Defense

China’s J-10CE gains export momentum as Uzbekistan confirms deliveries and Bangladesh considers buying up to 24 fighters.

Greece is deepening its extensive defense ties with Israel, signing a roughly €3 billion ($3.5 billion) deal for air and missile defense equipment.

The U.S. Navy will station the E-130J Take Charge and Move Out nuclear command and control aircraft and its training unit at a U.S. Marine Corps base in North Carolina, according to a new solicitation.

Sweden’s military will deploy Saab Gripen fighter jets, warships and its ground-based radar system to Finland after Helsinki requested help to monitor the airspace along its border with Russia.

Russia says it is starting series production of a new counter-drone radar system optimized to detect swarms of uncrewed aircraft.

Navy accelerates Terminal Stage Interceptor development, seeking industry self-funding and modular designs to rapidly replace Standard Missile.

Trump signs order creating commission to establish a NASA-led U.S. Space Academy for technical and leadership training.

FAA launches Beyond Phase 2, expanding partnerships to address challenges preventing routine BVLOS drone operations nationwide.

Saab has flown the first two-seat Gripen F, beginning flight testing ahead of delivery to Brazil.

UK invests £6 million in Blakcro’s powered paraglider, advancing covert troop insertion and autonomous logistics capabilities.

South Korea’s effort to complete development of the K-LUCAS loitering munition by September has encountered a setback after two systems crashed seconds after launch during naval testing from the helicopter assault ship ROKS Marado.

Saab is challenging the low-cost, attritable model adopted by Sweden’s allies with a supersonic, survivable complement to Gripen.

The slow decision to move ahead on a future fighter is putting pressure on the F-35 program to perform sustainment.

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

Aviation Week's Defense Market Analyzer shows the narrowing gap between NATO and U.S. defense spending as a percentage of GDP.

Three new missile program details spell out the Navy’s high- and low-end munitions goals.

The U.S. Navy pushes for high-energy lasers on ships, aiming to enhance fleet defense by overcoming engineering challenges and boosting industry involvement.

A corrected Navy solicitation moves the start of GA-ASI MQ-9B SkyGuardian leasing from 2028 to 2027.

Powerus is advancing automated Guardian interceptors while expanding range, production and integration capabilities for counter-drone operations.

California-based startup SiFly Aviation has raised $20 million in Series A funding as it prepares to begin production of its long-endurance Q12 electric drone, targeting initial revenue-generating deliveries in the first quarter of 2027.

The world is currently in the midst of its biggest defense boom in decades as nations respond to a deteriorating security environment and rising levels of strategic instability.

The Swiss government is looking to boost its counter-uncrewed aircraft system, drone and robotic capabilities, identifying the topics as a new focus area for its national defense capabilities.

Seoul is exploring pathways to future combat aircraft, but questions about design and propulsion could take years to sort out.

Defense hardware startup Mara has raised $7 million in a pre-seed round to build an automated counter-drone system targeting small, first-person-view drones, the company announced Aug. 26.

Russia’s air force has improved its capabilities and learned crucial lessons from its operations in Ukraine, the head of the Ukrainian Air Force said.