Key questions, and an expert take, after US strikes Iran
This week on The Break Out, CNAS's Stacie Pettyjohn breaks down the ongoing US strikes on Iran.
How tanking, airlift could be strained by Iran ops
"Aerial refueling capacity has historically been a major constraint on the tempo of operations, and it’s likely the case today," Tim Walton, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, told Breaking Defense.
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Shaping the future of airpower in the Indo-Pacific: GA-ASI’s revolutionary approach
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has been the trailblazer in the UAS revolution for over three decades.
Macron calls to increase French nuclear arsenal, team with Germany and others on ‘deterrent’
"We cannot be satisfied with our current trajectory and I owe the nation the absolute assurance that our nuclear deterrence remains credible," French President Emmanuel Macron said.
Caine: US objective is to keep Iran from projecting power outside own borders
“We're not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters.
UK awards Leonardo $1.3B AW149 New Medium Helicopter contract
The new AW149 fleet is desperately needed to plug a rotary capability gap left by retirement of the Puma HC2 fleet in March 2025.
Iran conflict expands in Lebanon, Beirut demands Hezbollah ‘hand over its weapons’
Retired Lebanese armed forces general Maroun Hitti said that Hezbollah’s missiles has “instantly transformed Lebanon from fragile bystander to active battlefield,” describing the situations as “harsh and asymmetric.”
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How the “Doomsday Plane” contract highlights the rise of mid-tier primes
Midsized companies can offer flexibility and agility while keeping intellectual property in the hands of the government.
‘Nightmare scenario’ for GCC countries, region as Iran unloads drones and missiles
“If Iranian attacks continue throughout this week, I would expect the Gulf Arab states to eventually participate in counter-attacks on Iran," one defense expert told Breaking Defense.
Israel says it struck more than 500 targets in Iran with 200 warplanes
The US and Israel together launched a surprise, "massive" attack on sites throughout Iran beginning early Saturday.
US, Israel launch ‘massive and ongoing operation’ inside Iran
"We're going to destroy their missiles and [raze] their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally again obliterated. We're going to annihilate their Navy," said US President Donald Trump.
Poland unveils detailed defense spending for $51B in EU SAFE loans
According to Poland’s government, the money, which will be spent between 2026 and 2030, will go to a wide variety of systems, including artillery, cybersecurity, ground combat and more.
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Undersea superiority: ASELSAN’s integrated approach to naval defense
As global navies adapt to evolving underwater threats, ASELSAN’s integrated sonar, countermeasure, and sonobuoy solutions offer a scalable, future-ready approach.
Singapore to acquire three Gulfstream maritime surveillance aircraft
The G550-MSA is the latest in a series of major defense acquisitions announced by Singapore for the maritime domain in recent years.
Saudi Arabia courts the defense world at WDS 2026, as SAMI transforms
Middle East Bureau Chief Agnes Helou on the latest industry moves in the region at the World Defense Show in Saudi Arabia.
Taiwan should create drone swarm ‘asymmetric hellscape’ to blunt Chinese invasion: Report
“Drones could augment Taiwan’s limited stockpile of expensive weapons with precise, affordable mass that produces cross-domain effects while reducing risk to military personal by employing uncrewed systems for the most dangerous missions," the Center for New American Security report says.
Turkey’s Aselsan sees over $4 billion in revenue, up 15% from last year
Separately, state-owned Havelsan announced the commissioning of an armed unmanned surface vessel, dubbed Sancar, on Tuesday.