DefenseNews

The US Navy is eyeing next-gen carrier-based drones. Here’s what they might do.

The U.S. Navy is looking for a family of carrier-based drones that can fulfill a variety of missions, according to a July 14 Request for Information. The sea service “is exploring the industrial base’s capacity to deliver highly capable, autonomous platforms optimized for operations from Ford-class and Nimitz-class Nuclear Aircraft Carriers,” according to the RFI. The response deadline has…
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DefenseNews

Manufacturing woes hamper US 155-mm ammo production

Manufacturing problems are dashing the U.S. Army’s plans to boost production of urgently needed 155-mm howitzer shells, a Pentagon watchdog warned. Despite a goal of 100,000 rounds per month by October 2025, the Army had only managed to produce 36,000 rounds per month as…
DefenseNews

Helsing raises $1.8 billion in Europe’s biggest defense-startup round

PARIS – Germany’s Helsing raised US$1.8 billion in Europe’s biggest-ever funding round for a defense-technology startup, valuing the company at $18 billion and continuing a flurry of mega rounds for the continent’s defense industry. Munich-based Helsing raised the funding in a Series E funding round, with investor demand “significantly” exceeding the available allocation, the company…
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Zelenskyy taps European allies to build Freya, a cheaper Patriot-alternative to Russia’s ballistic missiles

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine will hold its first coalition meeting on a homegrown ballistic missile defense system in France “in the coming days” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday, advancing Kyiv’s yearslong effort to begin producing a domestically made counter to Russia’s deadly ballistic missiles. The push follows this week’s NATO summit in Ankara, where allies pledged…
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DefenseNews

Rheinmetall, MBDA to develop laser weapon for German Navy

PARIS — Rheinmetall and MBDA will develop a high-energy laser weapon for the Germany Navy that builds on previous work by the two companies on a laser demonstrator, with the weapon system expected to be operational in 2029. The equipment office of the German armed forces…
DefenseNews

Trump flies old Air Force One out of Turkey, switches to new jet in Britain for trip home

President Donald Trump unexpectedly left Turkey on Wednesday aboard an older Air Force One rather than the newly renovated Qatari-donated jet that brought him there, but later boarded the new plane in Britain for the flight to Washington. The trip to Turkey for the NATO summit, the first international travel for the new plane, took place as hostilities escalated with Iran, a country that borders…
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