The United States has signed an agreement to provide Poland with a $2 billion loan to support the European country’s defense modernization program. The deal will bolster the defense and deterrence of NATO’s eastern flank, the Department of State said on Monday. The Foreign Military Financing direct loan will fund Warsaw’s efforts to beef up...
Category: Technology
AWS to Deliver Secure Cloud Platform for Australian Defense Community; Dave Levy Quoted
Amazon Web Services is extending its expertise to the Australian government as it rolls out a more secure communications network for the nation’s defense community. On Thursday, Canberra announced that the Australian Signals Directorate has signed a strategic partnership with AWS to deliver a Top Secret Cloud platform. Under the pact, AWS will provide a...
Airbus Lands $2.3B Deal to Build Germany’s Next-Generation Military Satcom
Airbus has received a $2.3 billion contract to supply the German Armed Forces with geostationary military communications satellites. The agreement requires developing and deploying two communications spacecraft to replace Germany’s existing telecommunications satellites, COMSATBw 1B and 2B. Airbus said it is expected to deliver the hardware before the decade ends. The European aerospace giant will...
BAE Systems Forms New Space Leadership Business Unit With Doug Liddle as Head
BAE Systems has established a new business unit to grow its space capabilities. This unit arose from acquiring U.K. satellite company In-Space Missions in 2021, which was integrated into the company’s Digital Intelligence unit. Doug Liddle, co-founder of In-Space Missions, will head the new business unit, which will handle BAE Systems’ Azalea satellite program focused...
BAE Books $76M Deal to Upgrade Sting Ray Mod 1 Torpedo for UK MoD
BAE Systems has secured a $76 million contract to develop a Sting Ray Mod 2 lightweight torpedo design for the U.K. Ministry of Defence. In a notice, the ministry said the agreement supports a four-year evaluation effort to update the Sting Ray Mod 1 torpedo system that the British military currently uses. The latest defense...
Taiwan to Acquire AeroVironment Switchblade 300 Loitering Munition From US
The United States has approved Taiwan’s request to purchase loitering munition systems. The proposed foreign military sale, estimated to be worth $60.2 million, will supply Taipei with AeroVironment’s Switchblade 300 advanced weapon system to strengthen the East Asian nation’s capability to defend itself against regional threats. The Switchblade 300 can be transported in a backpack...
European USV Minesweeping Project Enters Third Phase, Targets 2026 Demo in Norway
Work has started on the European Defence Agency’s Modular Lightweight Minesweeping Next Generation project’s third phase to further advance the technology readiness level of systems under development and demonstrate their use in an operational environment. The project seeks to develop and deploy smaller unmanned surface vehicles as lightweight minesweepers operating in a formation or as a...
Airbus Working to Acquire Specific Spirit AeroSystems’ Aircraft Parts Production Activities
Airbus has announced an agreement with Spirit AeroSystems to acquire some of the latter’s operations, particularly the manufacture of key aircraft components. The “definitive agreement” could lead to the purchase of Spirit’s specific activities, including the production sites for A350 fuselage sections and A220 pylons in the United States, Airbus said. The ongoing transaction would also...
GA-ASI to Provide MQ-9B SkyGuardian Logistics, Sustainment Support to Belgium’s Air Force
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. will provide logistics and sustainment services to the Belgian Air Force. The U.S. Air Force awarded the California-based company with a $48.54 million undefinitized contract action to support Belgium’s fleet of MQ-9B SkyGuardian. Under the deal, GA-ASI will provide depot repair, engineering, software and field team support from its facilities...
Spain, Luxembourg Join NATO Project to Provide Alliance With Satcom Support
Spain and Luxembourg will join the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Italy in a collaborative effort to provide NATO with satellite communications services. Starting in 2025, Madrid and Luxembourg will start working on the NATO Satcom Services 6th Generation project, a $1.07 billion program designed to meet the alliance’s military satcom requirements through...