Defense and Space

Space tech companies largely shrugged off 2023’s broad slowdown in VC investment given their strategic importance, according to the latest Seraphim Space Index.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has appointed Kurt “Spuds” Vogel to serve as the agency’s associate administrator in charge of the STMD, effective Jan. 16.

On Nov. 15, 1994, a female fighter pilot flew a combat mission for the U.S. for the very first time.

The U.S. Space Development Agency has awarded three companies $2.5 billion worth of contracts to supply 54 Tranche 2 missile Tracking Layer satellites.

Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic is preparing to send its Peregrine lunar lander toward a destructive reentry into Earth’s atmosphere on Jan. 18.

The Swan Atlantic was the first in a monthlong string of Houthi attacks using a recently acquired arsenal of anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM).

Houthi forces continue to launch ballistic missiles targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea despite ongoing airstrikes by U.S. forces to degrade the Iranian-backed militia.

The USAF and Northrop Grumman recently conducted a live, static-fire test of the second-stage SRM for the LGM-35A Sentinel ground-based strategic deterrent.

Lockheed Martin has revealed that production of Bulgaria’s new F-16 Block 70 aircraft is well underway.

North Korea has claimed a successful test firing of a new, solid-fueled, intermediate-range ballistic missile carrying a maneuverable warhead on Jan. 14.

LOCKHEED MARTIN and NASA rolled out the X-59 experimental supersonic aircraft at Palmdale, CA (SPNWS; Jan 12).

AMENTUM has $946m US Army contract to provide system maintenance/mods for its fixed-wing transport fleet, including C-12s, C-26s, T-6s, and UC-35s. STEVENS AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE SYSTEMS, SC will serve as the primary depot maintenance facility.

The Australian government has confirmed it will acquire an unspecified number of Lockheed Martin Precision Strike Missiles.

Germany’s navy is to perform a series of flight trials this year with the General Atomics MQ-9 SeaGuardian uncrewed aircraft system.

The seven-year REMIS-2 agreement runs to Sept. 30, 2030, with an option to extend it through Sept. 30, 2032, according to a Jan. 12 NASA award announcement.

Space-tug startup Momentus may have received a fatal blow after losing the U.S. Space Development Agency’s recent competition for 18 Tranche 2 satellites.

Faced with an expected influx of testing with current infrastructure and staff maxed out, Edwards AFB aims to reinvent itself.

Airbus Helicopters is acquiring U.S.-based uncrewed aircraft systems developer Aerovel to bolster its portfolio of tactical UAS products.

The Albanian Air Force has taken delivery of its first two of a planned fleet of three Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks—surplus UH-60A models from U.S. Army stocks.

Ukrainian commanders claim to have downed a Russian Air Force Beriev A-50 "Mainstay" airborne early warning platform.

The U.S. military says the Jan. 11 barrage of air strikes targeting Houthi forces inside Yemen has inhibited the group’s ability to conduct complex attacks.

The Earth’s average surface temperature in 2023 surpassed predictions and was the warmest on record.

France has placed a long-awaited order for 42 more Dassault Rafale combat aircraft to equip the country’s air force.

The U.K. government has committed to providing £2.5 billion of military support to Ukraine during 2024, with £200 million to be spent on providing drones.

Over 50 years, the capability and complexity of the Lockheed Martin F-16 have evolved from lightweight day fighter to multirole combat aircraft.