Missiles, drones and counter-drone systems: A look at day 2 of AFA
From counter-drone lasers to cutaway engine blocks, here are some of the sights from around the trade show floor.
Hypersonics, rocket startup Ursa Major to go public in $2.3B deal
"This transaction will help us turn that foundation into the production capacity our customers need,” CEO Chris Spagnoletti said.
The defense intelligence community’s AI and cyber view forward
From AI adoption and agentic systems to Zero Trust and cyber resilience, Breaking Defense’s latest eBook brings together key reporting from DoDIIS 2026 on the technologies and strategies shaping the future of defense intelligence.
Fixing the Achilles’ heel of air-and-missile defense with solid rocket motors
Resupply of SRMs during a high-tempo engagement like Iran could take years without procurement changes.
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Built for another era, our air-and-missile-defense industrial base needs more builders
New entrants are filling unmet needs in air-and-missile defense.
Dwindling stockpiles of solid rocket motors highlight industrial base challenges
Supply shortages, damaged radars raise concerns about air and missile defense.
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It’s a flight-proven hypersonic missile powered for the first time by a storable liquid engine
A new Air Force demonstrator with a novel engine is testing whether hypersonics can field faster, be adaptable, and affordably scale.
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Three exercises that pushed counter–UAS from prototype to proven
Architecture that linked sensors, C2, RF effects, and lasers into a distributed c-UAS kill chain.
Ursa Major unleashes HAVOC with new hypersonic missile
Ursa Major's new CEO Chris Spagnoletti told Breaking Defense that the company's new hypersonic weapon could cost $3 million a piece.
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Liquid propulsion for hypersonics provides flight capabilities not seen before
Ursa Major's American-made storable liquid rocket engine technology offers advantages over traditional liquid and solid rocket propulsion.
Ursa Major looks to fly Draper engine, takes aim at rocket engine markets
“This will be a next-generation capability being introduced by Ursa Major for hypersonic technology,” Ursa Major CEO Dan Jablonsky told Breaking Defense.
Raytheon, Ursa Major log successful solid rocket motor flight test
"In this particular program, we went from concept and design to firing and flight on the range in just under four months, which is lightning fast," said Ursa Major CEO Dan Jablonsky.
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Physics AI is different and changes the way defense systems are designed
Models that replicate real-world physics streamline design, testing and iteration processes.
Such efficiency, very defense: Congress, industry waiting for Elon’s DOGE to wow
In which five executives, three lawmakers and two Pentagon officials weigh in on whether they think DOGE will be a good thing or a bad thing for the Defense Department.
Ursa Major wins, matches $12.5M investment from DoD to improve solid rocket motor production
Ursa Major will match DoD's $12.5 million investment bringing the total deal's value up to $25 million.
EXCLUSIVE: Former Maxar Technologies CEO tapped as rocket startup head
During his tenure at Maxar, Dan Jablonsky developed a track record for “bringing a lot of first-of-its-kind solutions” to its customers, “not just bringing [products] to market … but developing that trust, developing that scale that Ursa Major is going to need,” said Ursa Major founder Joe Laurienti.
Northrop Grumman fires new solid rocket motor, launches innovation campaign
The company has no doubt been looking somewhat nervously into the rear view mirror as new competitors race into the skyrocketing Pentagon market.