DefenseNews

Flight tests begin on US Air Force’s new ‘doomsday plane’

The Air Force and aerospace firm Sierra Nevada Corp. have started flight tests on the service’s next-generation “doomsday plane.” Flight tests for the E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Control, or SAOC, are being held at the Aviation Innovation and Technology Center in Dayton, Ohio, the company said in a Wednesday release. Sierra Nevada, also known as SNC, carried out the SAOC’s first…
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DefenseNews

U.S. troops will stay in Poland, Trump assures Polish leader

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump affirmed that the United States will keep a robust military presence in Poland as he had a warm meeting Wednesday with the country’s new president, Karol Nawrocki. Trump had taken the unusual step of endorsing Nawrocki in the…
DefenseNews

Xi, Putin, Kim Jong Un unite at glitzy China military parade

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — China did not disappoint with its massive Sep. 3 military parade through Tiananmen Square, the site of a violent massacre in the heart of Beijing in June 1989, with numerous VIPs from around the world attending. As China celebrated its victory over “fascist” Japanese forces in 1945, the places of honor at Chairman Xi Jinping’s right and left hands were assigned…
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DefenseNews

Investors are waking up to the defense sector

For too long, there has been a limited investment base in publicly traded defense stocks — even as the benchmark SPADE Defense Index produced a 15-year return of nearly 17% annually. Many institutional and professional investors remained on the sideline either due to their aversion to the sector’s activities or viewing it as a niche market. That has begun to change. Even though the sector…
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DefenseNews

EU sets military spending record, expects more growth in 2025

BERLIN — The European Union collectively spent €343 billion ($402 billion) on defense last year, exceeding projections and setting a new record, according to a new report by the European Defense Agency. The agency said it expected defense spending to increase further in…
DefenseNews

Swastikas on some Finland air force flags to be phased out

Finland’s Air Force, now part of NATO, still flies swastikas on a handful of unit flags — but is preparing to phase them out, largely to avoid awkwardness with its Western allies. The history of the Finnish air force’s use of the swastika, which since the 20th century has largely been associated with Nazi tyranny and hate groups, is more complex than at first appearance. It is an ancient…
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