Breaking Defense

EXCLUSIVE: Air Force to approve T-7 trainer production within days

When it comes to drones, the Pentagon should mind the experience gap

An executive from Textron argues that while new entrants can help the Pentagon, the department needs to remember that experience matters.

By Sara Willett

Global

Austal secures second Australian Landing Craft Heavy contract

"This contract reflects the growing strength and success of Austal’s Australian operations — and Australian industry — within the national shipbuilding and sustainment enterprise,” Austal Limited CEO Paddy Gregg said in the company announcement.

By Mike Yeo

Pentagon

Forthcoming US arm sales changes leave unanswered questions

As Trump administration officials work through a laundry list of possible changes, Canada is retreating from its dependence on US weapons.

By Ashley Roque

Latest News

Air Warfare

As Dems push for briefing on El Paso incident, experts warn it could be the ‘tip of the iceberg’

“I think coordination has been lacking, and you're seeing a lot more sort of cowboy behavior, which could be problematic,” Stacie Pettyjohn, a senior fellow and director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security, said in an interview with Breaking Defense.

By Michael Marrow and Valerie Insinna

Air Warfare

Northrop, Brazil’s Embraer partner on KC-390 to pitch US, others

Under a memorandum of understanding, Northrop will explore options to develop an autonomous boom refueling system for Embraer’s KC-390, hoping to attract US and international customers.

By Michael Marrow

In this episode:

The Breaking Defense team heads to the World Defense Show outside Riyadh.

Naval Warfare

Austal USA president to retire in June

“We are deeply grateful for Michelle’s vision, commitment, and the lasting impact that she has made on our organization,” Chris Chadwick, chairman of Austal USA’s board of managers, said in a statement announcing the change.

By Diana Stancy

Space

SatVu, GMV latest space firms to benefit from Europe’s new milspace focus

A recent study co-sponsored by NATO's Innovation Fund found that investment in European "Defence, Security and Resilience" startups increases by 55 percent in 2025.

By Theresa Hitchens

Networks & Digital Warfare

Pentagon CTO says it’s ‘not democratic’ for Anthropic to limit military use of Claude AI

"What we're not going to do is let any one company dictate a new set of policies above and beyond what Congress has passed," Under Secretary Emil Michael said of the ongoing impasse between the Pentagon and Anthropic.

By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.

Opinion

Any action against Iran needs to account for the proxies

Proxies, such as the Houthis, should be heavily considered by the US while measures are taken against Iran.

By Thomas Bergeson, Karen Gibson and Sam Mundy

Naval Warfare

China’s nuclear submarine production rate surpasses that of US: Report

IISS research found that China launched 10 submarines with an estimated displacement of 79,000 tonnes between 2021 and 2025.

By Mike Yeo

Pentagon

Northrop not seeking direct DoD investment for solid rocket motors, but suppliers might: CEO

“There's just a lot of strategic synergy in those parts of our portfolio that we want to maintain ownership structure of,” said Northrop CEO Kathy Warden.

By Valerie Insinna

Naval Warfare

Navy weighs creating robotic autonomous systems commander amid unmanned push

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said a robotic autonomous systems commander would coordinate across domains.

By Diana Stancy

Space

DIU wants commercially developed imagery satellites for on-orbit spying

Under the new GHOST-R effort, the Defense Innovation Unit hopes to have a high-resolution bird operating on orbit within 24 months.

By Theresa Hitchens

Networks & Digital Warfare

Marines aim to be CJACD2 ‘fast follower’ with Dynamis Series of C2 experiments

"What we don't want to do is what we've always done in the past: siloed programs, by silo services," Col. Arlon Smith, director of Project Dynamis, told Breaking Defense.

By Mark Pomerleau

Pentagon

Canada is still interested in Golden Dome. What can it bring – and how could it fall apart?

“Those [Golden Dome] conversations are ongoing, and we will only participate if it is right for both parties,” a spokesperson with Canada’s Minister of Defense told Breaking Defense.

By Ashley Roque

Air Warfare

‘SCAF is dead’: Sixth-gen Franco-German fighter is all but over, officials and analysts say

Comments from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz may represent the unofficial pulling of the plug on the effort to produce a sixth-gen fighter for France, Germany and Spain

By Tim Martin

Global

Saudi Arabia expands naval capabilities with four C-27J maritime patrol aircraft

Delivery of the first batch of C-27 J MPAs to the Royal Saudi Naval Forces is expected to commence in 2029.

By Agnes Helou

Featured:

EXCLUSIVE: Air Force to approve T-7 trainer production within days

When it comes to drones, the Pentagon should mind the experience gap

Austal secures second Australian Landing Craft Heavy contract

Forthcoming US arm sales changes leave unanswered questions

Latest News

As Dems push for briefing on El Paso incident, experts warn it could be the ‘tip of the iceberg’

Northrop, Brazil’s Embraer partner on KC-390 to pitch US, others

Austal USA president to retire in June

SatVu, GMV latest space firms to benefit from Europe’s new milspace focus

Pentagon CTO says it’s ‘not democratic’ for Anthropic to limit military use of Claude AI

Artificial Intelligence & Autonomy: A New Era in Defense

Pentagon CTO says it’s ‘not democratic’ for Anthropic to limit military use of Claude AI

Kodiak AI lands Marine Corps deal to add driverless tech to ROGUE Fires platform

ChatGPT will be available to 3 million military users on GenAI.mil

AI ‘fundamentally changing’ adversary behavior, leading to force generation reforms: Official

DoD expects AI-powered database of patents ready for industry by year’s end

To overcome Golden Dome ‘affordability’ hurdle, DoD needs acquisition reform, AI: Official

Pentagon picks 25 vendors to show off one-way attack drones in the Gauntlet competition

Picogrid wins $9M Air Force contract for counter-drone software written by AI

Pentagon CTO picks six defense tech vets to lead Critical Technology Areas

Navy’s new hedge strategy calls for ‘tailored’ unmanned forces to augment carriers

Any action against Iran needs to account for the proxies

China’s nuclear submarine production rate surpasses that of US: Report

Northrop not seeking direct DoD investment for solid rocket motors, but suppliers might: CEO

Navy weighs creating robotic autonomous systems commander amid unmanned push

DIU wants commercially developed imagery satellites for on-orbit spying

Golden Dome: The Path Forward

Inside Honeywell’s business strategy for Golden Dome

Golden Dome faces challenges of size, scope and scale from every angle

Can space-based interceptors really work? What to know about Trump’s plan [VIDEO]

China and Russia won’t like Golden Dome. Here’s how they might respond. [VIDEO]

Golden Dome: Tackling the myths and rumors around America’s new missile shield [VIDEO]

Marines aim to be CJACD2 ‘fast follower’ with Dynamis Series of C2 experiments

Canada is still interested in Golden Dome. What can it bring – and how could it fall apart?

‘SCAF is dead’: Sixth-gen Franco-German fighter is all but over, officials and analysts say

Saudi Arabia expands naval capabilities with four C-27J maritime patrol aircraft