DefenseNews

Drones could replace large US Army units in Europe, expert suggests

Since 1945, the U.S. Army has been designed to defend Europe. Despite detours into counterinsurgency in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, the core of the Army remains a large force of heavy mechanized brigades. But the times are changing. The Obama administration shifted American strategic policy from Europe to Asia. Today, the Trump administration is prioritizing homeland defense, the Western…
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DefenseNews

Singapore launches ‘Battlestar Galactica’-like warship with drones

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — When Singapore’s defense minister, Chan Chun Sing, spoke at the launch ceremony of a novel class of warship for his country’s navy this week, he likened the vessel to the fictitious spaceship Battlestar Galactica. “It isn’t just a ship by itself, but one that’s integrated with artificial intelligence and an evolving brain,” he said of the new 8,000-ton…
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DefenseNews

How the Army could customize tanks for future urban warfare

For steel beasts, the most dangerous habitat is urban. Tall buildings and narrow city streets are unfriendly territory for a 12-foot-wide tank that weighs 70 tons. Yet, as the world becomes increasingly urbanized, and combat in cities and villages has become the norm, armor…
DefenseNews

Airbus, Thales, Leonardo form European space giant amid global contest

ROME — Europe’s three big space operators have announced a merger of their space businesses to take on competitors like Elon Musk’s Starlink. Airbus, Thales and Leonardo will pool their space efforts in a new company employing 25,000 staff with an an annual turnover of about €6.5 billion ($7.5 billion) and a three-year order backlog, the firms said on Thursday. “The combination is…
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DefenseNews

Should the Army bring back the Pentomic Division?

In the late 1950s, when everyone expected World War III to go nuclear, the U.S. Army had to contemplate operating on a battlefield sprouting atomic fireballs. This put Army planners in a dilemma. Military theory said that forces had to be concentrated to overwhelm the enemy…
DefenseNews

Zelenskyy heads north for possible Swedish arms deal

MILAN — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Sweden on Wednesday to discuss a “defense export,” according to the Swedish government, widely expected to be related to a potential deal involving Gripen fighter jets. Zelenskyy met with Swedish Prime Minister…
DefenseNews

Ukraine unveils upgraded sea drone for Black Sea strike missions

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s state security service has unveiled an upgraded sea drone it says can now operate anywhere in the Black Sea, carry heavier weapons and use artificial intelligence for targeting. Ukraine has used the unmanned naval drones to target Russian shipping and infrastructure in the Black Sea. The Security Service of Ukraine, known by its Ukrainian acronym SBU, has…
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