Breaking Defense

EXCLUSIVE: SOUTHCOM chief seeks unmanned river solution as he embraces autonomy

Is the Pentagon’s demand signal for drones working? It depends on who you ask.

“There's a lot of positive signaling, but we need to see the whites of the eyes: We need to see sustained, normalized demand,” said James Slider, CEO of Performance Drone Works.

By Ashley Roque

Global

Unmanned systems take center stage at Turkish Ateş Serbest military demonstration

The highlight of the exercise may have been the Turkish military showing off a new drone for the first time: Turkish Aerospace Industries’ Ayaz, a turbojet-powered one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle.

By Agnes Helou

Space

Space Force reveals first 6 ‘operational’ contracts for civil reserve support in space monitoring

Space Systems Command officials said the contracts are an initial step for the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR) initiative, and don't address the thornier issues of US rights to deny other customers service or reimbursement for satellites lost in a conflict.

By Theresa Hitchens

Latest News

Space

DoD demo contract takes a step closer to beaming solar power from space

The Overview award is the second space-based solar power contract to be announced by the Pentagon's Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund in recent weeks.

By Theresa Hitchens

Global

Moroccan startup unveils prototype UAV that operates without GPS signal

The prototype now under testing is a four-meter wingspan UAV, but the company is aiming for larger airframe to be able to reach 2,000 kilometers in range.

By Agnes Helou

In this episode:

Boeing’s victory caps a significant turnaround for its defense business
A report from western Ukraine on technology and life in wartime

Land Warfare

Ex-defense minister’s futuristic ‘Army of Robots’ raises eyebrows in Ukraine

A splashy promo video published by Mykhailo Fedorov envisions humanoid robots in combat, but not everyone is convinced it's the right play.

By Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo

Land Warfare

Battling sand and wind, Pentagon evaluates counter-drone tech at southern border exercise

A dozen vendors came to Yuma Proving Ground during Falcon Peak 26.2 to test their counter drone tech. Their goal: win a Pentagon contract.

By Carley Welch

Air Warfare

What Europe’s military air fleets will look like in 30 years

Breaking Defense's roundtable looks into a crystal ball to discuss the more distant future for the continent's air forces.

By Breaking Defense Video

Pentagon

Hegseth announces plans for new 4-star drone command, among other initiatives

Hegseth also announced a new study group led by Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey and Newt Gingrich.

By Ashley Roque

Naval Warfare

Saronic breaks ground on new Port Alpha shipyard in Texas

The shipyard is being built from the ground up in Brownsville, Texas.

By Diana Stancy

Land Warfare

Army taps 5 companies for PrSM Inc 4 prototypes

Anduril, Castelion, Lockheed Martin, RTX and Mach Industries were awarded Other Transaction Agreements for an undisclosed amount.

By Carley Welch

Land Warfare

EXCLUSIVE: How the DIA measures a military’s ‘Will to Fight’

After underestimating Ukraine's forces, the Defense Intelligence Agency adopted a new analytical framework to try and quantify the unquantifiable.

By Lee Ferran

Space

White House names nominees for SPACECOM, Navy No. 2

Overseeing the ongoing move of SPACECOM's headquarters from Colorado to Alabama will be one of the first tasks Lt. Gen. David Miller will face if he is confirmed to lead the command.

By Theresa Hitchens and Diana Stancy

Air Warfare

China opens training center with Laos, marking third overseas military base

Satellite imagery shows the new facility is built in part on a purported old US airstrip used during the Vietnam War.

By Mike Yeo

Air Warfare

Boeing nabs $2.4 billion deal for more F-15EX fighters

The award came on the same day that the planemaker secured a contract to build a sixth-generation fighter jet for the US Navy.

By Michael Marrow

Pentagon

US withdraws last remaining troops out of Iraq

“As we step back and hand full primary responsibility for Iraq’s security to the Government of Iraq and the brave people of Iraq, US and Coalition forces stationed across the region will remain ready to respond to any ISIS threats that arise,” CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said.

By Ashley Roque

Global, Middle East

Riyadh gets closer to F-35s, Damascus presses sovereignty and an expert take on Iran

Middle East Bureau Chief Agnes Helou reviews top news from the region before speaking with defense analyst Ryan Bohl.

By Breaking Defense Video

Breaking Defense

Latest News

Boeing’s victory caps a significant turnaround for its defense business

A report from western Ukraine on technology and life in wartime

Artificial Intelligence & Autonomy: A New Era in Defense

Pentagon Buzz News Video