Daily briefing
September 25, 2026
Executive summary
Air, naval, and institutional activity dominated today's feed, with a pronounced cross-domain thread running through counter-drone and directed-energy cost-exchange. The single clearest milestone was the U.S. Air Force's acceptance of its first two Collaborative Combat Aircraft, Anduril's YFQ-44A Fury and General Atomics' YFQ-42A Vengeance, at Creech Air Force Base, formally opening the crewed-uncrewed teaming era alongside the F-35 and future F-47. Electronic-warfare recapitalization surged in parallel, with L3Harris winning an $876.4 million Next Generation Jammer Low Band modification for Navy and Royal Australian Air Force EA-18G Growlers and Northrop Grumman's F-16 IVEWS suite crossing $1.92 billion. On the institutional front, France announced the deployment of troops, radars, and air-defense equipment to protect Saudi Arabia's Yanbu energy complex, while HMS Agamemnon began sea trials and the W93/Mk7 warhead entered engineering, signaling sustained undersea-deterrent momentum on both sides of the Atlantic. Decision-makers should track the December high-energy laser shoot-off at Dugway Proving Ground, where up to $200 million is at stake, alongside Anduril's expanding footprint across CCA, Barracuda, and Pulsar-L, and the growing use of Ukraine-derived battlefield data to train autonomous systems. NATO's move to fold space into its Defense Planning Process rounds out a day defined by mass, autonomy, and the economics of the counter-drone fight.
◆ Articles covered
- AirNaval NewsAustralian Tritons and Peregrines achieve operational milestones
The Royal Australian Air Force has declared initial operational capability for its MQ-4C Triton remotely piloted aircraft and MC-55A Peregrine intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and electronic-warfare fleet. Triton provides high-altitude, long-endurance maritime surveillance for Number 9 Squadron, while the Gulfstream-based Peregrine gives Number 10 Squadron an airborne signals and electronic-intelligence platform. IOC means both capabilities can now support assigned missions with trained personnel and sustainment in place, although further aircraft deliveries, testing, and operational integration will continue across Australia before the fleets reach full operational capability.
- LandNaval NewsKNDS delivers first R3-standard Jaguar armoured vehicles to French Army, adding full combat capability under SCORPION programme
KNDS France has begun delivering EBRC Jaguar reconnaissance and combat vehicles in the R3 standard, the configuration intended to provide the platform's full planned combat capability. By September 18, nearly 25 vehicles had either been delivered in the new standard or upgraded from earlier configurations, giving French Army units improved system maturity and mission functionality. The milestone advances the SCORPION modernization program, under which Jaguar combines reconnaissance sensors, networked command systems, a 40 mm cannon, anti-tank missiles, and a remote weapon station in a highly mobile wheeled vehicle.
- IndustryThe War ZoneLatvia To Order Anduril's Barracuda Cruise Missile For Long-Range Strike Capability
Latvia is moving toward acquiring Anduril Industries' Barracuda autonomous air vehicles after President Edgars Rinkevics visited the company and highlighted cooperation agreements involving Latvia's Defence Ministry and Origin Robotics. The prospective purchase would add a rapidly producible, software-defined strike system to Latvia's growing long-range fires portfolio, although the variant, quantity, contract value, and delivery schedule have not been announced. The initiative remains an acquisition plan rather than a completed order and follows Riga's wider effort to expand precision-strike capacity alongside its incoming HIMARS and ATACMS capabilities.
- NavalDefence Industry EuropeU.S. Navy says W93 Mk7 enters engineering phase, advancing first new nuclear warhead and reentry program in nearly four decades
The U.S. Navy's W93 nuclear warhead and Mk7 reentry body have entered engineering development, advancing the first new American naval warhead-and-reentry program in roughly four decades. Designed for submarine-launched ballistic missiles, the system is intended to strengthen the sea-based deterrent and is planned to begin entering service in the mid-2030s aboard the Columbia-class fleet. Los Alamos National Laboratory is leading warhead design using previously tested nuclear components, while the Mk7 program will also provide selected non-nuclear technologies relevant to Britain's separate Astraea warhead development effort.
- InstitutionalThe New York TimesFrance to Send Soldiers to Saudi Arabia to Help Secure Energy Sites
France will deploy soldiers, radars, and air-defense equipment to help protect Saudi Arabia's critical energy infrastructure at Yanbu on the Red Sea under an agreement announced by President Emmanuel Macron. Macron said the French contingent is intended to defend the site rather than enter the regional conflict, while leaving open the possibility of further assistance. The deployment follows repeated Houthi attacks on Saudi territory, including a Saudi-led coalition report that six ballistic missiles aimed at Yanbu and Taif had recently been intercepted by regional defenses.
- IndustryDefence BlogNorthrop's F-16 jammer deal tops $1.9 billion
The U.S. Air Force added $87.4 million to Northrop Grumman's AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite contract, raising its total value to about $1.92 billion. The modification supports low-rate initial production and work at Rolling Meadows, Illinois, through December 2029, with $79.4 million obligated at award from research and procurement accounts. IVEWS is an internally mounted F-16 system that combines radar warning, geolocation, and electronic attack across a wide frequency range, avoiding the aerodynamic and station penalties of an external jamming pod during combat missions.
- NavalDefense DailyFincantieri Delivers 5th PPA 'Domenico Millelire' to Italian Navy
Fincantieri delivered the Italian Navy's fifth Thaon di Revel-class multipurpose offshore patrol vessel, Domenico Millelire, at its Muggiano shipyard in La Spezia on September 24. Managed through OCCAR, the program is renewing Italy's surface fleet with ships that can shift between patrol, rescue, civil-protection, and combat missions through configurable equipment. The 143-meter vessel can exceed 31 knots, accommodates up to 171 personnel, uses combined diesel, gas-turbine, and electric propulsion, and carries rigid-hull inflatable boats for boarding, rescue, and logistical support operations at sea and ashore.
- LandNaval NewsRomania gets its first South Korean K9 howitzers
Romania has received its first South Korean-built K9 self-propelled howitzers, K10 ammunition resupply vehicles, and K12 recovery vehicles under a nearly $1 billion agreement with Hanwha Aerospace. The 2024 contract covers 54 K9s, 36 K10s, ammunition, support, and about 18,000 rounds, with the first 18 howitzers and 12 resupply vehicles produced in South Korea. Subsequent production will shift largely to a new Romanian facility at Petresti, supporting Bucharest's goal of obtaining most program value from domestic manufacturing, maintenance, technical training, workforce development, and supply-chain participation.
- NavalDefence Industry EuropeU.S. Navy Establishes RASWDC To Accelerate Unmanned Systems Integration
The U.S. Navy has established the Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia. The organization will concentrate command responsibility for developing concepts, training, command-and-control practices, and operational integration for uncrewed maritime systems, replacing a more dispersed development structure. Its phased implementation is intended to align experimentation with fleet requirements and accelerate the transition of autonomous surface and undersea capabilities from prototypes into deployable forces that can operate safely and effectively alongside crewed ships in combat worldwide.
- Navalasianmilitaryreview.comJapan launches its first high-speed landing craft
Japan Marine United launched Akane, Japan's first new high-speed landing craft, at its Yokohama shipyard on September 17. The 35-meter, 150-ton aluminum vessel uses BMT's Caimen tri-bow hull form and bow and stern ramps to move personnel, vehicles, and supplies rapidly between islands and austere shore sites. Akane is the first of four craft ordered for Japan's Maritime Transport Group, with outfitting and sea trials to continue before planned delivery in March 2027 and eventual operation from Amami Oshima for regional island support in southwestern Japan.
- Landasianmilitaryreview.comZelenskyy says Trump approved Patriot production licenses for Ukraine as Kyiv confronts interceptor shortages and escalating Russian strikes
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said U.S. President Donald Trump approved licenses that would allow Patriot air-defense systems and interceptors to be produced in Ukraine. Zelenskyy described the decision as final after talks in New York, but detailed industrial agreements with Lockheed Martin and RTX still have to be negotiated, and the companies or U.S. government had not publicly confirmed a production contract. Kyiv says its available interceptor supply meets only a fraction of current demand, while establishing licensed manufacturing would take more than two years.
- AirDefence Industry EuropeCanada moves closer to acquiring six Saab GlobalEye aircraft for Arctic surveillance and NORAD continental defence missions
Canada has signed a non-binding term sheet with Saab covering negotiations for six GlobalEye airborne early warning and control aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force. The agreement defines the scope for detailed talks but is not a purchase contract, so price, delivery dates, and final industrial commitments remain unresolved. Based on the Canadian-built Bombardier Global 6500 and Saab's Erieye ER radar, GlobalEye offers more than 12 hours of endurance and would support Arctic surveillance, NORAD warning, and command-and-control missions over Canada's vast northern approaches.
- DronesDefence Industry EuropeMarines Rushing To Equip Amphibious Combat Vehicles With New Anti-Drone Jammers
The U.S. Marine Corps is moving urgently to equip Amphibious Combat Vehicles with Anduril's Pulsar-L electronic-warfare system and associated vehicle integration kits. A planned sole-source award would provide a non-kinetic counter-drone capability able to detect, classify, and disrupt hostile unmanned aircraft while Marines maneuver from ship to shore and inland. The accelerated procurement reflects the service's assessment that low-cost drones pose an immediate threat to armored formations, although the notice did not disclose a final contract value, vehicle quantity, or planned delivery schedule for units.
- NavalDefence Industry EuropeCompetitive P17B tender marks a shift in Indian Navy frigate procurement
India's planned Project 17B frigate competition is expected to depart from earlier nominated-shipyard procurement by requiring domestic yards to compete for construction work. The design is intended to build on the Project 17A Nilgiri class with greater weapons capacity and improved combat systems, while sustaining multiple Indian naval shipbuilders. Competitive construction could broaden industrial participation and improve schedule or pricing discipline, but the program may still depend on foreign propulsion, sensors, weapons, and other key subsystems, leaving supply-chain localization as a central acquisition challenge throughout production.
- DronesShephard MediaUK firms to use Ukraine battlefield data for AI drone swarm development
Up to 12 British companies will gain secure access to Ukrainian battlefield data through the Avengers AI initiative, making the United Kingdom the first international partner admitted to the program. The dataset contains more than six million object detections covering tanks, artillery, air defenses, infantry, and aerial systems, and the British government is inviting proposals to use it for drone-swarm and autonomy development. The work aims to improve target recognition and coordinated operations in jammed or GPS-denied environments while retaining human oversight over consequential decisions.
- AirReutersSwedish, Finnish fighter jets intercept Russian military aircraft
Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and Swedish JAS 39 Gripens conducted the countries' first joint operational air-identification mission over the Gulf of Finland on September 24. The quick-reaction aircraft intercepted and identified a group of Russian military aircraft in international airspace, including a transport aircraft and several fighter jets. The mission was carried out under the Finnish-Swedish framework for monitoring and safeguarding their airspace, demonstrating practical coordination between the two countries' alert forces.
- IndustryReutersNorthrop gets $124 million for delayed F-35 radar parts
The U.S. Navy awarded Northrop Grumman up to $123.8 million for long-lead parts supporting 67 AN/APG-85 radars for Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy F-35s. Air Force procurement funds provide $66.5 million and Navy funds $57.3 million, with work in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, expected to finish in February 2031. The order is intended to protect the Lot 7 production schedule for the delayed Block 4 sensor, after new aircraft reportedly reached operational units with ballast installed in their noses because completed radars were temporarily unavailable.
- Airasianmilitaryreview.comB-21 Raider sixth-generation stealth bomber captured in Mojave video as Northrop Grumman accelerates testing and production
New video appears to show a B-21 Raider test aircraft, reportedly nicknamed Cerberus, departing Edwards Air Force Base and flying over California's Mojave Desert. The sighting provides another public indication that Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Air Force are expanding the stealth bomber's flight-test activity while low-rate production continues in parallel. The footage does not identify the sortie's objectives or reveal classified performance data, but it documents a visible step in the program's transition from a single test aircraft toward a broader test and production fleet.
- LandDefence Industry EuropeTaiwan's 105mm Wheeled Armored Vehicle Signals a New Era in Indigenous Armored Warfare
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense publicly demonstrated the mass-production configuration of its indigenous 105 mm wheeled armored vehicle at an Army training area in Tainan on September 23. The event showed a program moving beyond prototypes and operational evaluation toward series production planned for 2027. Designed as a mobile direct-fire platform, the vehicle combines a large-caliber gun with a wheeled chassis for rapid road movement and dispersed operations, supporting Taiwan's effort to build and sustain greater sovereign armored combat capability through its domestic industrial base.
- AirArmy RecognitionU.S. F-35As and E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning Aircraft Demonstrate Networked Airpower Over Strategic Bering Sea
U.S. Air Force F-35A fighters and an E-3 Sentry operated with Canadian forces in a binational maritime-strike scenario over the Bering Sea from September 18 to 22. The activity linked fifth-generation fighter sensors and targeting data with airborne command-and-control, demonstrating how a mixed force can build a shared picture across the remote Arctic approaches. Conducted in a strategically important homeland-defense area, the mission also tested cross-border coordination and the ability to direct fighters against maritime threats over long distances with limited regional support infrastructure and basing.
- AirDefence Industry EuropeNORAD and NATO allies coordinate fighters, tankers and airborne command aircraft to strengthen North America's Arctic air defenses
NORAD, Danish, and NATO forces are training across Canada, Greenland, and Iceland to coordinate defense of North America's northern approaches. The activity combines fighters, aerial refueling tankers, and airborne command aircraft, testing how allied units can share warning data, extend fighter range, and manage operations across vast Arctic distances. By exercising a distributed network rather than a single national force, the participants are validating procedures needed to detect, identify, and respond to aircraft or missile threats where weather, geography, communications, and limited basing complicate sustained air-defense operations.
- DronesDefence Industry EuropeU.S. Expands Counter-Drone Defense to Protect Critical Infrastructure From Low-Cost Drone Attacks
The United States is broadening its counter-drone strategy for critical infrastructure beyond simply detecting and intercepting every hostile aircraft. The emerging approach combines counter-UAS sensors and defeat systems with site hardening, redundant equipment, incident coordination, and continuity plans intended to limit damage when a drone penetrates defensive layers. The shift recognizes that inexpensive commercial or improvised drones can overwhelm costly interceptors and threaten energy, transportation, communications, and government facilities, making resilience and rapid recovery essential parts of effective national protection and resilience alongside active defense.
- DronesArmy RecognitionPakistan Launches Air and Drone Strikes Into Afghanistan
Pakistan struck 10 sites across Afghanistan's Khost, Paktia, and Kandahar provinces early on September 24, using airstrikes and loitering munitions operated by the Army and Air Force. Pakistani authorities described the targets as militant positions, although independent confirmation of the selected sites, weapons effects, and casualty figures was limited. The operation demonstrates Islamabad's willingness to combine crewed aircraft and drones in cross-border counter-militant missions, while creating a fresh point of tension with Afghanistan over sovereignty, attribution, and the presence of armed groups near the frontier.
- Industryquwa.orgLeonardo gets U.S. Army deal for powerful diode lasers
The U.S. Army awarded Leonardo Electronics US a $30.1 million contract modification to continue research on phase-locked semiconductor diode laser arrays. The work seeks to combine emissions from many small diode sources into a single, more powerful and coherent beam, a technical step relevant to compact high-energy laser systems. Fiscal 2026 Army research funds are fully obligated, and development will continue in Tucson, Arizona, through March 29, 2029, focusing on beam quality, efficiency, and scalable power for future systems rather than procurement of an operational weapon.
- AirDefence BlogNew US Army UH-60M Black Hawk order bridges uncertain path to MV-75 transition
The U.S. Army awarded Sikorsky $234 million for 16 additional UH-60M Black Hawks, preserving near-term production while the service develops the Bell MV-75 Cheyenne II. The undefinitized action provides fleet continuity but does not settle the Army's longer-term Black Hawk requirement, which remains affected by funding decisions and the pace of the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program. Continuing UH-60M purchases helps sustain assault-aviation capacity, training, and the supplier base during a transition that will take years and may not align neatly with retirement needs across existing units.
- DronesArmy RecognitionU.S. Air Force expands tests of glider-based spy drone
The U.S. Air Force added $46.1 million to its contract with DZYNE Technologies for operational testing of the ULTRA long-endurance surveillance drone, more than doubling the program's value. Derived from a glider-like airframe, ULTRA is designed to remain airborne for more than three days while carrying intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance payloads at lower operating cost than traditional crewed platforms. The expanded award supports additional testing and operational evaluation under operationally relevant conditions, but it does not by itself confirm a production decision or broad fielding schedule.
- Institutionalmilitarytimes.comDesolate Arctic outpost likely to host US troops under new Greenland deal
Mestersvig, a remote Danish outpost in eastern Greenland, could become a new U.S. military foothold under the security agreement signed by the United States, Denmark, and Greenland. The site lies 240 kilometers from the nearest settlement, currently has three soldiers, and includes barracks for about 150 personnel overlooking the strategically important Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom gap. The agreement permits new U.S. bases at Mestersvig and Narsarsuaq but sets no troop numbers or timetable, leaving the scale of construction and permanent presence to later planning and parliamentary approval.
- Navalaviationweek.comHII expands Massachusetts unmanned systems production facility
HII is expanding its unmanned-systems production facility in Pocasset, Massachusetts, to increase capacity for autonomous maritime platforms and associated engineering work. The site employs about 300 people and added 50 staff during 2026, while maintaining research ties with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on autonomous underwater technology. The investment supports rising U.S. demand for uncrewed surface and undersea systems, but the company did not tie the expansion to a single disclosed production quantity or delivery schedule, so its impact will span multiple development and procurement efforts.
- NavalArmy RecognitionTurkish Navy tests crewed-uncrewed operations and USV strike in 100-ship exercise
The Turkish Navy conducted crewed-uncrewed teaming and a live one-way unmanned surface-vehicle attack during the six-day Denizkurdu-I/2026 exercise. Roughly 100 ships operated across four seas, using networked command arrangements to coordinate conventional vessels with autonomous systems and demonstrate the Pirana strike concept in a large fleet setting. Beyond the individual attack, the exercise tested how unmanned craft can be assigned, controlled, and integrated into wider naval operations, while Turkish officials also used the event to outline future fleet development, procurement, and experimentation priorities across the fleet.
- Institutionalbairdmaritime.comLockheed Martin says new quantum hub will accelerate defense-ready technologies for navigation, sensing and communications
Lockheed Martin has opened a quantum technology hub intended to shorten the path from laboratory research to defense-ready capabilities in navigation, sensing, communications, and advanced computing. The initiative will bring researchers and mission engineers together to test applications such as positioning without GPS, highly sensitive detection, secure information exchange, and optimization of complex defense problems. The announcement establishes a development environment rather than a fielded military program, and it includes no disclosed customer contract, deployment date, or performance threshold for the technologies currently being pursued.
- Institutionalmilitarytimes.comPentagon pays $16.6 million to keep nuke inventory online
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency awarded General Dynamics Information Technology a $16.6 million contract to sustain the systems used to manage and account for the U.S. nuclear weapons inventory. The work supports the digital infrastructure, logistics, tracking, and operational services needed to keep stockpile information available and accurate across the nuclear enterprise. Although the award is small compared with warhead modernization programs, it funds a continuing readiness function: maintaining secure, reliable inventory data and support processes for weapons that must remain controlled, traceable, and operationally accountable at all times.
- InstitutionalDefence BlogDefense Watch: Munitions Shortages, IVEWS LRIP, Satellite Infrastructure
Defense Daily's roundup highlights three related pressures on U.S. defense readiness: munitions inventories strained by sustained high expenditure, movement of the AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite into low-rate initial production, and continuing investment in satellite infrastructure. Together, the items show procurement balancing immediate replenishment against modernization of electronic warfare and space support. The IVEWS milestone advances an internal radar-warning and jamming suite for F-16s, while the munitions and satellite sections emphasize the industrial capacity and resilient networks required to sustain operations at global scale.
- IndustryDefense DailyAustralia commits additional $42m to Ukraine under new security pact
Australia committed an additional $42 million in security assistance to Ukraine as Canberra and Kyiv established a new bilateral security pact. The contribution adds near-term support within a longer-term framework for defense cooperation, replacing a sequence of isolated announcements with an agreed structure for future assistance, training, and consultation. Public reporting did not specify the exact equipment funded by this tranche, so the clearest immediate development is the new allocation and institutional commitment rather than delivery of a named weapon system or a detailed multi-year procurement schedule.
- IndustryArmy TechnologyEstonian military, Archangel sign three-year defence pact
The Estonian Defence Forces and defence-focused venture capital fund Archangel signed a three-year cooperation agreement to strengthen links between the military, defence technology companies, and investors in Estonia and the wider Baltic region. The cooperation focuses on exchanging information, matching military needs with emerging technologies, and supporting opportunities for companies to test and develop solutions in Estonia where appropriate. Archangel will engage with regional companies and investment opportunities while the Estonian Defence Forces provide an operational perspective on capability needs; the agreement is an innovation and ecosystem partnership rather than procurement of a specific AI or autonomous system.
- Landaviationweek.comChinese copy of Russia's Tor air defense system seen in Algerian colors
Photographs circulating on Chinese social media show an HQ-17 short-range air-defense vehicle in camouflage matching Algerian military equipment, with Chinese sources claiming it is destined for Algeria. Neither Algeria nor manufacturer CASIC has confirmed a sale, and the quantity and delivery date remain unknown, so the imagery indicates a possible acquisition rather than proven operational service. Developed from Russia's Tor-M1 concept, the mobile system carries its own radar and eight missiles and is designed to engage aircraft, helicopters, drones, cruise missiles, guided bombs, and air-to-surface weapons.
- InstitutionalDefence BlogBritish General Nick Perry becomes first UK commander of NATO's JFC Norfolk, marking Alliance shift to European operational leadership
British General Nick Perry assumed command of NATO's Joint Force Command Norfolk on September 24, becoming the first United Kingdom officer to lead the Atlantic-focused headquarters. He succeeded American Navy Vice Admiral Doug Perry during a ceremony aboard USS Nimitz in Norfolk, Virginia. The appointment gives a European ally formal leadership of the command responsible for safeguarding transatlantic reinforcement routes, coordinating maritime operations, and linking North American and European defense, while the headquarters remains integrated with American joint-force structures and NATO's wider operational command chain.
- AirDefence Industry Europe'Misaligned' fan blades, loss of thrust caused Thunderbird F-16 crash
An Air Combat Command investigation found that misaligned variable vanes in a Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engine caused the December 3, 2025 crash of a Thunderbirds F-16CM near Trona, California. Compressor blades subsequently fractured from fatigue, producing catastrophic engine damage and an unrecoverable loss of thrust at low altitude; the pilot ejected with minor injuries, and the $33.4 million aircraft was destroyed. Investigators could not determine why the vanes turned, but identified earlier foreign-object damage and limited access for internal inspections as significant contributing concerns.
- Institutionalbairdmaritime.comPlans Emerge for Japanese MI6-style Agency by Fiscal 2027
Japan is considering creation of a dedicated foreign intelligence service modeled partly on Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, with establishment targeted for fiscal 2027. The proposed organization would strengthen overseas human-intelligence collection and analysis, functions now divided among the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, police, foreign ministry, and defense bodies. Key issues still include legal authorities, parliamentary oversight, recruitment, protection of sources, and coordination with existing agencies, meaning the initiative is a developing institutional plan rather than an approved service with a finalized structure or operating mandate.
- Institutionalasianmilitaryreview.comRussia says it struck Ukrainian defence industry facilities, vessels
Russia's Defense Ministry said its latest strikes hit Ukrainian defense-industrial facilities and vessels, continuing a campaign against production and maritime logistics. Moscow described factories, port assets, and ships as military targets connected to Ukraine's weapons supply and sustainment network, while providing few public details about individual sites or the weapons used. Such attacks can disrupt drone, missile, and equipment production as well as maritime deliveries, but the operational impact will depend on the extent of physical damage, repair times, production redundancy, and whether the affected vessels remain serviceable.
- AirReutersAn SR-71 Blackbird Has Vanished (Updated)
SR-71 tail number 844, the last Blackbird produced and the last one to fly, is no longer visible at its long-time display location at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center, with satellite imagery indicating it has been absent since at least May 17. Aviation Week sources cited by TWZ suggest the aircraft was moved into a hangar earlier in the year for an inspection, but its current disposition has not been officially disclosed. The timing has fueled speculation because NASA recently highlighted plans for new high-speed X-planes, but NASA has provided no confirmation that the aircraft is involved in a return-to-flight or research program.
- AirThe War ZoneNorthrop Grumman SYNOPTICS marks 25 years supporting the LITENING targeting pod, airborne mine detection and 100-kilowatt defense laser development
Northrop Grumman's SYNOPTICS business is marking 25 years under the company brand, highlighting its production of laser crystals and precision optical components for defense systems. The unit supports the LITENING targeting pod, the Airborne Laser Mine Detection System, and the Joint High Power Solid State Laser effort that demonstrated 100-kilowatt-class output. Its role is largely at the component and materials level, supplying engineered gain media and optics that enable sensing, targeting, mine detection, and directed-energy applications rather than delivering complete aircraft pods or laser weapons by itself.
- InstitutionalDefence Industry EuropeUK ministers to brief defence companies, infrastructure providers on Russia threats
British ministers will brief defense companies and critical national infrastructure providers on Russian threats amid heightened concern about sabotage, cyberattacks, and influence operations. Security Minister Dan Jarvis will meet bodies representing infrastructure operators, while Armed Forces Minister Louise Sandher-Jones will engage defense-industry groups, allowing government assessments and protective guidance to reach key private-sector owners. The Cabinet Office describes Russia as an enduring and significant threat, and the meetings are intended to strengthen national preparedness and coordination rather than announce that a specific attack is imminent.
- AirReutersAerial tankers: The force multiplier behind modern airpower
Aerial refueling tankers extend the range, endurance, and payload flexibility of combat aircraft, allowing fighters, bombers, transports, and surveillance platforms to operate far from permanent bases. The overview examines how boom and probe-and-drogue systems, offload capacity, basing, survivability, and coalition compatibility shape fleet value across current and emerging tanker programs. It also emphasizes that tankers are high-value enablers and potential targets, driving requirements for dispersed operations, defensive systems, resilient communications, and eventually more autonomous refueling concepts to support sustained future airpower in heavily contested theaters.
- NavalDefense DailyWorld's first Acoustic Picket Line at REPMUS26
British maritime sensing company Oshen is demonstrating what it calls the world's first acoustic picket line operated by uncrewed surface vessels during the REPMUS26 maritime robotics exercise off Portugal. The concept distributes acoustic sensors across multiple small autonomous craft so they can maintain a persistent barrier, share detections, and extend surveillance beyond the coverage of a single platform. The trial is intended to show how inexpensive, networked vessels could support anti-submarine awareness and protect maritime approaches while reducing demands on crewed warships and fixed sensor infrastructure.
- AirShephard MediaRussia Advances Su-57 Program with a New Configuration Built Around Operational Lessons
Russia's United Aircraft Corporation delivered another batch of Su-57 fighters to the Russian Aerospace Forces in a revised technical configuration shaped by operational experience. UAC said the production standard expands mission flexibility and supports additional aerial weapons, but it did not identify the new systems, aircraft quantity, or specific combat lessons incorporated. The delivery shows Russia feeding field feedback into serial production while continuing to mature the Su-57 fleet, although company statements alone do not establish the effectiveness, scale, or readiness of the resulting upgrades.
- NavalNaval NewsRoyal Navy's 6th Astute-Class SSN HMS Agamemnon Begins Sea Trials
HMS Agamemnon, the Royal Navy's sixth Astute-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, left BAE Systems' Barrow-in-Furness yard on September 25 to begin sea trials. Commissioned in September 2025 and subjected to an initial trim dive the following month, the boat will now validate propulsion, sensors, weapons, and overall performance before frontline service. Once operational, Agamemnon will conduct intelligence, anti-submarine, and land-attack missions using Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk missiles, while helping protect Britain's carrier groups, nuclear deterrent, critical undersea infrastructure, and deployed naval forces during long overseas deployments worldwide.
- AirArmy TechnologyAustralia puts its Tigers out to pasture
The Australian Army retired its remaining Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters after a final flypast over Darwin on September 24, ending more than two decades of service. The withdrawal follows longstanding availability and sustainment problems and clears the way for the Army's transition to the AH-64E Apache Guardian, which Australia selected as its replacement attack helicopter. Training, facilities, and aircraft deliveries for the Apache fleet are progressing, but the retirement still requires careful management of personnel and readiness until the new type is fully established in operational units.
- AirThe War ZoneBlackbeard Hypersonic Missile Seen Flying On F/A-18 Super Hornet For The First Time
The U.S. Navy has released the first footage of Castelion's Blackbeard hypersonic missile flying externally on an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet during testing. The weapon is being developed under the Multi-Mission Affordable Capacity Effector program as a lower-cost, rapidly producible standoff missile, with anti-ship strike among its intended roles. The Navy wants an early operational capability by 2028 or sooner and has awarded $43.65 million for a first production lot of 444 rounds. A separate framework could support purchases of up to 12,000 Blackbeards over five years.
- NavalDefense DailyNavy Previews MUSV Phase II Project
The U.S. Navy is preparing a competitive Phase II effort to integrate and test Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel technologies through an online defence-acquisition marketplace. The planned project seeks a vessel able to operate without crew for more than ten days, carry at least two standard 20-foot payload containers and remain no longer than 90 metres. Desired participants include companies with vessel construction, autonomy, perception, maritime integration and testing expertise. The notice previews requirements and a selection process rather than announcing a production contract, and it leaves final quantities, awards and operational fielding decisions for later stages.
- Dronesforbes.comU.S. Army Puts Defenses To A 'Stress Test' Using Massive Drone Swarms
The U.S. Army used Exercise Scarlet Dragon 26-3 at Fort Bragg to stress layered defences against coordinated swarms of roughly 25 to 100 drones. The event combined AH-64 Apache helicopters, Sentinel radars, shared command networks and a larger unmanned aircraft that released smaller daughter drones. Artificial intelligence and distributed sensors helped identify and prioritise targets, while low-flying F11 Core drones challenged radar coverage. Officials said the trials showed that no single detector can handle every geometry or flight profile, underscoring the need to fuse multiple sensors and effectors against massed unmanned threats.
- NavalDefense OneThe Navy's public shipyards will take more decades to repair, GAO says
The U.S. Navy's programme to modernise its four public shipyards could cost more than $200 billion and take about 50 years, according to the Government Accountability Office. Launched in 2018 with an initial estimate near $21 billion over 20 years, the effort covers Norfolk, Portsmouth, Puget Sound and Pearl Harbor, which maintain nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers. Costs and schedules grew as planners confronted underestimated engineering complexity, added projects and requirements such as major seismic work at Puget Sound. The GAO recommended standard, consolidated annual reporting to Congress on scope, spending, schedules and performance.
- CyberDefense OneAnthropic loses legal fight to shed DOD's designation as a 'supply-chain risk'
A U.S. federal appeals court has left in place the Defense Department's designation of Anthropic as a supply-chain risk, allowing restrictions on its products in defence work to continue. The dispute arose after the company retained limits against domestic mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons while the Pentagon sought contractual permission for all lawful uses. The ruling permits the department to bar employees and contractors from using Anthropic systems for Defense Department business. It does not establish a general prohibition on the company's commercial products outside that federal defence context.