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Finland has taken its first practical step into a European F-35 sharing arrangement after one of its pilots flew the aircraft in Europe for the first time. The September 17 mission in Norway brought together F-35 pilots from six NATO countries using Norwegian and Dutch jets.

Finnish pilot completes first F-35 flight in Europe, marking new phase in aircraft, maintenance and weapons sharing with NATO allies

Air

Finnish pilot completes first F-35 flight in Europe, marking new phase in aircraft, maintenance and weapons sharing with NATO allies

Finland has taken its first practical step into a European F-35 sharing arrangement after one of its pilots flew the aircraft in Europe for the first time.

Lockheed Martin said the next phase of hypersonic competition will be defined by sustained atmospheric flight rather than brief demonstrations of top speed. The company views endurance, maneuverability and production capacity as the measures that will determine whether hypersonic weapons become usable elements of conventional deterrence.

Lockheed Martin says hypersonic weapons race is shifting from peak speed to sustained flight, maneuverability and mass production

The United States has launched more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles during four weeks of conflict with Iran, raising concerns among some Pentagon officials over the pace of usage. The figures, first reported by The Washington Post and cited by Reuters, have prompted internal discussions on maintaining adequate supplies.

Operation Epic Fury: U.S. struck 13,500 targets in 36,000 combat sorties during major military campaign against Iran, report says

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth pointed to the operational use of Saronic’s Corsair sea drone as evidence of the military value of commercially developed autonomous systems. The vessel rescued two Army aviators off Oman in June and was used the following month in a U.S. strike on an Iranian naval facility.

Hegseth says Saronic sea drone rescued U.S. pilots and struck Iranian naval facility in first American combat deployment

Finland’s first two F-35A Lightning II fighters landed at Lapland Air Wing in Rovaniemi on September 18, opening the domestic phase of one of the country’s largest military programs. Finland plans to replace its F/A-18 Hornets with a 64-aircraft F-35 fleet and reach full operational capability by the end of 2030.

Arrival of Finland’s first F-35A fighters opens new era for Finnish Air Force, with full operational capability planned by 2030

Air and missile defence

Read more
Iranian ballistic missiles targeted Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates

Operation Epic Fury: U.S. and partners intercepted more than 7,500 Iranian attack drones and ballistic missiles across the Middle East

The Czech Republic has begun bringing Rafael’s SPYDER air defence system into operational service, with the first two of four contracted batteries already delivered. Prague presented a complete battery at NATO Days 2026 in Ostrava on 19 September, marking the programme’s transition from procurement to deployed capability.

Czech Republic fields Rafael SPYDER air defence system, opening path to ballistic missile and counter-drone protection network

Raytheon Australia has completed a multiyear program to deliver and integrate NASAMS for the Australian Army. The company said Australian personnel have been trained and the locally configured air-defense system is ready for operational use.

Raytheon Australia completes NASAMS program for Australian Army, with RTX accelerating air-defense production to meet global demand

Norway will allocate approximately $302 million to a new support package for Ukraine systems and is intended to strengthen Ukraine’s protection against aerial threats.

U.S. Department of State clears possible $2.68 billion air defense package for Ukraine with European funding and U.S. financing support

Top Stories

British drone manufacturer Tekever has secured a contract worth up to £400 million to supply its AR5 long-endurance uncrewed aircraft to the British Army. The system is expected to begin entering service later this year under the Ministry of Defence’s Project Corvus.

Tekever wins British Army contract worth up to £400 million for AR5 long-range surveillance drones built in Swindon under Project Corvus

Rheinmetall is testing a networked maritime security architecture that combines unmanned platforms, underwater sensors and a mobile command centre at REPMUS26 in Portugal. The system is supporting German Navy port-security activities while assessing how equipment from different suppliers can operate through a common interface.

Rheinmetall demonstrates networked unmanned systems with German Navy to protect ports and maritime infrastructure at REPMUS26

Perennial Autonomy won the deep-strike category in the Department of War’s Drone Dominance Program Gauntlet II evaluation at Fort Carson, Colorado. The company scored 80.1 points, finishing 9.2 points ahead of its nearest competitor.

Perennial Autonomy beats 10 rivals to win U.S. Department of War deep-strike drone trial after delivering 120 production-ready aircraft

Rolls-Royce Submarines has signed a £400 million Capability Assured Strategic Partnership with Assystem

UK Ministry of Defence says Rolls-Royce will build every Australian SSN-AUKUS nuclear reactor at its Derby facility

L3Harris Technologies has outlined a digital avionics upgrade intended to keep the U.S. Air Force’s KC-135 aerial refueling fleet operational beyond 2050. The proposed modernization would replace obsolete flight deck instruments while reducing maintenance risks, sustainment costs and aircrew workload.

L3Harris says digital KC-135 cockpit upgrade can keep U.S. tanker fleet mission-ready beyond 2050 and reduce sustainment costs

BAE Systems has secured an approximately $818 million U.S. Army contract for another production batch of Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles. The award brings the cumulative value of AMPV orders to just under $3.3 billion.

BAE Systems wins $818 million U.S. Army contract for more AMPV armored vehicles, lifting M113 replacement orders near $3.3 billion

The U.S. Army has awarded Palantir USG Inc. a $48.1 million firm-fixed-price delivery order to develop a software platform for tracking and managing ammunition across the enterprise. The new system will replace nine existing Army ammunition software platforms and provide a single authoritative view of munitions assets and processes.

Palantir secures $48 million Army software contract to modernize ammunition tracking and retire nine legacy systems

North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile from near its east coast at around 3 p.m. on 20 September, Japan’s Ministry of Defense and Cabinet Secretariat said. The missile travelled northeast for about 440 kilometres, reached an estimated maximum altitude of roughly 60 kilometres and fell into the Sea of Japan outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

North Korea fires ballistic missile 440 km into Sea of Japan as Tokyo steps up surveillance with U.S. and South Korea

QinetiQ US has been awarded a USD 31.5 million task order to support the U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office (PEO) for Intelligence

Britain invests £7.5 billion in AI-enabled military targeting network, with secret cloud due in 2026 to link sensors and weapons

Lockheed Martin is expanding artificial intelligence across aircraft sustainment, supply forecasting and predictive maintenance, according to its article “AI-Powered Sustainment: Turning Complexity into Readiness” by Nick Smythe, Vice President, Sustainment Campaigns, Lockheed Martin. The company is already using an AI-enabled logistics dashboard for the F-35 and is extending the approach to the F-22, F-16 and C-130 fleets.

U.S. lawmakers investigate F-35 parts, including stealth canopy, diverted to Hong Kong during shipment from Australia to United States

The United States and Canada will combine combat and surveillance aircraft with naval vessels in a Bering Sea exercise focused on joint maritime strikes and defense of the two countries. Operation TUNDRA MERLIN will run from Sept. 18 to 22 approximately 100 nautical miles north of Dutch Harbor.

U.S. and Canada to conduct joint Bering Sea maritime strike drills with F-35s, E-3 aircraft and naval forces near Alaska

The U.S. Air Force inactivated four A-10 units at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona on Sept. 18, formally ending the Thunderbolt II’s nearly five-decade presence at the installation. The move closed the base’s role in A-10 operations and formal pilot training after decades of supporting close air support, forward air control and combat search and rescue missions.

U.S. Air Force ends five-decade A-10 era at Davis-Monthan with inactivation of final Thunderbolt II operational and training units

Featured

Latvia drops planned Archer purchase and selects Czech Morana 155 mm artillery system on cost, delivery and local industry grounds

Latvia has selected Excalibur Army’s Morana 155 mm wheeled artillery system after concluding that a planned purchase of Sweden’s Archer could not be delivered within available funding and approved defence plans

September 21, 2026

U.S. Army awards conditional energy leases at six installations for battery gas and nuclear power projects

The U.S. Army has conditionally awarded long-term leases to Ameresco, Indelible-Bloom and Frontier Power USA to develop commercial power generation projects across six military installations

September 20, 2026

Boeing delivers first CH 47F Chinook to Egypt as Cairo begins modernization of heavy lift helicopter fleet

The United States has delivered the first new Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopter to Egypt as Cairo begins receiving a planned fleet of 12 aircraft

September 20, 2026

Thales launches HexaForce AI command system after trials increase targeting throughput tenfold to 1,000 objectives a day

Thales has launched HexaForce, a next-generation AI-enhanced command and control system designed to support operations across land, sea, air, cyber, space and information domains

September 20, 2026

Italian defence minister says Eurofighter Typhoon hit in overnight Houthi missile and drone strike on Saudi airbase near Mecca

An Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon was hit during an overnight missile and drone attack on King Fahd Air Base in Saudi Arabia, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said

September 19, 2026

General Atomics says autonomous CCA is ready for production after passive-sensor target engagement with manned F-5 fighter

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems said its Collaborative Combat Aircraft solution is ready for production after a flight test with a manned F-5 Advanced Tiger

September 19, 2026

USS Abraham Lincoln returns to Indo-Pacific after seven-month Middle East deployment, making logistics stop in Guam

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in Guam on Sept. 19 after nearly seven months of operations in the U.S. Central Command region

September 19, 2026

Otokar and Leonardo validate TULPAR medium tank’s 120 mm firepower in static and moving live-fire trials for international customers

Otokar and Leonardo have completed live-fire testing of a TULPAR tracked armoured vehicle equipped with Leonardo’s HITFACT MkII 120 mm turret

September 19, 2026

Industry spotlight

Land

The EMOC mortar carrier by EM&E Group: a solution conceived for today's operational scenarios

EM&E Group offers, through the EMOC, a system that combines mobility, precision, speed of response, and technological autonomy in a single platform.

July 9, 2026
NATO

Why Europe's rearmament needs trusted industrial partners

July 7, 2026
Air

Air and missile defense: Israel completes Iron Dome upgrade tests with Iron Beam laser integration [VIDEO]

June 30, 2026
Air

U.S. Marine Corps accepts six F-35Bs without radars as APG-85 delay is set to affect Air Force and Navy deliveries this year

June 26, 2026
Saab has signed a contract with the Polish Armaments Agency for the production and delivery of three A26 submarines. The Swedish defence company said the order is valued at approximately SEK 47 billion and also includes a weapon package and a training and support package.
Sea

Poland orders three Saab A26 submarines as Sweden expands Baltic Sea defence cooperation, training and industrial support programme

ASELSAN, Türkiye’s defence technology powerhouse, which employs more than 14,000 people and has an order backlog exceeding $20 billion, is determined to strengthen its position in the international defence market. “Our portfolio includes state-of-the-art, combat-proven solutions. We see strong demand for our technologies, particularly in air defence, counter-drone systems and electronic warfare,” ASELSAN President and CEO Ahmet Akyol told Defence Industry Europe.
Important

ASELSAN becoming global defence player and pillar of regional security architecture, says Ahmet Akyol

Air

Read more Read more about Air category
Finland has taken its first practical step into a European F-35 sharing arrangement after one of its pilots flew the aircraft in Europe for the first time. The September 17 mission in Norway brought together F-35 pilots from six NATO countries using Norwegian and Dutch jets.

Finnish pilot completes first F-35 flight in Europe, marking new phase in aircraft, maintenance and weapons sharing with NATO allies

September 21, 2026
Read more about Finnish pilot completes first F-35 flight in Europe, marking new phase in aircraft, maintenance and weapons sharing with NATO allies

L3Harris says digital KC-135 cockpit upgrade can keep U.S. tanker fleet mission-ready beyond 2050 and reduce sustainment costs

L3Harris Technologies has outlined a digital avionics upgrade intended to keep the U.S. Air Force’s KC-135 aerial refueling fleet operational beyond 2050.

September 20, 2026

North Korea fires ballistic missile 440 km into Sea of Japan as Tokyo steps up surveillance with U.S. and South Korea

North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile from near its east coast at around 3 p.m. on 20 September, Japan’s Ministry of Defense and Cabinet Secretariat said.

September 20, 2026

Boeing delivers first CH 47F Chinook to Egypt as Cairo begins modernization of heavy lift helicopter fleet

The United States has delivered the first new Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopter to Egypt as Cairo begins receiving a planned fleet of 12 aircraft

September 20, 2026

Italian defence minister says Eurofighter Typhoon hit in overnight Houthi missile and drone strike on Saudi airbase near Mecca

An Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon was hit during an overnight missile and drone attack on King Fahd Air Base in Saudi Arabia, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said.

September 19, 2026

U.S. lawmakers investigate F-35 parts, including stealth canopy, diverted to Hong Kong during shipment from Australia to United States

U.S. lawmakers are examining how sensitive F-35 components were diverted to Hong Kong while being shipped from Australia to the United States for repair, Politico reported.

September 19, 2026

U.S. Air Force ends five-decade A-10 era at Davis-Monthan with inactivation of final Thunderbolt II operational and training units

The U.S. Air Force inactivated four A-10 units at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona on Sept. 18, formally ending the Thunderbolt II’s nearly five-decade presence at the installation.

September 19, 2026

Land

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Latvia has selected Excalibur Army’s Morana 155 mm wheeled artillery system after concluding that a planned purchase of Sweden’s Archer could not be delivered within available funding and approved defence plans. The Cabinet approved the Czech-made system for the National Armed Forces on 15 September.

Latvia drops planned Archer purchase and selects Czech Morana 155 mm artillery system on cost, delivery and local industry grounds

September 21, 2026
Read more about Latvia drops planned Archer purchase and selects Czech Morana 155 mm artillery system on cost, delivery and local industry grounds

BAE Systems wins $818 million U.S. Army contract for more AMPV armored vehicles, lifting M113 replacement orders near $3.3 billion

BAE Systems has secured an approximately $818 million U.S. Army contract for another production batch of Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles.

September 20, 2026

U.S. Army awards conditional energy leases at six installations for battery gas and nuclear power projects

The U.S. Army has conditionally awarded long-term leases to Ameresco, Indelible-Bloom and Frontier Power USA to develop commercial power generation projects across six military installations

September 20, 2026

HII wins five-year U.S. Army task order to advance precision airdrop, autonomous resupply and combat feeding for deployed forces

HII has secured a five-year U.S. Army task order to research new airdrop and combat feeding technologies for soldiers operating in remote and austere environments.

September 19, 2026

Otokar and Leonardo validate TULPAR medium tank’s 120 mm firepower in static and moving live-fire trials for international customers

Otokar and Leonardo have completed live-fire testing of a TULPAR tracked armoured vehicle equipped with Leonardo’s HITFACT MkII 120 mm turret.

September 19, 2026

U.S. Army’s XM30 Bradley replacement faces unanswered questions over built-in protection from drones and loitering munitions

The U.S. Army has yet to clarify whether its XM30 Bradley replacement will carry a built-in counter-drone capability as the program enters operational testing.

September 18, 2026

U.S. Army seeks $547 million for 19 XM30 prototypes, keeps Bradley replacement race open ahead of troop trials

The U.S. Army is seeking $547 million to procure 19 XM30 prototypes in fiscal 2027, but has yet to identify the companies that would build them.

September 17, 2026

Sea

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Rheinmetall is testing a networked maritime security architecture that combines unmanned platforms, underwater sensors and a mobile command centre at REPMUS26 in Portugal. The system is supporting German Navy port-security activities while assessing how equipment from different suppliers can operate through a common interface.

Rheinmetall demonstrates networked unmanned systems with German Navy to protect ports and maritime infrastructure at REPMUS26

September 21, 2026
Read more about Rheinmetall demonstrates networked unmanned systems with German Navy to protect ports and maritime infrastructure at REPMUS26

USS Abraham Lincoln returns to Indo-Pacific after seven-month Middle East deployment, making logistics stop in Guam

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in Guam on Sept. 19 after nearly seven months of operations in the U.S. Central Command region.

September 19, 2026

Royal IHC secures first Orka-class submarine order from Naval Group, opening Dutch role in module design, production and installation

Royal IHC has secured its first order from Naval Group for the Royal Netherlands Navy’s new Orka-class submarines.

September 19, 2026

Leonardo DRS wins contract to supply electric propulsion for South Korea’s KDDX destroyer program, planned to deliver at least six ships

Leonardo DRS has signed a contract with Doosan Enerbility to supply the electric propulsion system for South Korea’s next-generation KDDX destroyer program.

September 18, 2026

TKMS says its UK unit wins contract to develop next-generation torpedo defence system for current and future Royal Navy submarines

The UK Ministry of Defence has selected TKMS ATLAS UK to develop and supply a new torpedo countermeasure system for Royal Navy submarines.

September 18, 2026

BAE Systems Australia secures $32 million contract to keep Mk 45 naval guns combat-ready on Hobart destroyers and Anzac frigates

BAE Systems Australia has secured a five-year, $32 million contract to sustain the Mk 45 naval guns fitted to the Royal Australian Navy’s Hobart class destroyers and Anzac class frigates.

September 18, 2026

Austal USA wins $10.8 million Navy contract to replace USS Oakland diesel generator using new 9,000-light-ton San Diego dry dock

Austal USA has received a $10.8 million U.S. Navy contract for an emergent maintenance dry-docking availability on USS Oakland.

September 17, 2026

Space/C4ISR

Read more Read more about Space/C4ISR category
Northrop Grumman will deliver a new space-surveillance satellite to the U.S. Space Force within 24 months. The GHOST-R prototype is intended to improve U.S. awareness of activity and potential threats in geosynchronous orbit.

Northrop Grumman to deliver GHOST-R satellite in 24 months to expand U.S. tracking of threats in geosynchronous orbit

September 19, 2026
Read more about Northrop Grumman to deliver GHOST-R satellite in 24 months to expand U.S. tracking of threats in geosynchronous orbit

U.S. Space Force chief says service operates on-orbit weapons to defend the Joint Force and sets new combat priorities

U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Douglas Schiess has laid out a three-part plan to strengthen the service’s combat power and integrate space capabilities more deeply into joint operations.

September 18, 2026

EU and South Korea establish secure satellite working group to assess future integration with the IRIS² connectivity constellation

The European Commission and South Korea have agreed to deepen cooperation on secure satellite communications and assess potential integration with IRIS².

September 18, 2026

ICEYE leads European consortium chosen by ESA to design sovereign space intelligence architecture for EU security and defence

The European Space Agency has selected the ICEYE-led ARISE consortium to design the architecture for the EU Earth Observation Governmental Service, a planned sovereign space-based intelligence system for European civil security and defence users

September 18, 2026

L3Harris says RASOR hybrid SATCOM reroutes U.S. military data around jamming and cyberattacks, targets NSA approval in early 2027

L3Harris Technologies expects its RASOR hybrid satellite communications system to receive NSA Type 1 certification in early 2027.

September 18, 2026

BAE Systems secures $16 million to restore RH45 chip capability and strengthen US supply of radiation hardened space electronics

BAE Systems has received $16 million in Defense Production Act Title III funding to demonstrate and qualify its radiation-hardened 45 nanometre RH45 semiconductor technology

September 17, 2026

HawkEye 360 and Leonardo expand European space intelligence offering with dedicated RF capacity and local data delivery

HawkEye 360 and Leonardo have signed a memorandum of understanding to combine HawkEye 360’s space-based radio-frequency sensing with Leonardo’s space service solutions for European customers

September 17, 2026

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