SpaceRISE, a consortium comprising Eutelsat, Hispasat and SES, has secured a concession contract offer on the European Union’s multi-orbit satellite connectivity system. The European Commission said the consortium’s contract tasks for the EU’s Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite, or IRIS², will tap the services of a core team of subcontractors composed of Thales...
Category: National Security
Israeli Company Rafael to Equip Germany’s Leopard 2 Tanks With TROPHY Active Protection System
Israeli defense technology company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems will provide its TROPHY active protection system to Germany for installation on its fleet of Leopard 2 tanks historically manufactured by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. On Wednesday, the two countries’ defense ministries inaugurated the first of the tanks to be equipped with the APS. The installation, part of an...
Australia Taps Thales as Strategic Partner for Ammunition Production
The Australian government has selected Thales Australia as one of its strategic partners under the newly published Australian Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Plan. As a key collaborator, the company will help boost the country’s defense capabilities, particularly in enhancing Defence Australia’s GWEO stockpile, strengthening domestic munition manufacturing and supply chain, and speeding up the...
Nokia to Spearhead Efforts to Explore Possible 6G Use Cases
The European Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking has tapped Finnish telecommunications solutions provider Nokia to lead the SUSTAIN-6G lighthouse project, a European Commission-funded initiative to identify ways 6G could provide a better future. Under the deal, the Espoo, Finland-based firm will lead a group of innovators to explore potential uses of the next-generation telecom...
UK Increases Defense Budget to $3.7B to Continue Support for Ukraine, Meet NATO Commitments
Rachel Reeves, the United Kingdom’s chief financial minister, has announced a $3.7 billion increase to the U.K. Ministry of Defence’s budget in 2025, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday. Reeves told lawmakers in a parliamentary speech that the budget increase would ensure that the U.K. provides Ukraine with military support “for as long as it takes.” The...
Italy Eyes Fincantieri Blueprint for Drone-Armed Fleet
The Italian Navy has assigned its mainstay shipbuilder Fincantieri to design warships that can adapt to deploy airborne, surface and undersea drones. “It means looking at how best to handle storage, maintenance and loading ammunition,” Capt. Gianluca Marcilli, head of technology innovation within the Navy General Staff’s General Space and Innovation Office, told Defense News....
Joint US-South Korea Science and Technology Partnership to Help AUKUS Pillar 2
South Korea and the United States are forming a new vice-minister-level joint defense science and technology executive committee to advance emerging technologies and prepare the East Asian nation for participation in Pillar 2 of the AUKUS trilateral security partnership. South Korean Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun announced the proposed committee while he was in...
Lockheed Books $113M Anti-Ship Missile Defense System Deal
Lockheed Martin has announced a contract modification worth $113 million from the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command for the full-rate production of anti-ship missile defense systems, including a first delivery to Japan. The Japanese procurement is a U.S. foreign military sales deal combined with Lockheed deliveries to the U.S. Navy under the service branch’s Surface...
Australia Taps Thales, Lockheed Martin to Enhance Local Defense Manufacturing Capabilities
The Australian government is collaborating with Thales and Lockheed Martin to boost domestic defense solutions manufacturing. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Defence announced that the Albanese government has tapped Thales to build, establish and commission a 155-millimeter M795 artillery ammunition facility in the country. The factory, to be built at the Benalla Munitions Facility, is...
Saab to Support British Army’s Oman Training Operations
The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense and Saab have signed a contract modification worth $26 million to support the British Army’s training operations in Oman. The new agreement expands on a $72 million instrumented live training contract signed in April. The three-year contract seeks to provide the army with live simulation systems support across its...