Crooked Bough News Round-up

— Pentagon AI office, Army award Ask Sage $10M for GenAI expansion

 

at 6/20/25 1:01pm

Members of both Army and Air National Guard participate in training during exercise Cyber Shield 2025 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, June 5, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jasmine McCarthy) WASHINGTON — Pentagon officials are so enthusiastic about the Army’s month-old generative artificial intelligence toolkit that Chief Digital & AI Office (CDAO) just gave lead contractor Ask Sage another $10 million to expand it to combatant commands and key Pentagon offices. Known as the Army Enterprise Large Language Model Workspace, the toolkit grew out of the service’s “Project Athena” initiative to study potential uses — and misuses — of GenAI for back-office functions, like summarizing masses of densely written official documentation for contracting and policymaking. The Workspace officially launched in May with a five-year, $49 million contract to Ask Sage. It’s already grown significantly, although some of that rapid adoption may be due to the Army initially offering access on a 30-day “free trial” basis rather without impacting their budgets. “We went from about zero folks on there to about 19,000 … in less than 45 days,” Army CIO Leonel Garciga told the Potomac Officers Club on Wednesday. “Youll hear an announcement later today … on scaling that out to the combatant commands and making those capabilities available.” Ask Sage announced that day it had received a $10 million, one-year contract for the expansion — not just to the military’s 11 four-star Combatant Commands (COCOMs) around the globe, but to its central authorities in the Pentagon: the civilian Office of the Secretary of Defense and the military’s multi-service Joint Staff. Ask Sage boasts that its GenAI toolkit is officially certified for use by multiple government agencies, including for secure and classified information, as the first FedRAMP High, IL5, IL6 and Top Secret authorized solution. That’s particularly important for the Pentagon, which can’t afford such leaks as having its users prompts to GenAI be sucked up into commercial databases, which is common practice in the industry. Their other big selling point, as CEO, founder, and former Air Force chief software officer Nicolas Chaillan told Breaking Defense last fall, is that they don’t rely on any one Large Language Model. Instead, under the hood are multiple LLMs from different AI companies, which the Ask Sage toolkit uses to double-check each others’ answers, with non-AI algorithms performing additional checks, reducing the risk of errors and GenAI’s chronic hallucinations. “You don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket,” Chailan said. “We can add models and even compare models and see which ones behave the best. It’s a mix of GenAI with traditional code and special training of the models and guardrails to get to a right answer. You couldn’t do it just with GenAI.” RELATED: We need your creative, innovative, patriotic, and diabolical minds’: Joint Chiefs Chairman Caine This approach — putting together today’s best available technology from the private sector, instead of laboriously trying to develop a bespoke system for the government — is the right approach for back-office AI, Garciga said Wednesday. (Military-specific functions like targeting and battle planning are a different story, he and other officials often emphasize.) “Everybody was doing a science project. And when I [say] everybody, I mean everybody,” the Army CIO said. “[We] got people really upset. We took the R&D efforts and said, Thats COTS [Commercial Off-The-Shelf]. We shouldnt be trying to replicate what the commercial space is doing.” Going commercial makes it possible to go faster and broader, Garciga continued. “Thats the democratized model, right?” he said. “Hey, were gonna make stuff available. Go use it. Have fun. Let me know how it works out.” That said, “we put some guardrails [in],” he emphasized. “Weve denied people access to stuff that could get us in trouble.”   Carley Welch also contributed to this story.

[Category: Land Warfare, Networks & Digital Warfare, Pentagon, Air Force Chief Software Officer Nicolas Chaillan, Army, Army CIO, artificial intelligence, Ask Sage, Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer CDAO, cyber security, generative artificial intelligence, large language models LLMs, Leonel Garciga, networks, technology] [Link to media]

— Tunisian air force inks first North African deal to procure dozen Bell 412 helicopters

 

at 6/20/25 11:52am

Two Royal Norwegian Air Force Bell 412 helicopters with 339th Special Operations Air Squadron evacuate Green Berets with U.S. Army 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and two simulated casualties during a personnel recovery training mission as part of exercise Adamant Serpent 23-2 near Bardufoss, Norway, Sept. 22, 2023. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Moyte) BEIRUT — On the sidelines of Paris Airshow this week the Tunisian Air Force inked an agreement to procure a dozen SUBARU BELL 412 PXs multi-role helicopters from US-based firm Bell Textron, a first entry for the aircraft in the region. “The SUBARU Bell 412EPX has been gaining momentum as an international military platform, we’re thrilled to bring it to the Middle East and Africa region with the Tunisian Air Force,” said Tim Evans, Bell Textron Managing Director for Middle East and Africa, in the statement Thursday. The 412 helicopter is part of the firm’s efforts to militarize “cost-effective” commercial aircraft that the company has previously said could be more tempting to foreign customers. The announcement about Tunisias purchase did not include a price tag. Bell advertises a civilian version of the 412 with a max cruising speed of 228 km/h (142 mph), a range of 669 km and a max endurance of just under four hours. RELATED: Bell sees an opening in militarizing cost-effective commercial helicopters for foreign buyers Once militarized, the 412 can be equipped with rockets, guns and missiles and is highly modular, the company says. Should the buyer want other capabilities, the company said the transformed helos can also be outfitted with platforms specific to MEDEVAC, ISR or other non-combat missions. “These platforms [militarized commercial aircraft] are having significant interest around the world,” Douglas Wolfe, managing director of sales and strategy international sales at Bell, told Breaking Defense in 2013. At the time, Wolfe also said the process of militarizing civil aircraft is also faster for US export approval since it’s not the whole airframe itself that needs approval, but just the weapons systems that would be added to it. Tunisian Air Force has been slowly trying to boost its capabilities lately, and in 2022 received the first of eight Beechcraft T-6C trainers in 2022 from Textron Aviation. While Tunisia doesn’t confront vast threats like its neighbor Algeria that has dispute over the Sahara desserts with Morocco, or Libya which has witnessed unrest and civil conflicts since 2011 revolt, Tunisia highlight on its air capabilities mainly to interdict smuggling and possible terrorist attacks from armed factions in neighboring Libya.

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Land Warfare, Air Force, Army, Bell Textron, Middle East, Paris Air Show 2025, Tunisia] [Link to media]

— How chiefs of Honeywell Aerospace and Leonardo DRS each plan to expand

 

at 6/20/25 10:01am

A Honeywell office in Atlanta, Georgia, US, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. Honeywell International Inc. released earnings figures on October 26. Photographer: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images PARIS AIR SHOW — The chief of Honeywell Aerospace told Breaking Defense the firm is looking to increase its mergers and acquisitions activity in its near-future, a business strategy separately echoed by the head of Leonardo DRS days later. “Our M&A pipeline is as robust it has ever been in my years of Honeywell Aerospace,” company CEO Jim Currier said in an interview on the sidelines of this year’s Paris Air Show. “I do anticipate we will continue to be acquisitive,” he said. “I do anticipate Europe being a great place to be able to look at where those opportunities represent, from an M&A standpoint.” It’s an interesting position to be in for Currier, as Honeywell is in the process of splitting itself into three different companies in 2026. Honeywell Aerospace is expected to take on the vast majority of the firm’s defense work. While clearly optimistic about the firm’s M&A future, Currier declined to go into details of what areas he was interested in, as “I think it gives a little bit too much insight” into company plans. But he pointed to the acquisitions of a pair of smaller European firms, including Italian company Civitanavi, as a guide. “We were specific about technology gaps in the portfolio, where they had a capability that we had maybe a smaller amount of that capability, so were able to expand upon that through those acquisitions,” he said, calling it a “one plus one equals three” situation “It’s got to be strategic. It has to be about a technology gap that were trying to serve, or where we see opportunistic opportunities whereby theres certain sales synergies that can be realized, that we can actually provide a better product, ultimately,” Currier said. “Those are the ways we look at M&A across the board, and they can be small, and they can be large.” Days later, Leonardo DRS head Bill Lynn was equally blunt that he expects to look for M&A opportunities in the coming year. “Weve generated very strong organic growth” in recent years, Lynn told Breaking Defense. “We think the next step for us, a priority for capital allocation, is to supplement that with inorganic” growth. However, “Our focus in that is not everything. We are a mid-tier company with four core markets, thats about right for our size company. So what we would like to do is, rather than add a fifth and a sixth market, what we would focus on is strengthening in those four core markets.” As examples, Lynn pointed to the company’s sensor business, and how adding tactical computing or artificial intelligence capabilities would help create greater connectivity between the company’s sensing offerings. Similarly, the company has some space work, which has been growing organically, but, “If we saw an acquisition that would, you know, leapfrog some of those investment steps, that would be interesting.” Ultimately, “We dont want to get too far from home. We want to expand, but we want to expand in things that we know and where we already have an established position.” The first Trump administration was viewed as friendlier to M&A activity than the Biden administration, and the broad expectation among industry watchers has been that M&A will once again face fewer regulations in this second administration. Lynn, however, wasn’t ready to state that is absolutely likely to happen. “Normally, you kind of expect less regulation from a Republican, but [you] need to see more of the personnel picks. You need to see a couple of examples,” Lynn said. “Well start to see people do M&A and, you know, do they get approved? Or is there more challenges? I just havent seen enough to” predict.

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Networks & Digital Warfare, Air Force, Business & Industry, cyber security, Honeywell Aerospace, Leonardo DRS, networks, Paris Air Show 2025, technology] [Link to media]

— GCAP partners name Edgewing joint venture to deliver next generation fighter

 

at 6/20/25 9:19am

A new design for the GCAP future fighter was unveiled last year (Leonardo) BELFAST — National industry lead contractors involved in the trilateral Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) have announced the name of a Joint Venture (JV), dubbed Edgewing, to produce the future fighter jet. Britain’s BAE Systems, Italy’s Leonardo and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement make up the new enterprise, set to “be accountable for the design and development of the next generation combat aircraft and will remain the design authority for the life of the product, which is expected to go out beyond 2070,” according to a BAE Systems statement. The UK manufacturer also noted that Edgewing will “play a central role in achieving the programme’s ambitious goals — including the in-service date of 2035 — while setting a new benchmark for trilateral industrial partnership across Europe and Asia.” Breaking Defense previously reported that the three industry partners will retain an equal 33.3 percent shareholding in the JV. RELATED: Difficulties between Airbus and Dassault again hit sixth-gen FCAS fighter effort Marco Zoff, a former managing director of Leonardo Aircraft has been selected as the first CEO of Edgewing. As noted in the statement, operations and joint teams will be spread across each of the three partner nations, with the JV headquartered in the UK, to align with the GCAP International Government Organisation (GIGO). GCAP aims to replace UK Royal Air Force and Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons, as well as Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2 combat jets. RELATED: FCAS? SCAF? Tempest? Explaining Europes sixth-generation fighter efforts The naming of the JV arrives 12 months after industry showcased a new concept of the future fighter designed around a conventional delta wing shape, giving increased wingspan compared to previous iterations.

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Air Force, BAE Systems, Eurofighter Typhoon, Europe, GCAP, Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement, Leonardo, NATO] [Link to media]

— In Paris, Airbus makes new MRTT+ progress, French Navy drone breakthrough

 

at 6/20/25 8:34am

The Airbus VSR700 drone is set to enter service with the French Navy in 2027. (Breaking Defense) PARIS AIR SHOW — As is custom, Airbus shared a slew of announcements and defense program updates at Le Bourget, with fixed wing, helicopter and drone efforts dominating affairs. Breaking Defense took a look at main developments from Europe’s largest aircraft manufacturer — outside of new industrial tension that unfolded with the Future Combat Air System. First, Spain and France decided to accelerate aircraft acquisition of the A400M military transporter based off a Tuesday agreement between Airbus, the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation and launch nations to “secure production for the programme for the foreseeable future, improve the cost of operations, and jointly develop new capabilities.” Paris plans on speeding up deliveries of four aircraft, while Madrid will do the same for three units. Jean-Brice Dumont, head of air power at Airbus Defence and Space, told reporters that the move will sustain production at a rate of eight aircraft per year, and plans are in motion to increase the transporter’s payload by 40 tons. Airbus also disclosed progress on the A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport+ (MRTT+) program, with the manufacturer close to securing an order from a launch customer, despite Dumont declining to identify the country in question. He said that a first delivery of the new tanker is planned to go ahead “by the end of 2028,” and based on “signals we are getting from the customers, we are studying an increase in the production rate,” of the MRTT+ as a transition from the original MRTT takes shape. Airbus currently produces between four and five of the in-service tanker a year, according to Dumont. “I think many countries are realizing, with a number of fighters or other aircraft [in need of refueling] … they all have the principle of being able to deploy fast and far,” he added. Launched in 2024, the MRTT+ program is based off the A330-800neo commercial airliner and offers less fuel consumption and greater range compared to the in service A330-200 MRTT. On the helicopter front, Airbus and Italian manufacturer Leonardo announced they are collaborating on a NH90 Block 2 multirole rotorcraft upgrade architecture study to determine the long-term evolution of the type. In a statement, Airbus said that the move followed a request from the NATO Helicopter Management Agency (NAHEMA), and the Block 2 upgrade will cover “key structural improvements to the aircraft such as modular avionics, greater configuration commonality, improved maintenance and performance, as well as new capabilities in the field of collaborative combat, connectivity and crewed-uncrewed teaming.” A contract with NAHEMA for the new study is “expected” by the end of the year, the manufacturer noted. Airbus Helicopters and Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency also signed a crewed-uncrewed teaming capabilities agreement involving the Republic of Singapore Air Force H225M medium lift helicopter and the manufacturer’s Flexrotor drone. “The partnership aims to explore how crewed-uncrewed teaming can enhance situational awareness and improve mission outcomes through a flight demonstration,” noted Airbus Helicopters in a statement. It added that the company’s newly launched HTeaming crewed-uncrewed teaming system will be equipped on the H225M, enabling the rotary asset to “take full control” of Flexrotor. Another key drone development shared by Airbus was the signing of a VSR700 naval platform framework agreement with French Minister of Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu and Naval Group. The pact opens the way for the “future acquisition” of the aircraft to the French Navy under the SDAM (uncrewed aerial systems for the Navy) program, according to an Airbus statement. Significantly, the agreement also creates a path for “cooperation with other nations via government to government agreements.” Victor Gerin-Roze, head of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) at Airbus, declined to share with Breaking Defense how many aircraft fall under the framework agreement, but said that the pact means Airbus is ready” to start logging export orders. France’s Military Programming Law for 2024-2030 [PDF] shows that Paris has committed to acquiring 10 SDAM aircraft by the end of the decade and at least 15 by 2035. Airbus will also continue testing of the VSR700 to support the French Navy ahead of the intelligence and surveillance drone starting operations with the service in 2027, noted Gerin-Roze. It will be fitted with a radar, electro-optical equipment and an automatic identification system receiver. Airbus and Naval Group, joint developers of the drone, were initially awarded an SDAM development contract in 2018. Separately, Airbus shared that the companys first SIRTAP prototype tactical UAS has finished assembly and is ready to start a ground test campaign. The manufacturer plans on meeting a first flight milestone by the end of 2025, set to take place out of Spain’s National Institute of Aerospace Technologys Unmanned Systems Test Centre in Huelva, south-west Spain, according to a company statement. The Spanish Ministry of Defence has committed to the acquisition of nine SIRTAP systems, each made up of three remotely-piloted aircraft and a ground-control station. Elsewhere, Airbus and Germanys Quantum Systems UAS manufacturer also signed a Memorandum of Understanding pledging to boost Europes sovereignty through developing work on an aerial reconnaissance ecosystem. In view of increasing geopolitical uncertainties and accelerated innovation cycles in the defence sector, resilient, interoperable and ready-to-use airborne surveillance and information systems are to be deployed in the short and medium term, said Airbus in a statement.

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, A330 MRTT, A400M, Air Force, Airbus, Drones, Europe, Future Combat Air System FCAS, NATO, Naval Group, Paris Air Show 2025, singapore, VSR700] [Link to media]

— AI Transformational Model accelerates battle staff decision-making ‘seven-fold’ in Air Force experiment

 

at 6/20/25 6:26am

Air Force personnel in civilian clothes test new AI command and control tools in a wargame held in Las Vegas, Nev. (Air Force photo) WASHINGTON — New AI tools sped up a command staff’s decision-making process seven-fold in a recent wargame in Las Vegas, according to the Air Force. The experiment, called Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming (DASH), is the first of three DASH wargames planned for this year. Theyre exploring different aspects of an Air Force-developed AI called the Transformational Model for Decision Advantage. Its designed to be upgraded with new features, modules, and microservices by both military and private-sector teams, and many of the tools used in the first DASH were custom-coded during the exercise itself. Officials said in a Monday press release that the digital aids doubled the number of operational “dilemmas” humans were able to address and generated three times as many “valid solutions” to those problems, ranging from striking an enemy target to refueling friendly planes, according to their “initial analysis” of the wargame. And while errors and outright “hallucinations” have been a major concern with AI, the Air Force said this experiment showed an increase in the quantity of decisions without a decrease in quality. “Machine answer errors were on par with human error, not bad for a week’s worth of coding,” said Air Force Col. Christopher Cannon, head of the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) Cross Functional Team, which originally created the Transformational Model. “We demonstrated that machines absolutely helped, software services helped, but we also demonstrated that we can in fact build a software microservice that allows this to happen. We’re not buying software to display more data: Coders are building software that actively helps operators transform that data into measurably better battle management.” An Air Force official told Breaking Defense that “the Transformational Model (TM) is intended to transform how the Department of the Air Force, and Joint and Coalition forces in general, modernize C2 [command and control]. The TM seeks to define the military decisions associated with achieving transformations on the battlefield, à la transforming a tank into a non-tank (i.e., pile of rubble), transforming a disadvantageous situation to a dominant position, etc. … Our goal is to deliver C2 and intelligence capabilities that enable our warfighters to achieve decision advantage.” The Transformational Model began development in early 2022 and showed measurable impacts on military effectiveness in earlier experiments, the Air Force has said in previous news releases. The latest experiment was held over two weeks in Las Vegas, Nev., home to Nellis Air Force Base and the Shadow Operations Center – Nellis (ShOC-N), a training unit devoted to high-tech, high-stress experimentation. A mixed staff of US and Canadian military personnel first ran through a combat scenario in the conventional manner, without using artificial intelligence. Then they ran through another, similar but not identical wargame where they got to use the AI. That included the Transformational Model and the new tools built on top of it by both Air Force coders from the ShOC-N and multiple industry teams, who were able to participate because the scenarios were kept at the unclassified level. These ongoing Air Force experiments — and the service’s Advanced Battle Management initiative as a whole — are on the forward edge of a much larger effort by the US military to apply AI, not to build robotic weapons, but to make its human commanders more effective. AI, CJADC2, And The Transformational Model While armed drones and AI-driven dogfights capture the headlines, the Pentagon is also investing heavily in AI for HQs, where commanders and their staffs struggle to sort the masses of data required to run a 21st century war. It’s a less glamorous but arguably even more essential application of artificial intelligence for the US military. Commanders need to get up-to-date intelligence, make informed decisions, and transmit timely orders to their frontline troops. The side that can run through this cycle faster than the enemy can effectively lap the slower decision-makers. The US military’s primary effort to harness AI to aid commanders is the nascent but rapidly evolving all-service command system, Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2). Rather than replace human commanders and their staffs with AI, the Pentagon’s objective is to augment them with virtual assistants who can rapidly and accurately process the masses of information a modern military operation requires, freeing up the humans to strategize. The Air Force’s contribution to CJADC2 is led by Cannon’s ABMS team. The idea behind their Transformational Model, in turn, is to “decompose” the chaos and complexity of military operations into distinct “actionable entities” and then propose specific actions to take towards them. Those AI-identified entities can be military units — friendly, enemy, neutral, or unidentified — or even abstractions like relationships and events, the Air Force official told Breaking Defense, and the AI-generated options can be anything from striking a hostile force to resupplying a friendly one. The Transformation Model currently focuses on operations in air, space, and the electromagnetic spectrum (e.g. communications, radar, and jamming), but it could be generalized to cover other domains for the land and sea services as well, Air Force officials have said. The AI employed is also more autonomous than publicly available chatbots, which wait for a user to input a specific prompt before they output an answer. Instead, the Transformational Model uses AI “agents,” software that independently takes the initiative to perform specific tasks previously handled by humans. But the Air Force isn’t out to build SkyNet, either. The goal is an AI staff officer that generates reports, recommendations, and first drafts of plans, not an AI commander that issues orders to use lethal force. As one of the ABMS team’s officers, Col. Jonathan Zall, put it, the AI is “freeing up human operators to focus on making informed, high-level decisions that require moral judgement.”

[Category: Air Warfare, All Domain, Networks & Digital Warfare, Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS), agentic artificial intelligence, AI ethics, Air Force, artificial intelligence, Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (CJADC2), command and control, cyber security, Multi-Domain Operations, Nellis AFB, networks, Shadow Operations Center, technology] [Link to media]

— Four big takeaways to wrap up the Paris Air Show [Video]

 

at 6/19/25 6:58pm

PARIS AIR SHOW — Well, that was exhausting. If you had to ask our staff and they were being honest, thats probably what the big takeaway from covering the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget would be: that everyone is pretty wiped. Luckily, Editor-in-Chief Aaron Mehta and European Bureau Chief Tim Martin, making his Breaking Defense video debut, were able to go beyond that and deliver four takeaways for industry players from the show. If you havent been keeping up with the 21 (and more to come!) stories the team has put up from the show, make sure to click here. And to see our photos and videos from the flightline, make sure to click here.

[Category: Air Warfare, Air Force, Boeing, Business & Industry, Dassault, Embraer, Paris Multimedia 2025, SAAB, video] [Link to media]

— Lockheed seeks European partners for missile production crunch

 

at 6/19/25 1:27pm

A U.S. Army MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system is fired for a coastal air defense event during Balikatan 23 at the Naval Education, Training and Doctrine Command, Philippines (Photo: US Marine Corps) PARIS AIR SHOW — Spurred by the war in Ukraine, Lockheed Martin is surging production of key ground-based missile launchers and munitions, and is casting about Europe for opportunities to expand manufacturing that will meet sky-high demand, according to two company executives. “We are looking at [expanding production into Europe] across the entire portfolio,” Paula Hartley, vice president and general manager of tactical missiles for Lockheed’s Missiles and Fire Control unit, said in a briefing with reporters here on Wednesday. “As demand increases, we see both the value and the benefits of expanding from purely domestic [production] to taking advantage of international supply chain and international facilities” for fielding and sustaining weapon systems.  Hartley and Jason Reynolds, Lockheed’s vice president and general manager of integrated air and missile defense, said the company is making moves to expand production for multiple platforms. According to Reynolds, Lockheed is starting up discussions to establish production of the Patriot PAC-3 missile in Europe, adding a third source of production outside of the US and Japan. Alongside that, the US Army is now seeking a second supplier for the missile’s seeker, Reynolds noted, which is currently manufactured by Boeing. Reuters previously reported the seeker in particular was a chokepoint in the PAC-3’s manufacturing.  Lockheed is making similar moves for other programs, according to Hartley, such as shifting subcomponent work into the UK and moving manufacturing into Poland for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) family of munitions, which she said will ramp to 14,000 units annually this year. Poland has signed up to be the first country outside the US to produce the Javelin anti-tank missile and Lockheed is seeking to broaden the weapon’s production in the United Kingdom, which is already a critical Javelin supplier, as well. RELATED: Rheinmetall, Lockheed unveil GMARS, in talks with European customers: Exec To get a sense of the weapons crunch, Hartley said “pretty much across the board” she expects to deliver 40 percent more products in her portfolio between 2024 and 2025 alone. For the PAC-3 missile, for example, “over the last few years” annual production has steadily climbed from 300 and is expected to reach 650 by 2027, and could rise above that down the road, according to Reynolds. And for the High Mobile Rocket Artillery System (HIMARS), production has doubled from an annual volume of 48 to 96, a figure Hartley said Lockheed is seeking to surpass. “For the first time ever, Lockheed Martin is building HIMARS ahead of [production contracts], so that we can have an inventory of HIMARS, so that we can deliver them to customers, think one or two ahead of time, so they can train their troops in advance of having them fulfill their entire order,” she said.  “Theres plenty of work to go around, around the globe, so were looking for those strategic partnerships to help us complete our mission,” Reynolds said. Lockheed is also modernizing weapons alongside its production ramp-up, introducing new features that add versatility on the battlefield and could also save money. Technology developed for the company’s integrated missile defense portfolio enables operators to guide rounds in new ways, with Reynolds using the example of an F-35 holding custody of a target and feeding that information to a missile — obviating the need for a pricey seeker. In addition to providing a new way to target an adversary, “the benefit of that is the cost of the seeker on missile versus the cost of the data link on missile,” he said. While Lockheed, along with the rest of the defense industry, is rushing to provide Western militaries with cheaper interceptors, Reynolds emphasized a mix of defensive capabilities will be required depending on what’s inbound. “I wouldnt say, hey, PAC-3 doesnt have a future. Youre going to need PAC-3,” he said, pointing to examples like sophisticated Russian offensive weapons that have been used to strike Ukraine. “Youre going to need those kind of capabilities against those kind of threats.”

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Land Warfare, Air Force, Army, Business & Industry, GMARS, GMLRS, HIMARS, Lockheed Martin, PAC-3 missile, Paris Air Show 2025, Patriot, Ukraine] [Link to media]

— Today’s innovative military systems must have rapid production capacity

 

at 6/19/25 12:37pm

Militaries around the world need combat-proven capabilities coupled with new tools to deter evolving threats. In this brief video, Breaking Defense talked with Raytheon’s Barbara Borgonovi, president of Naval Power, about meeting that challenge, and how the company is increasing speed of delivery and ramping up production.

[Category: Air Warfare, Sponsored Post, Air Force, Navy, Paris 2025 Perspective RTX, Perspectives, Presented by RTX, Raytheon, RTX, sponsored content, video] [Link to media]

— The sights of Paris Air Show, one last time: Day 4 [Photos]

 

at 6/19/25 12:30pm

Attendees take a peak inside the Lockheed Martin Raider helicopter at the Paris Air Show on June 17, 2025. (Hélène de Lacoste / Breaking Defense) PARIS AIR SHOW — Thursday marked the unofficial closure of the Paris Air Show. While technically the show continues all week, Thursday is the last day where exhibitors are there in any show of force. After that, its the public days, and industry largely bugs out to avoid the chaos. That means Breaking Defenses time in Le Bourget has also come to a close, but before we go, we wanted to give you one last look at some of the sights from the show. The crowd gathers at the Paris Air Show 2025. (Daniel Woolfolk / Breaking Defense) Military officials were among the attendees at the Paris Air Show in June 2025. (Hélène de Lacoste / Breaking Defense) An attendee takes a break at the Paris Air Show on June 18, 2025. (Daniel Woolfolk / Breaking Defense) A rocket looms in the background at the Paris Air Show on June 17, 2025. (Hélène de Lacoste / Breaking Defense) AVIC, a Chinese aerospace firm, came to the Paris Air Show 2025 to show of its wares. (Hélène de Lacoste / Breaking Defense) French defense and space firm Hemeria brought along a surveillance blimp to the Paris Air Show 2025. (Aaron Mehta / Breaking Defense)

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Air Force, Paris Multimedia 2025, photo gallery] [Link to media]

— Sweden delays 3.5% GDP defense spending target, predicts 2032 deadline out of NATO summit

 

at 6/19/25 10:24am

Swedish Arctic Rangers conduct training as part of Exercise Adamant Serpent 25 in Sweden, November 2024. Adamant Serpent is a joint training exercise between the United States and Sweden. (Sgt. Xzavier Marte / U.S. Special Operations Command Europe) STOCKHOLM — Just days before NATO is set to gather for its high-profile summit at The Hague, Sweden today revealed it would delay its goal of hitting 3.5% GDP defense spending until up to 2032 — the timeline officials said is likely to be agreed upon by all NATO allies next week. “Sweden supports 3.5 percent of GDP by 2030 and is pushing for it within NATO,” Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson told Breaking Defense after the government and opposition in parliament in Stockholm announced the new timeline. “However, we must respect that all countries need to agree for a target to be decided, and as [NATO] Secretary General [Mark] Rutte has said, 2032 may become the relevant date.” Defense policy spokesperson for the Christian Democrats party Mikael Oscarsson specifically said countries such as Spain, Italy and others “have pushed for 2035,” but Sweden believes 2032 will end up being the compromise deadline agreed to out of the summit. In recent weeks Rutte, the NATO chief, has floated the idea of a two-tiered defense spending plan: 3.5 percent dedicated to core defense capabilities and another 1.5 percent to be spent on as-yet-undefined security related matters, totaling the 5 percent GDP spending goal for which the US has been calling. The details, including the timeline for such a goal, have yet to be worked out, though Rutte has reportedly suggested 2032. Sweden’s own 2032 deadline came in a formal agreement today between the government and opposition over the nation’s 2026 defense budget, which includes plans to secure an up to 300 billion crown ($3 billion) loan to fund its defense priorities. The document only says Stockholm will delay its spending goal for up to two years, meaning that a previously disclosed 2030 goal has been pushed back to 2032 at the latest. If NATO agrees on the additional target of 1.5 percent of GDP for broader defense-related investments, Sweden “should also meet this goal,” according to the agreement today. The exact definition of the target “remains unclear,” so it is “not yet certain” whether additional measures will be needed to achieve it,” the political parties in parliament state in the agreement. “To speak plainly, it’s about ensuring our children and grandchildren don’t have to learn to speak Russian,” Sweden’s finance minister Elisabeth Svantesson said at the press brief. Rutte stressed last week that NATO’s air defense needs an increase by 400 percent, emphasizing the critical role of air defense in strengthening deterrence and defense capabilities. Oscarsson said combat readiness is key, but the gaps in NATO’s capabilities can’t be ignored. “It’s about the lack of air defense, too few ground troops, too little ammunition, and insufficient long-range capabilities. We need to speed up.” Security services in Sweden and Denmark warn that “we could be at war in two to five years,” Mikael Oscarsson said. Sweden had Patriot systems delivered in 2021 and 2022, with PAC-2 and PAC-3. The European SAMP/T missile defense was a strong competitor in the $3 billion deal, but Sweden decided to go for US-made Patriot. “Thank goodness we chose Patriot. The other option was a development project that, to this day, doesn’t have the same capabilities against ballistic missiles. We made the right choice,” Oscarsson said. Now it’s about finding complements to Patriot. And in that regard, Israel’s air defense could be interesting, according to Oscarsson. Israel air defenses, which are used against attacks from Iran, are in focus. “It has been shown that Israel has four layers [of air defenses]. It’s very possible that we’ll conclude we need to supplement as well,” he said. One thing is clear: next week in The Hague, NATO allies will clash over the defense spending target to make a compromise, with an American Trump administration pushing for European capitals to take on more of the defense burden.

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Land Warfare, Naval Warfare, Air Force, Army, Europe, NATO, Navy, Sweden] [Link to media]

— General Atomics eyes European market, coproduction for CCA

 

at 6/19/25 10:02am

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Incs CCA on display at AFA 2024 (Valerie Insinna/Breaking Defense) PARIS AIR SHOW — International militaries looking to buy the General Atomics YFQ-42 autonomous combat drone won’t have to wait years, as the company is already meeting with potential customers about coproduction and sales, the head of the company’s aeronautics division told Breaking Defense. The two collaborative combat aircraft under development for the US Air Force, which include the YFQ-42 and Anduril’s YFQ-44, have yet to take their first flight. However, in a big departure from the typical timelines associated with marketing combat drones internationally, the Air Force is allowing the two companies vying to produce the service’s autonomous drone wingman to take sales meetings with certain allied nations in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region, Dave Alexander told Breaking Defense on Wednesday. And like its rival Anduril, which announced a partnership with Germany’s Rheinmetall to coproduce the YFQ-44 for Europe on Wednesday, General Atomics is in discussions with key industrial players in Europe about coproduction for the YFQ-42. “Theres some export processes we have to go through. Well get done in weeks, and then from there, well start some true international business development,” Alexander said on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show. “There’s going to be — probably in this region — one lead partner, and then maybe even pooled customers, meaning the coproduction line could then feed multiple customers.” “Whats really unprecedented is, typically, the Air Force will get a program like CCA going, theyll operate it in five to six years. They will almost have the program going for eight [to] 10 years before they even offer up international partners,” he added. “And here, right in the beginning, theyve come in strong and said, ‘Lets do this together. Lets get it going.’ Forty five years Ive been doing this, Ive never seen anything like it.” General Atomics spokesman C. Mark Brinkley added that there had been “multiple conversations” with potential international buyers during the first three days of the airshow. In some cases, countries are looking to buy a carbon copy of the CCA the Air Force is getting, Alexander said. Other nations want to take a slightly different approach, using the same air vehicle but changing out weapons, sensors and other mission systems to support an air-to-ground mission rather than the air-to-air mission of the US version. General Atomics is first and foremost looking for industrial partners in Europe that have “the proper experience and know-how to be a lead system integrator,” he said. “If youre going to remissionize the aircraft, we would want that partner to be able to pull together local content. So local sensors, maybe local weapons, for the air to ground mission, and then pull that together into a qualification program.” Alexander declined to comment whether General Atomics is talking with potential European customers about how its CCA could be integrated with the two major sixth-generation fighter programs under development by European consortiums: the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) led by the United Kingdom, Japan and Italy and the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) from France, Germany and Spain. Both GCAP and FCAS are being designed to operate alongside and control a suite of combat drones.

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Air Force, collaborative combat aircraft, Drones, General Atomics, Paris Air Show 2025, YQF-42, YQF-44] [Link to media]

— ShieldAI launching ‘next-gen aircraft’ in September: ‘Tremendous opportunity,’ new CEO says

 

at 6/19/25 9:28am

Unmanned aerial vehicle operators supporting the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepare to launch a VBAT Unmanned Aerial System aboard amphibious transport dock USS Portland (LPD 27), Sept. 5, 2021. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Alexis Flores) PARIS AIR SHOW — Late Tuesday at the Paris Air Show, defense tech startup ShieldAI released a video teasing some sort of “next-gen aircraft.” And while the company’s new CEO, Gary Steele, wasn’t willing to go too much into what that might look like, he did tell Breaking Defense that it is a wholly new drone, and not just an upgrade to the company’s existing V-Bat system. “Septembers our official launch time frame,” Steele said during a Wednesday interview at Le Bourget. “We wanted to give people just a taste of the fact that we are building next-generation aircraft. We obviously believe in autonomy, so you can assume that its a next generation autonomous aircraft. “We think theres a tremendous opportunity. We feel like we could fill a very important gap in the industry today, and we think the role that we can play broadly across defense, across the globe, will be meaningful.” ShieldAI originally was purely a software company, until its decision to buy Martin UAV brought the V-Bat into its portfolio — and suddenly the company was involved in the drone hardware business, something viewed by some in the industry as an awkward fit. Steele downplayed the idea that the decision to launch a new drone was representative that the company would be more focused on hardware under his leadership, saying the company was going to be “very thoughtful” about any moves into physical kit, and would remain focused on developing the autonomy software that has been its core. The executive also expressed confidence that any safety concerns about the V-Bat, as reported by Forbes earlier this year, have been alleviated, saying, “I think the companys done a really good job in focusing on the things that matter from a safety perspective, a compliance perspective, and I think weve been very straightforward about how weve seen issues dealt with them. … And so I feel like all thats behind us.” Steele was announced as the company’s new CEO in March, becoming the first outsider to take leadership of the startup founded by brothers Ryan and Brendon Tseng, both of whom remain as co-presidents. Several times during the interview, Steele used the words “maturity” and “scale” to represent the goals set for him by company leadership. Asked what that meant in real terms, he pointed largely to the need to expand to meet the market. “Its growing the company in a way that just, like — what does a mature company look like, and how do you put the how do you put the foundation in place to get there? And a lot of that we havent done yet. We havent gotten to that point,” he said. That includes on the international scale: “I think what youll continue to see is, weve had tremendous demand globally. And so, growing up as an international business, as an example, not being focused or dependent upon just the US market. So I think theres a very big international component.” Overall, “One of the things that I plan to bring is just a different level of maturity and focus as we grow at scale,” he said.

[Category: Air Warfare, Networks & Digital Warfare, Air Force, Business & Industry, cyber security, Drones, networks, Paris Air Show 2025, Shield AI, technology, V-Bat] [Link to media]

— KNDS’s Mataris loitering munitions finding contracts from French government

 

at 6/19/25 8:39am

The MV-25 Oskar is showed in promo art from Delair. (Delair) PARIS AIR SHOW — The French military has bought a set of new Mataris loitering munitions from defense firm KNDS as the government seeks to scale up production in the wake of the Ukraine war, the company told Breaking Defense during this week’s Paris Air Show. KNDS (formerly Nexter) showcased its Mataris family of systems at Le Bourget, while announcing that France has procured 17 of the MV-100 Veloce 330 for testing and training by the Air & Space Force, Navy and Army. The MV-100 Veloce 330 is developed in partnership with EOS Technologie, a French fixed-wing drone manufacturer intended for military missions. The effort falls under France’s “Larinae” project, launched in May 2022 by the French Defense Innovation Agency (AID) and the defense ministry’s procurement agency, to find domestic loitering munitions with a 50 km (31 mile) range and autonomy of at least 60 minutes. Speaking to reporters, Olivier Travert, KNDS’ chief sales officer, said the effort design exceeds those requirements. According to company literature, the 12-18 kg thrust jet turbine engine has a range of 100 km (62 miles), a maximum altitude of 6,000 m (19,685 feet), a cruising speed of 200 km/h (124.27 mph) and a top speed of 400 km/h (248.55 mph). The platform has a wingspan of 3.3 m (10.83 feet) and can be assembled by two operators in under 10 minutes; it also has alternatives to GPS, in case that system is blocked by electronic warfare. The munition is a 2.5 kg derivative of KNDS’ Bonus technology (Bonus is the shell fired by the Caesar truck-mounted gun) “which can destroy any type of vehicle,” Travert said, “because it explodes a short distance away from the vehicle and releases an armour-piercing charge which cannot be stopped by cope cages.” Jean-Marie Zuliani, president of EOS Technologie, explained that the 17 MV-100 Veloce 330s bought by the French armed forces do not have a warhead “because they are being used to train the operators who have to learn to use a UAV that flies as fast as a jet.” He added that “these are not just demonstrators, but we are using the comments and suggestions we receive from the operators to help us improve the product. In order to shorten the development cycle, our contract includes a clause requiring us to provide an improvement modification every two or three months until the end of this year when the product must be entirely finished.” Zuliani said the doctrine of use would probably evolve once the French armed forces started using this loitering ammunition operationally, “but for the moment it is equipped with a parachute so that the UAV can be recuperated.” He specified the weapon could be armed and disarmed remotely, and that there was always a human in the loop to make the final decision as to whether to destroy the initial target or not based on the real-time video images returned to the control-center by the on-board camera. Asked by Breaking Defense whether these loitering munitions will be produced in Ukraine, the two offered a short silence followed by one saying, “We’d prefer to remain discreet on this subject.” The MX-10 Damocles on display at the 2025 Paris Air Show. (Christina Mackenzie/Breaking Defense) Far less discreet is the news that another member of the Mataris family has been deployed in Ukraine over the past few days. The MV-25 Oskar is a fixed-wing system developed in partnership with French-firm Delair, who was the lead on this project. The Oskar was developed in the framework of the AID’s Colibri project to develop a low cost loitering munition to be used beyond 5 km (3 miles) from the launch point. According to Travert, after the Colibri demonstration, the DGA decided to order its industrialization. Developed for anti-personnel and anti-light vehicle missions, this loitering munition was designed to have a 25km (15.5miles) range with a flight endurance of 45 minutes but, according to Bastien Mancini, Delair’s president, it has proven to be able to almost double this range at 40 km (25 miles). The platform is based on the Delair UX11 with a 1.1 m wingspan (3.6 ft) hand-launched by the operator who also fits the 550 g (19.4 ounce) explosive incendiary fragmentation warhead before take-off, as the two are packaged separately for security. Made of ruggedized polystyrene, the wing has a very low radar signature, a jam-resistant data link, can navigate in a GNSS denied environment and provides real-time video to the operator up to impact. An attack can be aborted and the system returned to loitering mode until a target is re-engaged. The third member of the Mataris family is the MX-10 Damocles, also developed in partnership with Delair, to neutralize infantry and light-vehicles. It is a quadcopter that carries a 550 g explosive incendiary fragmentation warhead up to 10 km (6.21 miles) with a flight endurance of 40 minutes. Like Oskar, it has a jam-resistant data-link, provides real-time video up to impact, can navigate in a GNSS denied environment and allows the operator to abort an attack. A contract from the DGA was signed in July 2024 for 2,270 Damocles to be delivered in tranches over the next seven years. The first, firm tranche is for 460, of which 30 will be delivered next month. But the DGA has warned that it would like 2,000 of these to be produced a year with the possibility of this rate being increased. The fourth member of the Mataris family is the MT-10 currently being developed by KNDS on its own. It is the still-under-development system, for the moment, and looks like a small cylinder containing the 550 gram explosive incendiary charge launched by a tube. Once airborne, the cylinder deploys two sets of counter-rotative rotary wings set one above the other which allows it to travel up to 10 km for 30 minutes. Designed for operations in both urban and open-field environments, the system can be either vehicle-mounted or carried in a backpack. In some ways, it’s ironic that KNDS staffers are developing these weapons, as the company’s bread and butter has been exactly the kind of armored vehicles which these types of munitions are designed to destroy. Asked about that discrepancy, one staffer at the company’s booth smiled and responded, “That’s the advantage of developing these munitions: in parallel we’re figuring out how to protect armored vehicles from them.”

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Land Warfare, Air Force, Army, Drones, Europe, france, KNDS, loitering munitions, Paris Air Show 2025] [Link to media]

— KNDS’ Mataris loitering munitions finding contracts from French government

 

at 6/19/25 8:39am

The MV-25 Oskar is showed in promo art from Delair. (Delair) PARIS AIR SHOW — The French military has bought a set of new Mataris loitering munitions from defense firm KNDS as the government seeks to scale up production in the wake of the Ukraine war, the company told Breaking Defense during this week’s Paris Air Show. KNDS (formerly Nexter) showcased its Mataris family of systems at Le Bourget, while announcing that France has procured 17 of the MV-100 Veloce 330 for testing and training by the Air & Space Force, Navy and Army. The MV-100 Veloce 330 is developed in partnership with EOS Technologie, a French fixed-wing drone manufacturer intended for military missions. The effort falls under France’s “Larinae” project, launched in May 2022 by the French Defense Innovation Agency (AID) and the defense ministry’s procurement agency, to find domestic loitering munitions with a 50 km (31 mile) range and autonomy of at least 60 minutes. Speaking to reporters, Olivier Travert, KNDS’ chief sales officer, said the effort design exceeds those requirements. According to company literature, the 12-18 kg thrust jet turbine engine has a range of 100 km (62 miles), a maximum altitude of 6,000 m (19,685 feet), a cruising speed of 200 km/h (124.27 mph) and a top speed of 400 km/h (248.55 mph). The platform has a wingspan of 3.3 m (10.83 feet) and can be assembled by two operators in under 10 minutes; it also has alternatives to GPS, in case that system is blocked by electronic warfare. The munition is a 2.5 kg derivative of KNDS’ Bonus technology (Bonus is the shell fired by the Caesar truck-mounted gun) “which can destroy any type of vehicle,” Travert said, “because it explodes a short distance away from the vehicle and releases an armour-piercing charge which cannot be stopped by cope cages.” Jean-Marie Zuliani, president of EOS Technologie, explained that the 17 MV-100 Veloce 330s bought by the French armed forces do not have a warhead “because they are being used to train the operators who have to learn to use a UAV that flies as fast as a jet.” He added that “these are not just demonstrators, but we are using the comments and suggestions we receive from the operators to help us improve the product. In order to shorten the development cycle, our contract includes a clause requiring us to provide an improvement modification every two or three months until the end of this year when the product must be entirely finished.” Zuliani said the doctrine of use would probably evolve once the French armed forces started using this loitering ammunition operationally, “but for the moment it is equipped with a parachute so that the UAV can be recuperated.” He specified the weapon could be armed and disarmed remotely, and that there was always a human in the loop to make the final decision as to whether to destroy the initial target or not based on the real-time video images returned to the control-center by the on-board camera. Asked by Breaking Defense whether these loitering munitions will be produced in Ukraine, the two offered a short silence followed by one saying, “We’d prefer to remain discreet on this subject.” The MX-10 Damocles on display at the 2025 Paris Air Show. (Christina Mackenzie/Breaking Defense) Far less discreet is the news that another member of the Mataris family has been deployed in Ukraine over the past few days. The MV-25 Oskar is a fixed-wing system developed in partnership with French-firm Delair, who was the lead on this project. The Oskar was developed in the framework of the AID’s Colibri project to develop a low cost loitering munition to be used beyond 5 km (3 miles) from the launch point. According to Travert, after the Colibri demonstration, the DGA decided to order its industrialization. Developed for anti-personnel and anti-light vehicle missions, this loitering munition was designed to have a 25km (15.5miles) range with a flight endurance of 45 minutes but, according to Bastien Mancini, Delair’s president, it has proven to be able to almost double this range at 40 km (25 miles). The platform is based on the Delair UX11 with a 1.1 m wingspan (3.6 ft) hand-launched by the operator who also fits the 550 g (19.4 ounce) explosive incendiary fragmentation warhead before take-off, as the two are packaged separately for security. Made of ruggedized polystyrene, the wing has a very low radar signature, a jam-resistant data link, can navigate in a GNSS denied environment and provides real-time video to the operator up to impact. An attack can be aborted and the system returned to loitering mode until a target is re-engaged. The third member of the Mataris family is the MX-10 Damocles, also developed in partnership with Delair, to neutralize infantry and light-vehicles. It is a quadcopter that carries a 550 g explosive incendiary fragmentation warhead up to 10 km (6.21 miles) with a flight endurance of 40 minutes. Like Oskar, it has a jam-resistant data-link, provides real-time video up to impact, can navigate in a GNSS denied environment and allows the operator to abort an attack. A contract from the DGA was signed in July 2024 for 2,270 Damocles to be delivered in tranches over the next seven years. The first, firm tranche is for 460, of which 30 will be delivered next month. But the DGA has warned that it would like 2,000 of these to be produced a year with the possibility of this rate being increased. The fourth member of the Mataris family is the MT-10 currently being developed by KNDS on its own. It is the still-under-development system, for the moment, and looks like a small cylinder containing the 550 gram explosive incendiary charge launched by a tube. Once airborne, the cylinder deploys two sets of counter-rotative rotary wings set one above the other which allows it to travel up to 10 km for 30 minutes. Designed for operations in both urban and open-field environments, the system can be either vehicle-mounted or carried in a backpack. In some ways, it’s ironic that KNDS staffers are developing these weapons, as the company’s bread and butter has been exactly the kind of armored vehicles which these types of munitions are designed to destroy. Asked about that discrepancy, one staffer at the company’s booth smiled and responded, “That’s the advantage of developing these munitions: in parallel we’re figuring out how to protect armored vehicles from them.”

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Land Warfare, Air Force, Army, Drones, Europe, france, KNDS, loitering munitions, Paris Air Show 2025] [Link to media]

— Chinese sats appear to be attempting first-ever on-orbit refueling, sat tracking firms say

 

at 6/19/25 7:54am

A Long March-3B rocket carrying a test satellite, Shijian-25, blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest Chinas Sichuan Province, Jan. 7, 2025. (Photo by Du Xinxin/Xinhua via Getty Images) WASHINGTON — A Chinese satellite designed for refueling missions has been dancing awfully close to another Chinese bird in orbit, raising the possibility Beijing is about to pull off — or already has pulled off — the first-ever on-orbit gas-up, according to satellite tracking firms. Last week Slingshot Aerospace watched Chinas experimental SJ-25, which Beijing launched in January and has said publicly said was meant for refueling missions, approach another satellite, SJ-21. But the view from terrestrial telescopes wasnt able to confirm docking, much less refueling, so Slingshot concluded the data was inconclusive as to what exactly happened. If docking did occur, then the duration of that event would be no more than three hours, a Slingshot spokesperson told Breaking Defense of the June 13 event. Slingshot Aerospace is monitoring Chinas SJ-25 as it prepares to dock with and refuel SJ-21 (center screen) in a first of a kind mission. After an extremely close approach on June 13, the two are predicted to converge again on June 23. (Screengrab of Slingshot video) A spokesperson for COMSPOC, another US space tracking company, likewise said their tracking data showed the two satellites came within 1 kilometer (3,280 feet) of each other on June 13, and possibly docked. The Slingshot spokesperson said that while the objects separated the next day, they are reapproaching presently, with a predicted close approach on June 23, suggesting a second attempt could be in the offing. A successful space refueling between satellites, known in US Space Force parlance as a space mobility operation, would be definitely a big deal, according to Victoria Samson, Secure World Foundations chief director of Space Security and Stability. She explained that it would represent a new capability for China — one that could be seen as militarily threatening. For that reason Samson called on Beijing to be more transparent about SJ-25s mission. While this type of close approach activity does not automatically signify a military mission, it obviously could provide a co-orbital counterspace capability, Samson said. I think its truly important to understand as much as possible what China is doing, ideally from information released from China itself. Otherwise, in the absence of any other information, many observers in the West will assume that this is part of a military mission and evidence that China is undertaking activities that threatens other countries ability to utilize space, she added. It was a concern alluded to a in a statement to breaking defense from the US Space Force about the SJ-25 and SJ-21 interaction. The Space Forces component command for providing forces to US Space Command (SPACECOM) confirmed that the two Chinese birds share a similar orbit and are moving in sync, though the command did not comment on whether docking and refueling occurred. China’s Shijian satellites, designed for inspection and repair, also showcase advanced proximity operations that, despite being framed as peaceful, feature dual-use technologies — such as robotic arms and precision maneuvers — that could be adapted for counterspace missions and satellite interference. S4S continues to monitor these activities closely, a spokesperson for Space Forces Space told Breaking Defense Tuesday. Previously SJ-21 raised eyebrows in the US national security community in 2022 when it docked with a defunct Beidou positioning, navigation and timing satellite and towed it out of geosynchronous Earth orbit to just beyond the so-called graveyard orbit where dead spacecraft are disposed. While Beijing advertised SJ-21 as a space debris removal experiment, US military officials routinely have speculated it could instead be used as a weapon to grapple US satellites out of orbit or otherwise cause damage. Meanwhile, COMSPOC in a June 9 post noted that observations by made by Observable Space — a newcomer to the space situational awareness business founded in February that uses data from COMSPOCs network of telescopes — showed two US satellites, USA 270 and USA 271, maneuvering in tandem with the SJ-25. Those two satellites, launched in 2016, are two of the earliest satellites in the Space Forces Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) constellation for monitoring the heavens. GSSAP contributes to SPACECOMs Space Surveillance Network for tracking space objects, along with  ground-based telescopes and radars stationed around the world. Chinese pursuit of on-orbit refueling comes as US officials have been publicly dismissive of the capability. The Space Force has funded some on-orbit refueling experiments, but none of them have yet reached fruition, and senior service officials have made it clear that such operations are not on their near-term agenda. According to the Pentagons fiscal 2026 research and development budget documents obtained by Breaking Defense, the Space Force request includes only $14.5 million for Space Access, Mobility & Logistics — the mission area that includes on-orbit refueling as well as other types of missions involving RPO and rapid maneuver — almost a 50 percent cut from the already meager FY25 budget of $24 million. Kari Bingen, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that China is experimenting and testing to improve their military capabilities, tactics, and intelligence collection, and seeing how we respond — all through in-the-field learning. I can’t help but think about all the tactics, development, and operational learning they’re gaining. Give me a sports car, wide open space, and let me test its limits. And when I’m not limited by fuel, I can really push the envelope, she added. Clayton Swope, Bingens deputy, said that Chinas demonstration, if successful, would represent a paradigm shift in space operations and the space marketplace. Refuelability may never make sense for low Earth orbit, but its hard not to see it making sense the further you go away from Earth, he told Breaking Defense. Expensive, high-value satellites in geosynchronous orbit, or even further afield, need not be disposable, one-time-use systems. China seems to get that, while we risk being late to the party.

[Category: Global, Space, Asia, China, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, COMSPOC, Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program, Indo-Pacific, on-orbit refueling, SJ-21, SJ-25, Slingshot Aerospace, space command, Space Force, space situational awareness, Space Surveillance Network SSN] [Link to media]

— The American contingent and Turkey’s autonomy goals: Paris Air Show Day 3 [Video]

 

at 6/18/25 4:33pm

PARIS AIR SHOW — Today was day three and, though theres technically one more day of events, the unofficial end of the 2025 Paris Air Show. Editor-in-Chief Aaron Mehta and Air Warfare Reporter Michael Marrow discuss the USs presence at the show. While US industry still made a showing, there was a lack of civilian leadership from the Pentagon. On the other hand, Turkey had a large presence at the show, showing off its KAAN fifth-generation fighter. Make sure to see all our coverage from Le Bourget by clicking here, and check back tomorrow for a wrap-up video of the show.

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Air Force, Paris Multimedia 2025] [Link to media]

— Left of boom: Israeli strikes concentrate on Iranian missile threat

 

at 6/18/25 4:30pm

Israels Iron Dome air defense system responds to incoming Iranian ballistic missiles as seen from Ramallah in the West Bank on June 18, 2025. (Photo by Issam Rimawi/Anadolu via Getty Images) JERUSALEM — The Israel Defense Forces said this morning that Israeli Air Force fighter jets had struck over 40 “missile infrastructure components” in Iran, the latest in a campaign by the Israeli military to neuter Tehrans ability to launch effective counterattacks before they can get off the ground. Strikes so far have included targeting missile production facilities, missile fuel sites, underground depots where the IDF says missiles are stored, and missile launchers. Israel’s ability to neutralize Iran’s air defenses has given Israel the ability to hunt down missiles even as theyre on their way to being launched. This mornings strikes specifically targeted a number of components of Irans missile program, including “missile storage sites and military operatives of the Iranian Regime,” the IDF said in a statement. The reports from the IDF about success against Iran’s missiles came the same day that The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel could be running low on its Arrow missile interceptors. The Arrow air defense system is Israel’s top tier of its multi-layered air defense systems. It consists of Arrow 2 and Arrow 3. Arrow can intercept exoatmospheric threats, meaning ballistic missiles that exit the atmosphere and return. Israel has also used its David’s Sling system to counter Iran’s missile attacks. In addition, US systems such as THAAD have been used. If Israel is running low on Arrows, it would put more urgency on the offensive effort to destroy the missiles long before they are heading toward Iranian airspace. IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the IDF had identified 30 missile launches from Iran overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday. As of this report, the IDF said Iran had managed to launch at least 400 missiles in 17 salvos since Israels strike on Iran last week, in addition to 1,000 drones. The drones do not appear to have penetrated Israel’s defenses, but more than 20 of the ballistic missiles have, killing more than two dozen people. Israel has detailed many of its efforts against Iran’s missile launchers and missile program. For instance, today the IDF released footage of a strike on an Iranian Emad missile launcher as it was preparing to launch. Iran has a number of types of ballistic missiles, including liquid and solid fueled. Defrin also noted on June 17 that the IDF was seeking to remove the missile threat “from its source.” Also that day the IDF said it had struck 12 missile launch sites and storage facilities. The IDF released video and an infographic on the strikes. We have delivered significant blows to the Iranian regime, and as such, they have been pushed back into central Iran, Defrin said. They are now focusing their efforts on conducting missile fire from the area of Isfahan. We are aiming at military targets; they are attacking civilian homes.” By Monday, just three days after the start of the campaign, the IDF assessed it had struck a third of Iran’s estimated 360 missile launchers. By Tuesday, the assessment had grown to include up to 200 of Iran’s launchers eliminated. That would be more than 55 percent. Iran also may be running low on missiles it can use to strike Israel. This depends on the estimates of how many missiles Iran had to begin with and how many have been destroyed and also used. Other variables include the fact that Israel has assessed that Iran is forced to launch from further away. For instance, Isfahan in central Iran is 1,600km from Israel, whereas areas closer to the border such Kermanshah are only 1,100km from Israel. The clearest example that Israel believes the missile threat is reduced is Israel’s changes to its Home Front Command instructions for civilians in Israel. At 6 pm local time on June 18 the guidelines were relaxed regarding public gatherings, enabling people in non-essential work to return to workplaces.

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Land Warfare, Air Force, Army, iran, Israel, Middle East] [Link to media]

— Eurofighter CEO hopes export push could lead to doubled production by 2028

 

at 6/18/25 4:15pm

The Eurofighter consortium has mapped out an industrial plan to ramp up production to 30 aircraft a year, dependent on securing new export orders (Breaking Defense) PARIS AIR SHOW — The four-country Eurofighter consortium plans to ramp up production of the Typhoon fourth generation fighter jet at a rate of 30 aircraft per year beginning in 2028, more than doubling existing output — a boost contigent on new business from customers around the world, from Europe to the Middle East. “We are eyeing already a [production] rate of 30” aircraft, “once [new] export orders start kicking in,” Eurofighter CEO Jorge Tamarit Degenhardt told reporters at the Paris Air Show today. He shared that 14 of the combat jets are currently produced annually, with plans in motion to reach 20 units a year over the coming three years. “We need to do it [ramp up production] fast,” said Degenhardt. Since these deliveries are happening within the next decade or decades, we need to sustain this increase of industrial throughput, [by developing] the best new manufacturing technologies, and we need to strengthen as well, our supply chain of 400 critical suppliers.” In addition to Eurofighters current order total of 729 jets, the consortium of Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK is chiefly targeting four export campaigns to dramatically increase production long term: Austria, Poland, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. “The interesting concept is that if we start delivering jets, say, now, these jets will be fine until well into the” 2060s, added Degenhardt. “We need to accelerate and define whats the root of capabilities enhancement for the future. The prospect of a future deal with Austria could take a step forward once Vienna develops a procurement plan, potentially launched next year, and as proposed by a national defense report, published earlier this year, to replace ageing Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 1 jets. As Breaking Defense previously reported, Polands air dominance acquisition, which pits the Eurofighter against Boeings F-15EX, centers around procurement of 32 new fighter jets, though it remains to be seen when an aircraft selection decision will be made. In the case of Turkey, the UK has made a bid to supply the aircraft to Ankara, which could result in a deal for 40 aircraft. Additionally, BAE Systems said last year that it is in the process of collaborating with the UK government on a formal Statement of Requirements in support of prospective new deal with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia already operates a fleet of 72 Eurofighters after a first sale with BAE was agreed in 2007. Besides export business, the key to keeping the aircraft “operationally relevant” for decades more, is a yet to be defined, midlife upgrade, shared Degenhardt. At a technical level, Eurofighter is “reaching the limit” of its existing hardware architecture, while pressure relating to a “computing capacity issue” needs to be resolved long term. Despite the ambition of the upgrade and supporting requirements clearly “articulated” by the four home Eurofighter nations, they have yet to put forward any funding for it, according to Degenhardt. He was also clear that the Eurofighter consortium is not expecting a new order to be placed by the UK, the only nation of the four partners to publicly decide against buying additional aircraft. The recent Strategic Defence Review (SDR) instead revealed that “more F-35s will be required over the next decade,” and “could comprise a mix of F-35A and B models,” depending on requirements. “Our leverage to influence the UKs SDR is limited, and they are really moving towards F-35 operations and GCAP, said Degenhardt, referring to the trilateral Global Combat Air Programme. We anticipate there will be knock-on effects after the SDR, which are positively affecting the Eurofighter, but not in the form of new orders.”

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Air Force, Austria, Eurofighter Typhoon, Europe, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, NATO, Paris Air Show 2025, Poland, turkey, UK] [Link to media]

— Space Force is contracting with SpaceX for new, secretive MILNET SATCOM network

 

at 6/18/25 2:00pm

A trail of a group of SpaceXs Starlink satellites passing over Uruguay. The Pentagon is seeing an uptick in reports that mistake Starlink for UFOs. (Photo by MARIANA SUAREZ/AFP via Getty Images) WASHINGTON — The Space Force in contracting with SpaceX for a new government-owned, contractor-operated satellite communication constellation in low Earth orbit (LEO), called MILNET, that eventually will be integrated into the services grand plan for a hybrid mesh network combining commercial and Defense Department satellites, a senior Space Force official revealed today. MILNET is onboarding to the United States Space Force through SSC [Space System Command] right now, but specifically to Delta 8, and we are completely relooking at how were going to operate that constellation of capabilities for the Joint Force, which is going to be significant because weve never had a DoD hybrid mesh network at LEO, Col. Jeff Weisler, Delta 8 commander, said today. Delta 8, headquartered at Schriever SFP in Colorado, is mission-focused on Satellite Communications and is the focal point for U.S. protected and assured Military Satellite Communications to the president, secretary of defense, national decision makers, theater commanders, and strategic and tactical forces worldwide, according to the Space Forces website. MILNET, which has rarely been discussed publicly until now, comprises 480-plus satellites, Weisler said, that will be operated by SpaceX but overseen by a Delta 8 mission director who communicates to the contracted workforce to execute operations at the timing and tempo of warfighting. The network will use terminals created by SpaceX for its Starshield satellites being configured for military use, which also can link into SpaceXs commercial Starlink constellation. The Starshield terminals have more encryption than those sold to consumers for Starlink access, he explained. The Space Force also has contracts with SpaceX for use of Starshield terminals to link to Starlink under its Proliferated Low Earth Orbit Satellite-Based Services program, which has a ceiling of $13 billion over 10-year for tasking orders to providers via an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract pool. The service has not disclosed the value of those contracts. Previously, the only public Space Force reference to MILNET came in an SSC announcement last month about awards to CACI, General Atomics, and Viasat to continue development of space laser communication terminal prototypes in Phase 2 of the $100 million Enterprise Space Terminal (EST) program. ESTs are a key building block of the broader space data network known as MILNET, which will build a space mesh network for resiliency and information path diversity. Several government and industry sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the reason for the secrecy surrounding MILNET up to now is that while SSC is funding the effort, the actual contract is being managed by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) under its never publicly acknowledged contract with SpaceX for the spy satellite agencies new LEO constellation of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellites. Reuters first reported in February on the fact that NRO had contracted with SpaceX for Starshield buses for its proliferated LEO constellation that the agency said in April numbered more than 150 birds. In response to questions from Breaking Defense about the EST contract, an SSC spokesperson said that MILNET satellites will carry Enterprise Space Terminals (ESTs) as will other U.S. Space Force (USSF) satellites that can then connect into MILNET for resilient data transport. The long-term intent is that all USSF satellites will have the option to integrate EST-compatible terminals and connect to MILNET for data transport. However, SSC was unable to clarify details about the MILNET network and contract by press time.

[Category: All Domain, Space, MILNET, Multi-Domain Operations, National Reconnaissance Office, Space Development Agency, Space Force, Space Systems Command, SpaceX, Starlink, Starshield, Transport Layer] [Link to media]

— State Department approves $2B Australian Super Hornet, Growler equipment package

 

at 6/18/25 2:00pm

A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) EA-18G Growler (Photo Credit: LAC Ryan Howell/Royal Australian Air Force) MELBOURNE — The US State Department has approved an Australian Foreign Military Sales request to acquire equipment for its fleet of EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft and F/A-18F Super Hornet multirole fighter jets. The announcement by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency on June 16 said Australia has been cleared to buy 60 Global Lightning – Joint Tactical Terminal – Transceivers (JTT-X) and 24 Next Generation Electronic Attack Units (NGEAU) under the package. The estimated total cost of the sale is $2 billion USD. The proposed sale will improve Australia’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing the necessary follow-on sustainment support services for its F/A-18F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft fleet, the DSCA announcement says. JTT-X is a communications terminal designed to deliver critical, time sensitive battlefield tactical intelligence and targeting information to tactical commanders and other intelligence nodes securely and in near real-time using satellite communications networks, according to the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). The NGEAU provides a capability that enhances the Growler’s ability to autonomously process and respond to unknown electronic signals in an extremely dense electromagnetic environment. According to the US Navy it implements reactive Electronic Attack measures using advanced machine learning algorithms to enable effects against agile, adaptive, and unknown hostile radars or radar modes. The NGEAU is part of a series of spiral hardware and software upgrades to the EA-18G known as the Growler Block II, which will also encompass enhancements to its airborne electronic attack systems. The package will also include advanced electronic warfare systems, ALE-47 electronic warfare countermeasures systems, joint missioning planning software and aircraft spares and repair parts. Australia is currently the sole operator of the EA-18G Growler, which is based on the F/A-18F Super Hornet. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has 12 Growlers alongside 24 F/A-18Fs in its inventory. The US ally has also participated in the development of the Next Generation Jammer that is being introduced on US Navy Growlers. It previously announced in 2017 that it would contribute $250 million Australian dollars ($162.5 million USD) in funding to the program.

[Category: Air Warfare, Global, Air Force, Asia, australia, EA-18G, FA-18EF, Growlers, Super Hornet] [Link to media]

As of 6/21/25 2:26am. Last new 6/20/25 1:30pm.