weapon / Missile
Norway Set to Acquire AMRAAM-ER Missiles
The U.S. has approved the sale of AMRAAM-ER missiles to Norway as a range upgrade for the NASAMS air defence system.
Ammunition
Denmark Acquires M982A1Excalibur Tactical Projectiles
The US State Department has approved a probable foreign military sale (FMS) of Excalibur Projectiles to Denmark for a cost of $121 million.
Air
USAF Might Steer Towards an Adaptable Light Fighter
Following the uncertainties in the NGAD programme, officials have proposed a new generation of adaptable light fighters.
Weapon / Missile
Denmark and Finland Acquire 155 mm Precision Kits
Denmark and Finland received U.S. approval to acquire 155 mm M1156 Precision Guidance Kits (PGK). Total sales reached $182 million.
Unmanned Systems
Italy Acquires Six MQ-9 Block 5 UAS
The State Department approved a possible FMS to Italy of MQ-9 Block 5 Aircraft and related equipment for an estimated cost of $738 million.
Global Defence Trend Brief
- 12:00 Italy gives conditional approval to Leonardo-Baykar drone venture - Reuters reported that Italy has conditionally approved the Leonardo-Baykar joint venture to produce...
- 12:00 USNI analyses Türkiye’s growing defence-industrial ambition - The U.S. Naval Institute’s USNI News published a field report and analysis on Türkiye’s expanding de...
- 12:00 Reuters tracks Türkiye’s push to double defence exports - Reuters reported that Turkish officials want to double defence exports within two years after total...
- 12:00 Breaking Defense spotlights Turkish one-way attack systems at SAHA 2026 - Breaking Defense reported that Turkish companies used SAHA 2026 to unveil multiple one-way attack sy...
- 12:00 Defense News highlights ASELSAN’s autonomous warfare concept - Defense News reported that ASELSAN used SAHA 2026 to present a future warfare vision centred on auto...
- 12:00 Le Monde examines Türkiye’s expanding defence footprint in Mali - Le Monde reported that Türkiye has become an increasingly important security partner for Mali throug...
- 12:00 French strategic study identifies Türkiye as a rising European supplier - The Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique assessed Türkiye as one of the most notable new entrants...
- 12:00 Middle East Forum analyses Baykar’s expansion into Europe - A Middle East Forum analysis argued that Baykar’s growing presence in Europe shows how production ca...
- 12:00 Jerusalem Post highlights Baykar’s export-heavy revenue model - The Jerusalem Post reported that Baykar generated roughly $1.8 billion in drone exports in 2024 and...
- 12:00 Foreign defence coverage keeps focus on KAAN prototype timeline - International defence reporting circulated this month continued to highlight Turkish Aerospace’s tar...
- 09:00 NATO pushes higher air and missile defence capacity targets - NATO members are under growing pressure to expand air and missile defence inventories, command netwo...
- 09:00 US Army deepens integrated air defence networking efforts - The US Army continues integrating radars, launchers and command systems into common battle networks...
- 09:00 Europe expands ammunition and missile production capacity - European governments are increasingly funding new ammunition and missile production lines to rebuild...
- 09:00 China strengthens multi-domain reconnaissance architecture - China is continuing to link satellites, drones, maritime patrol assets and ground-based sensors into...
- 09:00 Japan accelerates hardening and dispersal of military infrastructure - Japan is investing in hardened facilities, dispersed ammunition storage and rapid reinforcement logi...
- 09:00 Counter-drone procurement shifts toward affordable layered defence - Military organisations are increasingly prioritising combinations of jamming, interceptor drones, gu...
- 09:00 Autonomous underwater vehicles gain prominence in seabed security - Navies are expanding the use of autonomous underwater vehicles for surveillance, mine countermeasure...
- 09:00 Hypersonic defence drives demand for persistent tracking networks - Defence agencies are accelerating work on layered radar and satellite tracking architectures designe...
- 09:00 Military space resilience shifts toward proliferated constellations - Armed forces are increasingly favouring larger constellations of smaller satellites rather than a fe...
- 09:00 Industrial surge capacity becomes a core defence benchmark - Governments are placing greater emphasis on production scalability, secure supply chains and the abi...
