Defense

Six years have passed since Northrop Grumman won an opportunity to upgrade the system on the U.S. Air Force fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16s.

The U.S. Air Force announced Dec. 22 that it has designated the Northrop Grumman Project Talon uncrewed aircraft prototype the YFQ-48A.

Textron Aviation Defense has finalized its first contract to deliver two Beechcraft T-6JP Texan II trainers to Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force.

NASA's Jared Isaacman is eager to expedite the Artemis program and that the agency needs to make best use of the ISS' remaining life to seed business for its commercial follow-ons.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has signaled a desire to revitalize the agency’s aeronautics program, calling for more experimental X-planes.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said the country will proceed with plans to build a new aircraft carrier.

South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace finalized a contract with Estonia to supply the Baltic state with the K239 Chunmoo tactical surface-to-surface missile system.

News in brief.

The U.S. Air Force has expanded the pool of competitors vying for the second increment of Collaborative Combat Aircraft.

Leonardo Helicopters has completed the long-awaited first flight of its Next Generation Civil Tiltrotor Technology Demonstrator.

Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace of Norway plans to acquire Zone 5 Technologies, a U.S. maker of low-cost cruise missiles.

U.S. startup Astro Mechanica plans to take its hybrid-electric supersonic engine into high-altitude and high-speed ground testing in 2026.

The DOD has surged assets to the Caribbean and the southern border to back military operations in the region including, potentially, the RQ-170 reconnaissance drone.

Saab has secured another 2.5 billion in Swedish krona ($200 million) to support the evolution of the Gripen fighter.

A radar upgrade for the X-62 autonomous fighter will allow the U.S. Air Force to experiment with AI-enabled “pilots” controlling sensors in combat.

Signals intelligence-focused satellite company HawkEye 360 has acquired Innovative Signal Analysis to enhance usage of its orbit-collected data.

The French Defense Innovation Fund and MBDA have taken a stake in NanoXplore, a company specializing in reprogrammable special-purposes semiconductors.

Listen in to the annual Flubs & Forecasts edition of Check 6, where editors reflect on what they got right and wrong in 2025 and make their predictions for 2026.

Malaysia is looking to fast-track its multirole combat aircraft program after plans to acquire ex-Kuwaiti Boeing F/A-18 Hornets are expected to face delays.

The decade-long demand outlook for military aircraft has jumped 30% over the past year, reaching $250 billion.

Defense boom drives 10-year value of military aircraft deliveries to $1.19 trillion.

A new U.S. strategy recalibrates global security posture from foreign intervention to homeland protection.

Air forces around the globe are likely to bolster their inventories in the coming 12 months by adding aircraft and drone types. Here are some of the expected events.

Forecasts, snapshots and military aircraft to watch.

The White House issued a new executive order framing its near-term plans and policy ambitions for the space domain on Dec. 18.