Eurofighter eyes sales of 200 additional aircraft
Potential new deals include second batch orders for Turkey and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, jointly amounting to 78 units, while closing an order from Austria would add a further 36 aircraft.
Syria weighs joining the Mecca Pact, foreign minister says
“Discussions are currently under way to evaluate Syria’s entry into the Mecca alliance,” Syria’s foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani said.
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Precision at scale: APKWS counters the threat
APKWS® laser‑guidance kit provides reliable precision‑guided munitions across missions and platforms, delivered quickly to meet evolving operational demands.
Pentagon weighs force posture, costs of rebuilding Middle East bases
“We're meeting with CENTCOM and doing the assessments right now from an installation perspective. Part of this is what will the global posture be in the future, and what does that require us to have?” a senior defense official told reporters today.
US clears $24B F-35 sale for Saudi Arabia
The approval comes a year after President Donald Trump announced Riyadh would be permitted to buy the highly advanced stealth fighters, though lawmakers could still block the sale.
US clears $5B in JDAMs for Saudi Arabia, other Middle East deals
Roughly $6.1 billion of military equipment was cleared for potential sales to Saudi Arabia, Oman and Iraq, spanning precision munitions to fighter jet sustainment, according to the State Department.
Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani defense pact to boost Turkish industry, entire trilateral ‘ecosystem’
“The Mecca Pact should not be viewed simply as an arms-export agreement. It is much broader," one expert told Breaking Defense.
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Three exercises that proved a new approach to C-UAS
Architecture that linked sensors, C2, RF effects, and lasers into a distributed c-UAS kill chain.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan ink ‘joint defense’ agreement
The agreement says that "any armed attack against any one of the three States shall be regarded as an attack against them all."
Italy’s controversial Gulf military mission enters public spotlight
“This is certainly one of Italy’s most significant deployments to the Gulf in many years — its importance lies not only in the number of personnel, but, above all, in the quality and scarcity of capabilities sent,” one Italian analyst said.
Russia’s windfall from the Iran war is temporary. Ukraine’s isn’t.
Kyiv, unlike Moscow, has secured strategic advantages from the war in Iran, writes Artur Kalandarov.
How the Iran conflict might change defense investments in the Gulf
Middle East Bureau Chief Agnes Helou talks Iran and interviews the CEO of SCOPA in this edition of the Middle East Defense Digest.
From directed energy to AI and hardening, JIATF-401 is widening counter-UAS options
There is no single answer to the drone threat, pushing the Pentagon toward a broader mix of defenses.
Iran conflict could open door for new players in Gulf defense market
As Gulf countries reassess defense needs after the Iran conflict, new entrants may find a windfall, writes Alek Jovovic of CSIS.
Ukraine inks defense agreements with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, with UAE to follow
“Ukraine has been countering [Iranian drones] for years [and] all features of this defense are of interest to the Gulf,” Samuel Bendett, adviser at Center for New America Security, told Breaking Defense.
Unmanned in the air and at sea at World Defense Show 2026
Middle East Bureau Chief Agnes Helou gets up close and personal with some American unmanned platforms in Saudi Arabia.
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.