The United Kingdom’s new government led by the Labour Party has launched a Strategic Defence Review to identify the resources and capabilities needed to boost all British military domains in response to existing international threats, including the Russian military aggression against Ukraine and Chinese activities in the Indo-Pacific region. The review was announced after the...
Category: National Security
Australia Selects Quantum-Systems, Sypaq to Provide New Drones to ADF
The Australian Defence Force will see its drone assets expand with the Albanese government’s procurement of new lethal and nonlethal small uncrewed aerial systems worth over $67.79 million from Quantum-Systems and Sypaq Systems. Quantum-Systems was awarded two contracts to deliver Vector fixed-wing electric vertical takeoff and landing drones and provide training, maintenance, engineering, supply and...
Helsing Poised to Boost AI Defense R&D With $490M New Funding
Helsing, a Munich-based defense company focused on creating artificial intelligence-based military solutions and components, has secured over $490 million from a Series C financing round it initiated to raise funds for product research and development. U.S.-based venture capital firm General Catalyst led the funding round, with Elad Gil, Accel, Saab, Lightspeed, Plural and Greenoaks as...
Lockheed Awarded $300M Navy Contract Modification to Support Australia Surface Combatant Program
Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Lockheed Martin’s rotary and mission systems business a contract modification worth $300.94 million to provide software engineering and on-site support for the Australia Surface Combatant program. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey, and Adelaide, Australia, through September 2031. The ASC initiative involves the modernization of three Hobart-class...
NATO Members Pledge Commitment to Stronger Defense Industry Capability; Jens Stoltenberg Quoted
Leaders of NATO member states have expressed their commitment to an initiative that will improve defense industrial capacity and production among affiliated nations. At the Washington Summit on Wednesday, senior government officials signed the NATO Industrial Capacity Expansion pledge, ensuring that the alliance possesses technologies to defend members from adversaries. Outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens...
Leonardo to Support Ammunition Production for Italian Armed Forces
The Defence Industries Agency, a component of the Italian Ministry of Defence that supplies military equipment to the Italian Armed Forces, has partnered with Leonardo to develop conventional 155 mm artillery ammunition over 18 months. Leonardo said the collaboration, with options to extend further, aims to improve the operational capabilities of the Italian Armed Forces...
US Forms ICE Pact With Canada, Finland on Polar Icebreaker Production
The United States, Canada and Finland have announced a new partnership focused on producing polar icebreakers and workforce development in the shipbuilding industry. The Icebreaker Collaboration Effort Pact, unveiled on the sidelines of a three-day NATO summit in Washington D.C., comes as the U.S. Coast Guard builds new heavy icebreakers to ensure access to the...
Germany Gets Additional Patriot Missiles Under $1.2B Contract From Raytheon
Germany has placed a new $1.2 billion order with Raytheon for additional Patriot air and missile defense systems, including Configuration 3+ command and control stations, launchers, radars, associated spares and support. In a press release on Thursday, Tom Laliberty, president of land and air defense systems at Raytheon, said several nations depend on the Patriot...
Northrop Grumman, Mitsubishi Electric Extend Collaboration With Mission Solutions MOU; Kenn Todorov Quoted
Northrop Grumman and Mitsubishi Electric are planning to jointly pursue industrial co-production opportunities for various strategic mission solutions in the United States and Japan. The cooperation, provided in a memorandum of understanding that Northrop announced on Wednesday, extends to partnership in logistics and sustainment of key military capabilities such as electronic warfare, radar, underwater sensors and...
Saudi Arabia to Expand MRTT Fleet With New Airbus Order
Airbus has received an order from Saudi Arabia for four additional A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft. According to Jean-Brice Dumont, head of air power at Airbus Defence and Space, the new contract is the third the country has awarded on A330 MRTT units for the Royal Saudi Arabia Air Force, which is now set...