Air Force strategy to protect aircraft was designed for China. Will it work for Iran?
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the US had "maxed out" its defensive posture, but Iran managed to strike US aircraft in Saudi Arabia anyway.
UK defense official: Boeing has been ‘troubled partner’ in much delayed E-7 program
Despite the UK once committing to field Wedgetail in the “early” 2020s, it was revealed last year that a new timeframe of 2026 had been approved.
Breaking Defense announces Breaking Defense Europe, a new, distinct, European edition
Breaking Defense Europe will launch May 4 with Tim Martin and Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo as co-editors.
With funding flush, Space Force hopes to speed satellites to track aircraft, missiles
Gen. Chance Saltzman, Space Force chief, said the work already done to design a satellite system for tracking ground targets should also help speed AMTI capabilities to orbit.
The state of play in military space
The military space sector is evolving fast. Get the latest from Space Force and industry officials on what’s next for acquisition, policy and training in a new Breaking Defense eBook.
AMTI ASAP: Space Force readying multi-source acquisition for satellites to track aircraft
"So the focus is going to be on delivering AMTI [airborne moving target indication] capability very quickly," Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said.
Congress votes to reopen the government, with extra money for Wedgetail, Navy shipbuilding
The government shut down Oct. 1 after Congress failed to pass an FY26 budget.
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America must adopt a Sixth Domain of warfare doctrine
The Sixth Domain is not defined by geography. It’s a new kind of conflict in which autonomy and networked systems allow thousand-dollar consumer electronics to destroy multi-million-dollar conventional weapons systems.
Republicans tee up short-term CR extending Pentagon funding until November
The continuing resolution does not include $3.9 billion requested by the White House for the Columbia-class submarine, but gives funding flexibility to other key programs.
EXCLUSIVE: SDA eyeing airborne target tracking satellites demonstration, says Tournear
"I would say that we are at the point now where the technology has matured and it's commoditized, so that radar based AMTI from space is feasible," outgoing SDA Director Derek Tournear told Breaking Defense in an exclusive interview.
Can Congress pass a FY26 defense budget this year? Here are 12 key issues for lawmakers.
As Congress returns from August recess, Breaking Defense examined how each defense committee is looking at a dozen major programs, from Golden Dome to F/A-XX to the cancellation of the E-7 Wedgetail.
Space Force launching sats to ‘enable’ GMTI ahead of mission-dedicated birds in 2028
Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt, the Space Force’s deputy chief of space operations for operations, cyber and nuclear, also said the service expects to complete an analysis of alternatives by this fall for a separate but related effort to track airborne targets from the heavens.
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Why enterprise IT modernization matters now – and how to “delight by design”
Do more with less: streamline workflows, reduce duplication, invest upfront to save long-term.
UK closes in on build of first E-7 Wedgetail, keeps faith in program amid US Air Force cancellation
In all, the estimated £1.89 billion ($2.57 billion) British E-7 program had completed a total of three test flights as of May, according to a parliamentary statement from Maria Eagle, UK defence procurement minister.
House committee’s NDAA authorizes more money for Ukraine, thwarts troop reductions in Europe
HASC’s version of the NDAA sticks closely to the Pentagon’s own FY26 budget — a departure from a typical year where lawmakers divert funding to bolster high-priority programs.
Air Force cancels E-7 Wedgetail, citing survivability and cost concerns
"We are bullish on space, and we think that’s a capability that can be achieved actually faster than the E-7 will deliver at this point," a senior military official said.
‘Not survivable’: Hegseth says DoD reviewing E-7 Wedgetail program amid move to space
Pentagon budget request documents obtained by Breaking Defense show continued R&D investment, but procurement dollars appear to dry up.