DGA and MBDA Ink Deal for One-Way Effector Kamikaze UAV
DGA and MBDA have signed a deal for the development and production of the One-Way Effector turbojet-powered kamikaze UAV as a low-cost saturation weapon.
Defence News
Air
Weapon / Missile
Unmanned Systems
Air
Weapon / Missile
Unmanned Systems
Expo and Air Show
Shield AI and LIG Nex1 Sign Deal to Arm V-BAT VTOL UAV
Shield AI and ROK’s LIG Nex1 signed a deal for the integration of L-MDM lightweight missiles on the V-BAT tail-sitting VTOL UAV during the UMEX 2026 exhibition.
Air
Sensors
RAF Orders More ECRS Mk2 AESA Radars for Eurofighter Upgrade
The UK MoD announced a new order for 40 ECRS Mk2 multifunction AESA radars to upgrade the Royal Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoons, valued at £650 million.
Air
Unmanned Systems
TUSAŞ Expects Initial Order for 50+ ANKA-III UCAVs
TUSAŞ CEO Mehmet Demiroğlu stated that an initial order of more than 50 ANKA-III UCAVs from the Turkish Air Force is expected as the serial production nears.
Navy / Maritime
Weapon / Missile
ASELSAN Develops Upgrades for SMASH Naval RCWS Family
ASELSAN is building the next phase for the SMASH RCWS family with new features including compact turrets for USVs, airburst ammunition, and networked operation.
Navy / Maritime
Weapon / Missile
Greek MEKO-200 Frigates Set to Receive Sovraponte 76 mm Gun
Hellenic Navy’s upgraded Hydra-class (MEKO-200HN) frigates are set to receiveLeonardo’ss Sovraponte 76 mm compact naval gun in place of the aft Phalanx CIWS.
Land
Weapon / Missile
Unirobotics Demonstrates C-UAS Capability on TRAKON LITE
SYS subsidiary Unirobotics tested the TRAKON LITE RCWS fitted with a 7.62 Gatling gun against mini UAV targets by taking advantage of the high fire rate.
Air
Unmanned Systems
KIZILELMA’s First Serial Unit Completes Maiden Flight
Following the testing campaign of 2025 with three prototypes, the first serial unit of Baykar’s KIZILELMA unmanned fighter, S1, completed its maiden flight.
Navy / Maritime
ASFAT readies Pakistan’s 3rd Milgem corvette for delivery
Pakistan MİLGEM’s first Karachi-built corvette PNS BADR began sea acceptance trials on 19 January, as Türkiye’s OPVs AKHİSAR and KOÇHİSAR also sailed.
Air
Logistics
Sensors
Oman fades out, Qatar fades in with 12 more Eurofighters
Türkiye’s Eurofighter Typhoon sourcing plan may shift from Oman to Qatar, as Ankara weighs 12 additional Tranche 3A aircraft to avoid radar modernisation.
Navy / Maritime
Indonesia to Build Two More Balaputradewa-class Frigates
After the launch of KRI Balaputradewa (322), Indonesia acquired licences for the construction of two more Balaputradewa-class (Formerly Merah Putih) frigates.
Navy / Maritime
Unmanned Systems
Expo and Air Show
Qatar's Coast Guard ULAQ USV Makes Debut at DIMDEX 2026
Qatar Emiri Coast Guard’s ULAQ 11 PSV USV fitted with 12.7 mm RCWS made its debut during the DIMDEX 2026 defence exhibition held in Qatar’s capital, Doha.
Navy / Maritime
Sensors
L3Harris to Provide New Towed Sonars for USN Submarines
The US Navy has awarded a contract to L3Harris for the production of TB-29C long-range towed sonar arrays on submarines, an improvement on TB-29A sonars.
Air
GCAP costs triple for Italy; UK, Japan figures unclear
Italy’s GCAP development budget for the first two phases has surged from €6bn to €18.6bn, while comparable cost updates for the UK and Japan remain undisclosed.
Global Defence Trend Brief
- 09:00 US Air Force expands Collaborative Combat Aircraft testing - The US Air Force is increasing flight testing and integration work for Collaborative Combat Aircraft...
- 09:00 European defence spending increasingly targets ammunition resilience - European governments are directing additional defence funding toward ammunition production, stockpil...
- 09:00 China advances military satellite constellation deployment - China continues expanding military satellite constellations designed to enhance communications, navi...
- 09:00 Japan strengthens distributed missile force posture - Japan is expanding deployment of mobile missile units and support infrastructure across remote islan...
- 09:00 Autonomous surface vessels gain importance in fleet operations - Navies are integrating autonomous surface vessels into surveillance, reconnaissance and maritime sec...
- 09:00 Counter-drone procurement shifts toward scalable architectures - Military organisations are increasingly procuring counter-drone systems built around open architectu...
- 09:00 Hypersonic defence programmes focus on persistent target custody - Defence agencies are prioritising sensor networks capable of maintaining continuous tracking of mano...
- 09:00 AI-assisted command systems gain momentum in military planning - Armed forces are accelerating adoption of AI-assisted command-and-control systems designed to improv...
- 09:00 Collaborative autonomy emerges as key defence technology trend - Military planners increasingly view teams of autonomous systems operating cooperatively as a major f...
- 09:00 Production capacity increasingly shapes defence export competitiveness - Countries evaluating defence acquisitions are placing greater weight on supplier production capacity...
