Israeli firm shows off new patrol vehicles for IDF unit
Israeli surveillance systems maker ESC BAZ demonstrated a new line of patrol and assault vehicles for the Israel Defense Forcesβ 96th Division, the company said in a LinkedIn post. The vehicles are built for reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, security missions and first-response operations, and the demonstration included counter-drone technology developed with Israeli firm SmartShooter. ESC BAZ [β¦]
Israeli drone maker Steadicopter has cleared a regulatory hurdle needed to expand operations of its Black Eagle 50E unmanned helicopter in the United States, the company announced Sept. 15, 2026. The aircraft completed an airworthiness validation process run by the Nevada Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site, based at the University of Nevada, Reno. The Nevada [β¦]
Diehl Defence and Elbit Systems demonstrated their SkyStriker loitering βkamikaze droneβ system in a live test in early September 2026, the companies announced Sept. 14. The demonstration focused on the weaponβs range and a βhand-overβ function that worked at a distance of 80 km (50 miles). SkyStriker was launched from a canister, located a target, [β¦]
The U.S. Navy has ordered production rounds of Castelionβs Blackbeard hypersonic strike weapon in a deal worth up to $200 million, the company announced Sept. 14, 2026. The delivery order covers an initial production lot of the missile and follows a separate June order for 50 early prototype rounds. The new contract came from Portfolio [β¦]
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has finished dismantling the SM-1 nuclear power plant at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, the Armyβs first nuclear reactor and the first facility in the country to send nuclear-generated electricity into the commercial power grid. The Corpsβ Baltimore District completed the last field work this year, closing out a project that [β¦]
The U.S. Army is testing two rival versions of a new digital command network by putting them in the hands of soldiers in two active-duty divisions at once, and the serviceβs testing command says it can now judge how each performs within one to two weeks of a field exercise ending, down from the months [β¦]
The U.S. Army has selected Fort Benning, Georgia, as one of five military bases that will host nuclear microreactors under a new Pentagon energy resilience initiative called the Janus Program, Army officials announced August 26, 2026. Fort Benning will pair with California-based Radiant Industries to install three of the companyβs one-megawatt Kaleidos microreactors, adding a [β¦]
The worldβs nine nuclear-armed states expanded their arsenals in 2025, according to a new assessment from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Researchers Hans M. Kristensen and Matt Korda found that most countries deployed new nuclear-armed or nuclear-capable weapons during the year, even as the overall number of warheads in the world continued to decline. [β¦]
The U.S. Army has awarded Olin Winchester a contract worth up to roughly $788.4 million for 5.56mm, 7.62mm and .50-caliber ammunition. The five-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract combines firm-fixed-price and price-adjustment terms, runs through September 10, 2031, and was awarded without competition after only one bid was submitted. Army Contracting Command at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is [β¦]
Anti-junta fighters launched a wave of FPV drones at Myanmarβs Tada-U Air Base on September 10, 2026, and video posted online shows one striking the nose of a Yak-130 jet, according to resistance sources. Myanmarβs military government said the drones were all intercepted before causing any damage. Journalist Thomas van Linge shared footage on X [β¦]
Turkish drone maker Baykar has fitted its AkΔ±ncΔ± unmanned combat aircraft with Roketsanβs new 300-ER air-launched ballistic missile, with a first launch from the drone expected soon, according to Ulusavunma. Roketsan first showed the 300-ER publicly at the IDEF defense show in Istanbul in July 2025, presenting it as the longest-range weapon yet in a [β¦]
Embraer presented Uzbekistanβs first C-390 Millennium military transport aircraft on September 10, 2026, making the country the first C-390 operator in Central Asia. The Brazilian manufacturer confirmed the milestone in a social media post, without disclosing further details of the handover. Embraer had kept the Uzbek order under wraps for more than a year before [β¦]
Four defense-tech companies integrated an AI-enabled sensor, an unmanned helicopter, Ukrainian-made interceptor drones and tactical radios into a single counter-drone system, then tested it at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, during a Pentagon exercise called Falcon Peak 26.2. DataShapes AI, Evolved Aerospace, General Cherry and Persistent Systems built the combined system in about three [β¦]
The U.S. Army has awarded Global Military Products a $12.9 million contract to integrate its Scorpion Light 81mm mobile mortar system onto the Armyβs Infantry Squad Vehicle-Utility platforms. The company announced the award on September 3, 2026, under the Department of Defense Ordnance Technology Consortiumβs Other Transaction Authority framework. The deal covers pairing the Tampa-based [β¦]
British radar maker Blighter is pushing for more sales in Central and Eastern Europe, showcasing its border and low-altitude air surveillance radars this week at the MSPO defense exhibition in Kielce, Poland. The company builds ground-based radars that use electronic scanning array antennas rather than the mechanically rotating dishes found on older radar systems, letting [β¦]
Norwegian defense company KONGSBERG has selected a radar built by U.S. firm Echodyne to help its remote weapon systems detect and shoot down drones, the companies announced September 9. KONGSBERG has integrated Echodyneβs MESA radar into its PROTECTOR RS4 and RS6 remote weapon stations, turning the widely used gun mounts into counter-drone systems capable of [β¦]
U.S. soldiers trained on a counter-drone defense system during a course at the Combined Arms Training Center in Grafenwoehr, Germany, the U.S. Mission to NATO said in a social media post. The training center, known as CATC, is run by the 7th Army Training Command and offers close to 60 courses for U.S. troops, ranging [β¦]
Finland has agreed to buy more than 100 Patria TREMOS mortar systems, with an option for hundreds more, defense manufacturer Patria announced. Deliveries under the serial production contract begin this year and will continue through 2028, Patria said. The Finnish Army designates the system the 120 KRH M3. Finland already received a smaller pre-series batch [β¦]
The vehicle built to replace the Land Rover Defender on the civilian market is now competing to replace Land Rovers in British Army service, and its bid just got two companies stronger. Hobson Industries and TVS Supply Chain Solutions have joined Team Grenadier, the industrial group INEOS Automotive formed in June to compete for the [β¦]
The U.S. Air Force wants to buy 60 handheld counter-drone jammers for its Pacific forces, according to a solicitation Pacific Air Forces published September 8, though the purchase canβt move forward until funding becomes available. The notice, posted by PACAFβs 18th Contracting Squadron, calls for 60 DroneBuster 5 units equipped with a GPS-focused add-on kit, [β¦]