Defense

Washington is determined to reduce its dependency on China for critical minerals essential for defense systems, even if it means sourcing from conflict zones.

The U.S. Space Force has seen its foreign military sales cases grow exponentially in the past four years.

Ireland has taken delivery of a dedicated transport variant of the Airbus C295 airlifter, giving the country a dedicated tactical airlifter for the first time.

German lawmakers have approved spending on an additional top-up order for Eurofighter combat aircraft and a crucial upgrade path for the fighter.

Hoverfly Technologies, a manufacturer of tethered drone systems for the defense sector, has secured $20 million in a Series B funding round.

Lockheed Martin is exploring ways to bring autonomy into the cockpit of its venerable C-130 fleet to reduce pilot workload.

South Korea has multiple modernization programs on the agenda to add to its current fleet.

The cover of Aviation Week & Space Technology’s Oct. 11, 1965, issue featured Northrop Corp.'s M2-F2 lifting body research vehicle mated to the wing of a Boeing B-52 at NASA’s Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

The U.S. Department of Defense has invested a total of $79 million in two companies mining critical minerals in Alaska.

Anduril said Oct. 7 that it has tested successfully on the ground a new propellant technology that aims to extend the range of solid rocket motors for air-to-air missiles.

Sikorsky is considering how to modify U.S. Air Force HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters to fly VIP transport and continuity-of-government missions.

Faced with a persistent pilot shortage, the U.S. Air Force in 2022 set a demanding goal of training 1,500 pilots per year to chip away at the issue.

As Beijing races to match U.S. capabilities in orbit, the Pentagon warns of rising threats across all orbital layers.

The Canadian government now is keeping options open for making a final decision on the fate of completing a plan to buy 88 Lockheed Martin F-35As.

Firefly Aerospace will pay $855 million to acquire defense technology company SciTec, the Texas-based startup said on Oct 5.

Ukraine remains committed to producing offensive ballistic missiles for sustained attacks on targets deep behind the Russian front lines, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Oct. 6.

The UK wants to demonstrate operations of a turbine-powered, fixed-wing, short takeoff and landing autonomous collaborative platform from a Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier.

North Korea has unveiled a new variant of its Hwasong-11 short-range tactical ballistic missile, this time equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle.

Sweden has formally placed its order for the Embraer C-390, becoming the sixth European nation to commit to the airlifter.

As flight testing progresses to larger sizes, Sikorsky has renamed its Rotor Blown Wing family of vertical-takeoff-and-landing uncrewed aircraft the Nomad.

Sikorsky expects the award for the 11th, and likely final, UH-60 Black Hawk order from the U.S. Army in late 2026 as the service reviews aviation plans.

The U.S. Space Force has assigned five future missions to SpaceX and two missions to United Launch Alliance (ULA).

The Royal Air Force (RAF) has withdrawn its General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper UAS from service, with missions taken over by the new MQ-9B Protector.

India’s air force chief has expressed optimism that domestic industry will be able to deliver a new-generation indigenous combat aircraft in the 2030s.

The U.S. Air Force is pressing to field a next-generation aerial refueling system by as soon as 2036, to justify production extension of the Boeing KC-46.