The United States has formalized an agreement with the Netherlands to procure the latest version of Lockheed Martin’s Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range for the Dutch military forces. According to Lockheed, the missile, developed in partnership with the U.S. Air Force, provides continued significant long-range precision engagement capabilities for air-to-ground missions. The weapon can...
Category: Technology
Israeli Ministry of Defense Awards Elbit Systems $190M Contract to Acquire Laser-Guided Iron Sting Mortar System
Elbit Systems has secured a $190 million contract to deliver its Iron Sting mortar munition to Israel. The agreement with the Israeli Ministry of Defense requires the Haifa-based defense contractor to complete the weapons delivery over the next two years. Elbit Systems Land General Manager Yehuda Vered said Iron Sting meets the international armed forces’...
Korean Aerospace Company Becomes Major Shareholder in Ghost Robotics; Gavin Kenneally Quoted
LIG Nex1, a South Korean defense technology company, has acquired a 60 percent control stake in Philadelphia-based Ghost Robotics for $240 million. The acquisition is expected to advance the development and fielding of autonomous robotic platforms, including Ghost Robotics’ Vision 60 ground drone. Ghost Robotics will use LIG Nex1’s defense sector expertise and manufacturing capabilities...
Fluor, RoPower Nuclear Partner for Phase 2 of Romanian Small Modular Reactor Facility
Fluor is collaborating with RoPower Nuclear for Phase 2 of the front-end engineering and design work at a small modular reactor facility in Doicesti, Romania. The partnership will focus on customizing a six-reactor SMR power plant with NuScale technology, which, according to European codes and standards, could produce up to 462 megawatts. The two companies...
US Seeks to Modernize Alliance Command and Control in Japan; Lloyd Austin Quoted
The United States plans to convert U.S. Forces Japan into a joint force headquarters and expand U.S.-Japan missile co-production. The planned conversion was announced following the conclusion of the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee’s ministerial conference in Tokyo on Sunday. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a Wash100 awardee, described updating the alliance command and control as...
NATO Awards Contracts on Platform Concept Studies for Next-Generation Helicopters; Stacy Cummings Quoted
The NATO Support and Procurement Agency has awarded separate contracts to three teams led by Airbus Helicopters, Lockheed Martin Sikorsky and Leonardo to undertake a concept study on the design and execution of the Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability program. NGRC is geared to replace the military alliance’s helicopters by the mid-2030s. NSPA said in a...
Report: US Must Prioritize FMS From NATO Members to Secure Regional Security
A report by RAND suggested that the United States adopt a framework systematically prioritizing NATO members’ foreign military sale cases to align with defense security goals in Europe. Apart from taking on the proposed framework, the report made additional recommendations to the United States Army Europe and Africa to improve regional security, including: Ensuring USAREUR-AF...
US Approves Possible Foreign Military Sale of Small Diameter Bomb-Increment II to Belgium
The U.S. Department of State has approved the Belgian government’s $115 million Foreign Military Sale request to procure Small Diameter Bomb-Increment II missiles and related logistics and program support services. Belgium, a NATO ally, asked to buy 196 Guided Bomb Unit-53/B SDB-II all-up-rounds, SDB-II weapons load crew trainers, spare and repair parts, and unclassified software...
FDH Aero Joins South Korea in Space Exploration Efforts; Cody Ho Quoted
Commerce, California-based FDH Aero said it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the city of Sacheon in South Korea to jointly support the country’s space exploration goals established under the Korea AeroSpace Administration. Launched in May, the Sacheon-based KASA aims to accomplish moon and Mars landings in the next two decades and develop...
Cybersecurity Advisory Warns of North Korean Espionage Campaign
The United States, the United Kingdom, and South Korea have issued a joint cybersecurity advisory to warn against a North Korean cyber espionage campaign. According to the advisory, hacker groups known as Andariel, Onyx Sleet, DarkSeoul, Silent Chollima, and Stonefly/Clasiopa operate under Pyongyang’s intelligence agency, the Reconnaissance General Bureau. The threat actors primarily target defense,...