breaking defense

3 congressional races that matter for defense Several lawmakers with major influence over defense policy and spending are fighting for their political futures.

Canada unveils first national security strategy in more than 20 years The strategy comes amid tension between Canada and its North American neighbor over tense trade negotiations.

Beyond autopilot: Understanding the five levels of battlefield drone autonomy [Sponsored] By going beyond simple automation, drones can carry out tasks with minimal input from operators.

Army's MV-75 production award could slip due to CR, raising program costs: Textron Bell Textron executives warned that a delay in the helicopter's first low-rate production contract could increase the program's expected financial hit to as much as $150 million.

Taiwan 2027 conflict window remains valid, Army Pacific commander says Army Pacific is positioning personnel and equipment across the Pacific to meet the 2027 "Davidson window" benchmark and deter a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan, Gen. Ronald Clark said.

US, Japan reach agreements for AMRAAM assembly, SM-3 production boost: Japanese MoD The "groundbreaking agreement" on AMRAAM production "will not only ensure the acquisition of equipment needed by both Japan and the United States, but will also strengthen Japan's defense industry base," said Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.

US, Japan ink agreements for AMRAAM production, SM-3 production boost: Japanese MoD The "groundbreaking agreement" on AMRAAM production "will not only ensure the acquisition of equipment needed by both Japan and the United States, but will also strengthen Japan's defense industry base," said Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.

Giving counter-UAS operators 75 km of advance warning throws the advantage to them [Sponsored] SkyValor extends RF detection range, providing more time to assess and respond to drone threats.

Kaliningrad is more than the Suwałki Gap, and NATO cannot ignore it In an age of drones and long-range precision weapons, Kaliningrad's location shows Europe's security isn't neatly divided between frontline states and everyone else.

Pentagon will pick new US base location by June 2027, prioritizing 4 requirements In an interview with Breaking Defense, Dale Marks, the assistant secretary of defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment, laid out new details on the effort.

Counter-UAS solution finds and classifies targets at standoff distance with "autonomous perception" [Sponsored] Warden's passive, first layer of detection complements EO/IR and radar.

AUKUS partners test autonomous systems as Europe weighs maritime surveillance needs The UK headed up the anti-submarine warfare component of Maritime Big Play exercise, which took place off the coast of San Diego in October.

With daily jamming of US forces on Korean Peninsula, industry needs resilient solutions: USFK commander "If your capability requires pristine satellite communications, infinite bandwidth, and uninterrupted fiber optic backbone to function, it will not survive 48 hours on the peninsula," Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of US Forces Korea, said.

Canadian firms line up for potential GCAP, Gripen work Back in July, the Italian Ministry of Defense told Breaking Defense that at that stage, being an observer did not entail that Canada had an industrial role in GCAP, adding that it was infeasible then "to predict the timing, modalities, or conditions of any potential expansion" of the country's new participation.

UK commits to 3 percent GDP on defense by 2030, new investment partnerships with industry Chancellor John Healey said that the UK's recent Defence Investment Plan would be "fully" funded, indicating the money for defense would come from cuts to other priorities.

How General Atomics views Europe's unmanned future In this fireside chat, Dave Alexander of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems talks through his company's strategy for the European market.

Navy faces 'years-long' maintenance crunch amid record-breaking, extended deployments Extended deployments in the Middle East could compound existing maintenance delays, with Navy leaders warning that returning ships will strain shipyard capacity and force trade-offs between repairs and modernization.

Startup Biosphere wins Pentagon contract to scale up production of key chemicals The biomanufacturing facility will boast 20,000 liters of UV-sterilized vats, able to brew anything from "bio-cement" for helipads to explosives for Hellfire missiles.

Is the Finnish-Norwegian call with Putin a crack in Nordic resolve, or the start of a new path? Western European leaders have largely avoided speaking with Putin since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Australia pushes to beef up air defenses Australia expects to select the winning platform for LAND 6504 in late 2027 following a RFP that is expected in the early part of the year.

DIA: China has tripled its satellite fleet since 2018 as expansion continues The Defense Intelligence Agency's third iteration of its unclassified report on space threats also includes a never-before released image of China's

A more flexible way to defend maneuver forces from drones that doesn't tie them down [Sponsored] Short-range air defense that is designed to move and adapt regardless of vehicle.

Defense Department selects Poland for new PAC-3 maintenance facility The US, in partnership with Lockheed Martin, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, announced the new facility aimed at scaling and speeding up Patriot interceptor repairs. 

What's haunting the Pentagon this Halloween? Three special guests, and Mark, share a few frightening mysteries from their beats — from the dangers of war in space to the intricacies of upgrading America's nuclear weapons.

Another Michigan auto firm enters defense industry as state tries to revive 'Arsenal of Democracy' JVIS is one of the latest Michigan-based automotive commercial companies to become involved in the defense sector.

How the F-15 and F-22 should inform the F-47's procurement Budgetary lessons from the two legacy aircraft can help the Air Force anticipate hard choices for the new F-47, one analyst argues.

USAF should buy newly designed air refuelers to meet China threat: Report Although there's a "temptation" to keep buying KC-46s, a plan to procure 75 more of the Boeing-made tankers should be an "upper limit" followed by a new, longer range tanker, the Hudson Institute's Timothy Walton told Breaking Defense.

The new must-have capabilities for drones [Sponsored] Electronic warfare, GPS denial, and battlefield attrition are driving new requirements for small UAS.

2026 midterm cheat sheet: Which races to watch on defense With pollsters predicting that Democrats will flip one or both chambers of Congress, there could be major changes to the roster of defense advocates on Capitol Hill.

How the Pentagon wants to buy cyber outcomes, not equipment The Pentagon has been exploring a new paradigm dubbed Cyber Effects-as-a-Service, aiming to purchase specific outcomes as opposed to bespoke capabilities.