NATO signs off on $5.5 billion contract for hundreds of Patriot missiles

NATO signs off on $5.5 billion contract for hundreds of Patriot missiles
NATO signs off on $5.5 billion contract for hundreds of Patriot missiles

If all options are exercised under the contract, the European nations will buy a combined total of 1,000 Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missiles (GEM-T), according to manufacturer RTX.

BAE Systems to restart US Army M777 howitzer structures production line

BAE Systems to restart US Army M777 howitzer structures production line
BAE Systems to restart US Army M777 howitzer structures production line

The restart will involve BAE Systems UK and US-based supply chain, and first deliveries are expected in 2025.

From Russians in Abu Dhabi to the Navy’s nuclear conundrum: Top 10 stories from 2023

From Russians in Abu Dhabi to the Navy’s nuclear conundrum: Top 10 stories from 2023
From Russians in Abu Dhabi to the Navy’s nuclear conundrum: Top 10 stories from 2023

Breaking Defense counts policy-makers, defense practitioners and industry titans among its dedicated readership, but we’re not above enjoying a broader appeal from time to time.

Sweden to finally enter NATO: Europe’s 2024 preview

Sweden to finally enter NATO: Europe’s 2024 preview
Sweden to finally enter NATO: Europe’s 2024 preview

Once entry has been approved, Stockholm is widely expected to make a substantial military contribution to NATO, especially across air and sea domains.

The year Russia was threatened with a coup and faced a counteroffensive: Europe 2023 in review

The year Russia was threatened with a coup and faced a counteroffensive: Europe 2023 in review
The year Russia was threatened with a coup and faced a counteroffensive: Europe 2023 in review

Russia also turned to the Middle East in November, pitching up at the Dubai Air Show to drum up business, and though no orders or contracts were publicly announced, an industrial presence featuring some of the country’s leading defense companies made a lasting impression.

US tightens squeeze on Russia’s ‘war machine’ money, including diamonds and seafood

US tightens squeeze on Russia’s ‘war machine’ money, including diamonds and seafood
US tightens squeeze on Russia’s ‘war machine’ money, including diamonds and seafood

An administration official said it’s “very central to our strategy” to think about “how do we take that next step in disrupting Russia’s attempts to be able to produce the weapons systems, the industrial goods that it needs to prosecute its war?”

New Army chief, looming force structure shakeups and new weapons: Army 2023 in review

New Army chief, looming force structure shakeups and new weapons: Army 2023 in review
New Army chief, looming force structure shakeups and new weapons: Army 2023 in review

The Army spent 2023 looking for ways to refill its weapon stockpiles, preparing for future conflicts and welcoming a new chief.

Captured Russian weapons, an ammo crisis and a new NATO ally: 5 stories from Europe in 2023

Captured Russian weapons, an ammo crisis and a new NATO ally: 5 stories from Europe in 2023
Captured Russian weapons, an ammo crisis and a new NATO ally: 5 stories from Europe in 2023

Alliance expansion might force Russia to reassess a strategic calculus around a war beyond Ukraine’s borders, but tough questions around just how long Kyiv can defend itself are beginning to be asked.

From a door-related conundrum to Russians with Javelins: 5 Army stories from 2023

From a door-related conundrum to Russians with Javelins: 5 Army stories from 2023
From a door-related conundrum to Russians with Javelins: 5 Army stories from 2023

In 2023, the US Army eyed ways to better support troops in the Indo-Pacific region, and ways to restructure its formations for the future.

Canceled deals, new systems and the claim ‘defying reason’: Top 5 Middle East stories of 2023

Canceled deals, new systems and the claim ‘defying reason’: Top 5 Middle East stories of 2023
Canceled deals, new systems and the claim ‘defying reason’: Top 5 Middle East stories of 2023

Long before the Middle East was plunged into a new Israel-Gaza conflict, plenty of geopolitical plates had shifted, with major defense deals in the balance.

Russian ‘conquest’ of Ukraine on the table if US, allied military aid falters: Study

Russian ‘conquest’ of Ukraine on the table if US, allied military aid falters: Study
Russian ‘conquest’ of Ukraine on the table if US, allied military aid falters: Study

The report offers up a detailed account of the high cost the US is likely to pay for “allowing Russia to win” in Ukraine, largely based around the Pentagon forced into bolstering defense and deterrence against a “renewed” Russian threat.

Clearing Ukrainian land of dangerous mines, ordinance will take decades, EOD firm says

Clearing Ukrainian land of dangerous mines, ordinance will take decades, EOD firm says
Clearing Ukrainian land of dangerous mines, ordinance will take decades, EOD firm says

The task “will be unlike any previous former battle zone,” Henrik Faerch, CEO of the Danish mine clearing firm Damasec, told Breaking Defense.

‘They’re also learning’: Russia, Ukraine race to out-innovate each other

‘They’re also learning’: Russia, Ukraine race to out-innovate each other
‘They’re also learning’: Russia, Ukraine race to out-innovate each other

Tactics and technology advance so fast that a drone that’s cutting-edge today will be obsolescent in two months, Ukrainian and NATO officers say.

Germany, Airbus agree H145M light attack helicopter mega order

Germany, Airbus agree H145M light attack helicopter mega order
Germany, Airbus agree H145M light attack helicopter mega order

Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters said the company “will ensure” the helicopters are delivered against Germany’s tight program schedule, which includes a first aircraft delivery next year.