Defense Industry News

Ten-Year F-35 Framework The U.S. Department of War and Lockheed Martin finalized a 10-year framework agreement on Oct. 22, 2026, covering at least 850 F-35 Lightning II fighters for the U.S. military. The plan spans production Lots 21 through 30 and includes initial spare parts, modification kits, and sustainment of the global F-35 fleet. Lockheed Martin will self-fund at least $7 billion in initiatives supporting the program. Execution remains subject to congressional authorization and appropri

Pentagon Orders 6,000 Striker Drones The U.S. Department of Defense awarded XTEND AI Robotics a $40.5 million order for 6,000 Striker attack-drone systems on October 13, 2026. The procurement follows competitive Gauntlet II evaluations at Fort Carson, Colorado, and supports the Pentagon’s $1.1 billion Drone Dominance Program. The order averages $6,750 per system, although included equipment and support may differ from other awards. XTEND CEO Aviv Shapira said the order reflects the company’s abi

First Carrier Group Deployment The U.S. Navy has deployed an ocean-going autonomous vessel with an aircraft carrier strike group for the first time. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao confirmed on October 14, 2026, that the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group left San Diego with Leidos’ Seahawk medium unmanned surface vessel. The carrier departed September 27 under Rear Adm. Marcos Jasso, bound for the Western Pacific before a planned Middle East deployment. The Theodore Roosevelt, cruiser U

NAVAIR Begins B-52 LRASM Integration Effort Naval Air Systems Command published a presolicitation notice on October 7, 2026, for integration and test support intended to bring the AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile to the B-52H Stratofortress. NAVAIR plans to negotiate a sole-source, Cost Plus Fixed Fee delivery order with Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control under an existing Basic Ordering Agreement. Proposed work includes missile software updates, testing, test-asset repairs and failu

F-35 Components Diverted to Hong Kong The Pentagon is investigating how components from an Australian-operated F-35 fighter jet were unexpectedly diverted to Hong Kong while being shipped to the United States. The F-35 Joint Program Office confirmed a “shipment issue” involving unserviceable parts and said it is working with U.S. authorities and industry partners to recover them. “We are actively working with U.S. authorities and industry partners to retrieve these components, investigate the in

Whiteman Adds B-21 Weapons Facility The United States is building a weapons and release-system facility at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to support the arrival of the B-21 Raider while maintaining B-2 Spirit operations. Air Force documentation states that Whiteman lacks sufficient space for the munitions-related parts and equipment expected with the B-21. The new facility will store and test armament-system accessories while freeing existing space for B-2 support during the transition betw

US Approves Potential $24.3 Billion Saudi F-35 Sale The US State Department on September 17, 2026, approved the possible sale of up to 48 F-35A stealth fighters to Saudi Arabia through the Foreign Military Sales process. The package, valued at up to $24.3 billion, includes 49 Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engines, with 48 installed and one supplied as a complete spare. It also covers training, support equipment, software, spare parts, modifications, and logistics needed to establish the Royal

Navy Awards Initial Production Contract The U.S. Navy awarded Boeing a $562 million fixed-price incentive contract for the first low-rate initial production lot of MQ-25A Stingray carrier-based unmanned aircraft. The contract funds three Lot 1 aircraft and advance acquisition of long-lead components for three additional MQ-25As under Lot 2. Initial Lot 1 deliveries are expected to begin in 2029. The award follows approval in May 2026 for the MQ-25A program to enter the production and deployment

Navy Places Blackbeard Production Order The U.S. Navy has awarded Castelion a Small Business Innovation Research Phase III production delivery order valued at up to $200 million for the Blackbeard hypersonic missile. Under the order, Castelion will manufacture, assemble, test, and deliver an initial lot of Blackbeard Hypersonic Weapon All-Up Rounds for naval aviation. The Navy and company releases did not specify the number of production rounds, delivery schedule, or unit price. The production w

Air Force Sets 2032 Deployment Target The U.S. Air Force plans to field at least 500 semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft by 2032, pairing lower-cost uncrewed jets with conventional fighters. The service’s longer-term objective is to acquire roughly 1,000 combat-ready aircraft under the program. The first production designs are the General Atomics FQ-42 Vengeance and Anduril Industries FQ-44 Fury. Both were selected for Increment I of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, and an in

Canada Launches Drone Procurement Marketplace Canada announced a national digital marketplace intended to accelerate procurement of uncrewed and counter-uncrewed systems for the Canadian Armed Forces and Canadian Coast Guard. The Defence Drone Initiative Marketplace Supply Arrangement will connect military and government operators with nearly 400 approved Canadian suppliers. Allies and partner countries will also receive access. The system is modeled on Ukraine’s Brave1 defense technology platfo

KONGSBERG Selects MESA Radar for Counter-UAS Systems KONGSBERG has selected Echodyne’s MESA radar platform for air and surface applications, including integration with its PROTECTOR RS4 and RS6 remote weapon stations. The initial integrations are intended to provide radar tracking data for counter-unmanned aircraft system operations. According to Echodyne’s Sept. 9, 2026, announcement, the solid-state radar can be installed on static, crewed and uncrewed platforms. The companies did not disclose

Utah Facility Expands B-21 Production Northrop Grumman opened its East Gate 3 manufacturing facility in Layton, Utah, on September 9, 2026, expanding production infrastructure for the U.S. Air Force’s B-21 Raider stealth bomber. Per an Army Recognition report. The East Gate campus will total 845,000 square feet and is intended to support simultaneous low-rate initial production and flight testing. It will manufacture key B-21 components and support up to 1,500 engineering and manufacturing posit

GA-ASI Unveils Wildfire Uncrewed Aircraft General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) unveiled Wildfire, a medium-altitude, long-endurance uncrewed aircraft intended for military, civil, and commercial missions. The company described the clean-sheet design as a lower-cost, attrition-tolerant platform that can be produced and deployed in greater numbers than its existing large UAS. Wildfire is focused primarily on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, strike and related missions.

Navy Selects VAMPIRE for Littoral Defense The U.S. Navy has selected L3Harris Technologies to deliver VAMPIRE counter-unmanned systems for its integrated C-UxS defense architecture, the company announced Sept. 8, 2026. The system is intended to counter unmanned aerial systems, remotely piloted platforms and potentially other small threats in littoral environments. L3Harris is ruggedizing the Navy configuration against maritime stresses including humidity, salt exposure and vibration. The company

Ukraine Plans Contracts for About 1,000 Patriot Missiles Ukraine is preparing contracts for roughly 1,000 Patriot air-defense missiles with partner support and financing from an EU loan, Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara said at the 36th Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting on Sept. 8, 2026. Khmara cautioned that the contracted missiles will take time to arrive. Ukraine is therefore asking partners to transfer interceptors from existing stockpiles before winter, with those stocks later replenished

Army Awards K9MH Prototype Contract The U.S. Army awarded Hanwha Defense USA a $100.3 million contract on August 18, 2026, to deliver six K9 Mobile Howitzer prototypes for the Mobile Tactical Cannon program. The agreement includes options for 12 additional systems and has a total ceiling of $262.9 million. The award begins a four-year period of rapid prototyping, operational testing and soldier experimentation. It is not a final selection or serial-production order. The Army will evaluate firing

Ukraine opens TrophyLab weapons database Ukraine has launched TrophyLab, a database containing what Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov described as “deep technical data” on captured Russian weapons for use by partner countries and defense organizations. Fedorov announced the platform on June 19, saying it gives global partners access to technology recovered from the battlefield. “Every missile, drone, and vehicle seized on the battlefield is now a source of knowledge for the free world,” he wrote

New 6x6 direct-fire vehicle unveiled French vehicle maker Arquus has unveiled Fenris, a new 6x6 armored vehicle designed to carry a 105mm gun. The vehicle was presented at the Eurosatory defense exhibition by Arquus and its owner, Belgium’s John Cockerill Group. Company officials said Fenris was developed in response to battlefield lessons from the war in Ukraine, particularly the continued need for direct fire support on a modern battlefield. The vehicle weighs 26 tonnes and is intended to fill

Pentagon names five winners in Drone Dominance lethality challenge The Department of Defense has selected Bravo Ordnance, Kela Defense, Kraken Kinetics, Mountain Horse, and Northrop Grumman as winners of its Drone Dominance “Lethality Prize Challenge,” a competition intended to identify weapon payloads for Group 1 unmanned aircraft systems weighing 20 pounds or less. The award, posted on the competition website, may give the five companies an advantage as the Pentagon moves to equip large number

Army Issues Cost-Capped Interceptor Request The U.S. Army is seeking a new low-cost interceptor missile designed to counter drones, cruise missiles, aircraft, and short-range ballistic threats without relying heavily on more expensive Patriot rounds. A request for information published May 15 by the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office at Redstone Arsenal describes the effort as MOSAIC-26-03. The Army wants complete interceptor rounds priced below $1 million each and has set a $25

Army Evaluates Drone for Casualty Evacuation The U.S. Army has tested an unmanned aircraft designed to transport wounded troops, expanding a drone portfolio that already includes systems used for reconnaissance, strike missions, and delivery of medical supplies to frontline forces. The demonstration centered on Flowcopter’s FC-100, a heavy-lift drone capable of carrying up to 1,400 pounds. During the trial, operators strapped a test dummy onto the aircraft and prepared it for flight in front of

Marines Seen Training With Rifle-Mounted Counter-Drone Optics Recent U.S. military photos show Marines assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit training with smart scopes designed to engage small drones. The images, published April 4 on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, show Marines aboard a ship in the Pacific using the optics on M4 carbines while preparing for operations linked to the Middle East. The 11th MEU, a roughly 2,500-Marine force, embarked with the Boxer Amph

Partnership announced in Taiwan Shield AI and Thunder Tiger Corp. announced a memorandum of understanding on May 12, 2026, to integrate Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software into Thunder Tiger’s unmanned systems portfolio in Taiwan, starting with unmanned surface vessels. The companies said the first milestone will place Hivemind as the AI pilot on a Thunder Tiger USV, with a live demonstration planned for this summer. The event is intended to show how autonomous maritime systems can navigate,