DefenseNews

NATO jet shoots down Ukrainian drone over Estonia in escalation of airspace violations

VIENNA — A NATO air policing jet has shot down what authorities suspect was a Ukrainian drone flying over Estonia, a first after several similar airspace incursions in the Baltic states. The drone was shot down by a Romanian F-16 fighter jet stationed in Šiauliai, Lithuania, Estonian media reported from a press conference by the defense ministry in Tallinn. Estonian radars had detected the…
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DefenseNews

US Air Force looks to convert offshore oil rigs into rocket recovery platforms

The U.S. Air Force is looking to repurpose offshore oil rigs into landing platforms to recover rocket boosters launched by the U.S. Space Force and private spaceflight companies. The proposal, called Project Able Baker, would solve two problems, the Air Force said. First, the new Sea-Based Recovery Stations would offer a cheaper way of retrieving reusable heavy-lift rockets so they can be launched…
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DefenseNews

DoD faces mounting pressure to pass clean audit for the first time

House lawmakers and government watchdogs expressed skepticism Wednesday about the Defense Department’s ability to produce a clean financial audit by a Dec. 31, 2028, statutory deadline. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on the DoD years-long struggle to produce a clean financial audit despite claiming around half of the government’s discretionary…
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DefenseNews

Blacklists, corruption and frontline needs: Ukraine tackles an arms-export puzzle

KYIV, Ukraine — The U.S. State Department and Ukraine’s ambassador in Washington have outlined a memorandum that would route Ukrainian drone technology into joint ventures on American soil in an attempt to inject Kyiv’s combat experience into the military’s equipment supply chains. The draft agreement would open a legal channel for Kyiv to sell its weapons to the U.S. for the first time…
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