Defense

Lockheed Martin is developing two concepts for greatly extending the range of the Sikorsky MH-60R/S Seahawk to offer to the U.S. Navy.

X-Bow Systems on Jan. 12 announced it has completed preliminary design review of its new Mk-72 and Mk-104 solid rocket motors.

The U.S. and Taiwan will co-produce 155mm artillery shells in an expansion of joint defense manufacturing efforts, Taiwan’s Armaments Bureau said on Jan. 12.

The U.S. Navy awarded Northrop Grumman $233 million to manufacture a new lightweight torpedo to be launched from the service’s fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.

Germany has ordered eight General Atomics MQ-9B SkyGuardian uncrewed aircraft systems to perform maritime patrol.

UK defense ministers will not say when a decision might be made on whether to contract for a £1 billion new fleet of medium helicopters.

A series of recent demonstrations have familiarized Boeing F/A-18E/F and Lockheed Martin F-35C pilots with Collaborative Combat Aircraft.

The UK’s chief of defense staff says he is unable provide a date for the publication of the Defense Investment Plan.

Israel has rarely shied away from defense industrial challenges, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to wean the country off U.S. military financing support sets the bar at a new level.

Sweden is planning to invest a further $1.6 billion in air defense capability focused on protecting cities and civilian infrastructure.

China conducted the first flight of a domestically developed 3D-printed turbojet engine in November 2025.

Sweden is joining the list of European countries buying Iceye synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites.

Dassault Aviation says it has invested $200 million in the Series B funding round of French artificial intelligence startup Harmattan AI.

The UK says its effort to rapidly develop a conventional ballistic missile under the recently launched Project Nightfall is aimed at arming Ukraine.

Europe should establish a European Security Council to bolster its defense posture, Defense and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius argues.

For more information about Aviation Week Intelligence Network’s (AWIN) 2025 Military Fleet & MRO Forecast and other Aviation Week data products, please see: https://pgs.aviationweek.com/forecast

The U.S. Space Force has awarded military space launches worth $739 million to SpaceX to support future missions for the Space Development Agency and NRO.

The U.S. Navy awarded GE Aerospace a $1.4 billion contract for five lots of T408 engines to power the CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter for the Marine Corps.

The U.S. Air Force’s training command is set to start flying and maintaining the Boeing T-7A Red Hawk as it builds the initial, small fleet.

Starfighters Space, an aerospace company with a unique fleet of Mach 2-capable Lockheed F-104s, is in expansive mood.

The U.S. Army is narrowing the field as it seeks a replacement for the Airbus UH-72 Lakota helicopters currently used for rotary-wing training at Fort Rucker, Alabama.

The Indian government says its efforts to develop a homegrown air-breathing hypersonic missile have advanced with a recent ground test.

Airbus Helicopters is calling on operators of its H160 rotorcraft to replace main rotor system pitch rods after a ditching incident in the ocean near Brazil.

Richard Aboulafia joins Check 6 to discuss how 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for two next-generation fighter programs conceived in Europe: FCAS and GCAP.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.