Budget, Policy & Operations

Earth-observation company Planet is projecting 20% sales growth in the medium term as governments bolster access to imagery and related data from space.

The European Commission is proposing four flagship programs in the latest step the European Union is taking to bolster its defenses.

ESA is closely looking at the ramifications for its own activities of a potential merger for the satellite businesses of Airbus, Leonardo and Thales.

The U.S. Air Force is reversing course on a major plan to change its modernization process by not standing up a new command.

The Pentagon has been seeking to impose unprecedented restrictions on journalists’ ability to cover the military for several months.

Indonesia is nearing an agreement to acquire a batch of Chengdu J-10 fighters from China, according to in-country news outlets.

Turkish defense giant Aselsan has taken a lead role in Steel Dome—a homegrown air defense network to counter low-cost multicopter drones and hypersonic missiles.

Three F-35s arrived at the Florennes Air Base on Oct. 13, marking the type’s official incorporation into the Belgian Air Force.

The companies producing the highly in-demand Patriot PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhanced interceptor are continuing to bulk up their production capacity.

The U.S. Army will start executing within a month a fielding plan for acquiring and delivering Launched Effects-Short Range air vehicles.

Ukraine’s ability to take down Russian drones is largely limited by the availability of systems to engage them, rather than the technology to do so, a senior U.S. Army air defense official says.

France’s Air and Space Force is studying how to separate the Dassault Rafale fighters and Airbus A330 multirole tanker transports it uses for nuclear deterrence from the rest of its fleets.

The Swiss government is looking to expand its military space capacity to field a range of capabilities, including counter-space, to safeguard its troops.

Malaysia has allocated MYR21.7 billion ($5.1 billion) for defense and security in fiscal 2026, representing a 2.9% year-on-year increase.

A recent study has flagged another potential threat to the strategic supply chain—a possible chokehold on a rare metal essential to high-performance engines.

Denmark will grow its Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fleet to 43 aircraft following political agreements on a series of major defense procurements.

The U.S. Navy has postponed briefings on plans for a new family of ship-based missiles, citing the impact of the ongoing government shutdown.

Italy has budgeted nearly €600 million ($697 million) through 2030 to launch the acquisition of a new maritime patrol aircraft.

A Royal Air Force (RAF) acquisition of a Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) is likely to be a priority in the UK defense ministry’s upcoming Defense Investment Plan, a senior officer said.

Sweden is investing 1.5 billion krona ($160 million) to boost the availability of its Gripen fleet and enable smoother operations from temporary bases.

In all, more than 180 new-build aircraft could enter Australian service in the coming decade.

The U.S. Air Force will need at least a decade to adopt new technology that can facilitate dynamic spectrum-sharing, Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, the service chief of staff nominee, said Oct. 9.

The nominee to become the U.S. Air Force’s next chief is committed to supporting airborne “domain awareness” programs.

The U.S. Air Force could start forming new squadrons filled exclusively with Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) at bases yet to be determined, the nominee for chief of staff said on Oct. 9.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed that Russian air defenses unwittingly fired upon the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 that ended up crashing in Kazakhstan on Dec. 25 last year.