All Department of Defense articles
-
AnalysisNew low-cost US attack drone offers strike range of over 400nm for under $55k
The Pentagon has disclosed specifications for its LUCAS one-way attack drone, a reverse-engineered derivative of Iran’s Shahed-136 offering 434nm range at costs between $10,000-$55,000, as the US military deploys the type operationally for the first time in the Middle East theatre.
-
NewsBell’s X-76 'stop/fold' tiltrotor demonstrator advances toward 2028 first flight
Bell’s developmental SPRINT-X aircraft has been designated X-76 after completing its critical design review, clearing the way for construction of a demonstrator that DARPA expects to fly in early 2028.
-
In depthCritical shortage or endless supply? Munitions availability in the Iran war
US defence officials have declared stockpiles of precision munitions sufficient for sustained operations against Iran, contradicting years of warnings from military officers and industry executives about the imbalance between production capacity and battlefield demand.
-
NewsUS strike sets Iranian drone carrier Shahid Bagheri ablaze
The US Central Command has released surveillance footage showing Iranian drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri engulfed in flames following a weapons strike, marking the second attack on the vessel since Operation Epic Fury began on 2 March.
-
NewsAurora completes fuselage for X-65 ‘active flow control’ demonstrator
Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences has completed fuselage fabrication for the X-65, an experimental aircraft that replaces conventional control surfaces with embedded air-jet effectors using active flow control technology, with first flight planned for 2027.
-
NewsUS B-1Bs strike Iranian missile sites amid widening conflict
US Air Force Boeing B-1B Lancer bombers have struck targets deep inside Iranian territory, as Washington’s military campaign against Tehran intensifies to include more than 1,200 sites.
-
In depthUS E-7 Wedgetail prototypes advance despite Pentagon opposition
The US Air Force will proceed with development of two Boeing E-7 Wedgetail prototypes under congressional mandate, despite the Trump Administration’s preference for a space-based alternative for aerial threat tracking.
-
NewsGeneral Atomics LongShot ‘missile truck’ designated X-68A
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has designated General Atomics’ LongShot air-launched weapons platform as the X-68A, after what the agency calls “significant progress” on the uncrewed missile carrier designed to extend combat reach while keeping crewed aircraft at safer standoff distances.
-
NewsVH-92A to assume full presidential transport duties by 2030
The US Marine Corps will retire its VH-3D and VH-60N presidential helicopters by 2030, with HMX-1’s VH-92A fleet expanding to 16 aircraft as the Sikorsky type assumes full Marine One duties.
-
NewsPentagon takes $1bn stake in L3Harris missile unit to boost rocket motor production
The Pentagon is making an unprecedented $1 billion equity investment in L3Harris’s Missile Solutions division, which will be spun off as a standalone company to expand production of solid rocket motors critical to guided weapons and space systems.
-
AnalysisUS defence sector outlook optimistic despite Trump stock-buyback threat
Major US defence manufacturers maintain a strong financial outlook despite a White House executive order prohibiting stock buybacks and dividends for firms deemed to be underperforming on contracts.
-
NewsUS military seizes Russian-flagged oil tanker in North Atlantic following pursuit from Venezuela
Open source flight tracking shows P-8A and U-28A reconnaissance aircraft monitoring the section of ocean between Iceland the UK where the sanctioned vessel is located, while Russian media claim special operations helicopters flew past the ship.
-
NewsPentagon report highlights China’s sixth-generation fighter progress
The US Department of War’s latest annual assessment of Chinese military capabilities reveals significant progress in airpower development, including testing of two sixth-generation fighter aircraft and advances in airborne early warning systems.
-
NewsUSA approves $11.1bn Taiwan arms package including loitering munitions
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has outlined eight potential defence equipment sales to Taiwan totalling $11.1 billion, including $1.1 billion worth of Anduril loitering munitions and $96 million in spare parts for Bell AH-1W Cobra attack helicopters.
-
NewsUS government admits fault in deadly mid-air collision between airliner and army helicopter
The US government has formally admitted liability for the January 2025 collision between a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and a PSA Airlines CRJ700 near Ronald Reagan Washington National airport that killed 67 people, citing multiple failures by military and civilian authorities.
-
NewsUS military helicopter ADS-B exemption sparks safety backlash
Safety investigators and lawmakers are opposing provisions in the US defence spending bill that would exempt some military helicopters from aircraft-tracking requirements, citing risks highlighted by January’s fatal Potomac River collision.
-
NewsUS lawmakers approve 84% funding cut to US Navy’s F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter
Lawmakers in Washington are supporting a Trump Administration plan to provide only minimal funding to the US Navy’s F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter programme, instead favouring the US Air Force’s F-47.
-
NewsCongress moves to protect E-7A Wedgetail programme from cancellation
Lawmakers in the US Congress are taking legislative action to prevent the Trump Administration from cancelling the US Air Force’s Boeing E-7A Wedgetail acquisition programme, overriding opposition from the White House, which favours space-based alternatives.
-
NewsPentagon deploys first one-way attack squadron using Shahed-136 derivative
US Central Command has activated its first one-way attack squadron, operating strike drones reverse-engineered from Iran’s Shahed-136 kamikaze aircraft – marking a major shift toward low-cost offensive drone capabilities.
-
NewsDARPA launches X-plane competition for new uncrewed cargo drone
The Pentagon’s technology incubator has launched a competition seeking novel designs for uncrewed cargo aircraft capable of carrying payloads more than four times their own weight, with applications spanning military logistics to civil package delivery.