Lockheed Deal to Boost Production of Secretive JATM Missile

INNOVATION

Lockheed reaches deal to boost production of secretive JATM missile

The announcement did not include information about the scale or timeline for the production ramp up, nor the dollar amount associated with the agreement.

INVESTMENT

New €50M Fund Bets on Ukraine's Defense Tech Founders

Ukrainian defense tech investment platform Resist.UA has launched Resist 2.0, a new European fund targeting up to €50 million to connect international investors with Ukraine's rapidly growing defense and dual-use technology sector.

Defense Tech Firms Setting Up Shop In Trump Family's Palm Beach Orbit

When Andreessen Horowitz announced last week that it would open a new regional headquarters for its $1.2B defense technology investment fund, it selected a location far from its base in Silicon Valley, the hub of venture capital. The office will be nowhere close to the Pentagon, through which tens of billions of dollars flow to private companies every year.

AI

Thales launches HexaForce AI command platform for Nato, allies

HexaForce is designed to support command needs for high-intensity operations involving more than 100,000 personnel and AI deployment.

TECHNOLOGY

Why the F-35 Is Such a Badass Plane: F-35 Fighter Jet History

Is it America’s most capable fighter, or America’s most expensive headache? Perhaps both.

This Is Not Your Father’s Nuclear Flight Test Vehicle

For decades, the United States’ nuclear weapons enterprise has wrestled with an institutional paradox. On one hand is the imperative to make the complex more “responsive” to global tumult and technical surprise, able to field new weapons quickly in reaction to unanticipated threats.

On the other are the unforgiving engineering requirements of thermonuclear warheads, devices whose development is measured in years. No silver bullet solution to this unstoppable-force-meets-immovable-object conundrum will likely present itself. But the contours of a new model in systems development are taking shape that may bring the long-sought responsiveness of the complex far closer to reality.

US Firm Rolls Out ‘Cavok STRIKE’ for Hardware-Free Military Connectivity

Cavok STRIKE enables battlefield platforms to connect with the Link 16 network without requiring hardware.

ACQUISITION

US-based Ondas buys Israeli defense tech firm in deal worth up to $390M

US-based defense holding firm Ondas Technologies has agreed to buy Israel’s Gate Technologies, a developer of advanced electronic fuzes for the safe activation of autonomous precision-strike weapons, including loitering munitions and missiles.

Under the terms of the acquisition deal announced late on Monday, Ondas will pay $205 million, of which $105 million will be in cash and $100 million in Ondas common stock. Another payment of up to $185 million will be tied to Gate Technologies meeting performance and financial targets through 2028.

SPACE

Space Force advancing on-orbit tracking for airborne and ground-based targets

As the Space Force prepares to launch the first Airborne Moving Target Indicator prototypes, the service is also working on its Ground Moving Target Indicator constellation — now known as the Resilient Radar System-Ground.

EUROPE

Latvia chooses Czech howitzers over Swedish Archer offer

Latvia’s government has approved the acquisition of Morana 155 mm self-propelled wheeled howitzers from Czech manufacturer Excalibur Army, reversing its earlier decision to pursue a deal with Sweden’s BAE Systems Bofors, the producer of the rival Archer artillery system.

STARTUPS

Defense tech Mach Industries doubles valuation to $3.7B in 3 months

Defense tech startup Mach Industries has raised a fresh $600 million in capital in a Series C extension round that has doubled its valuation to $3.7 billion, the company announced on Thursday. It announced the original Series C in June, which was $300 million at a $1.8 billion valuation. Investors in both tranches include Ribbit Capital, Infinite Capital, Bedrock Capital, and Sequoia.

DRONES

This New Cargo Drone Concept Brings 6,000 Pounds to Pilotless Resupply

Cessna SkyCourier UX concept uses a forward-loading configuration and aircraft-agnostic autonomous flight software.

RESEARCH

Redwire's Phased-Array Bet Could Broaden Its Defense Tech Opportunity

Redwire Corporation RDW expanded its defense technology strategy on Aug. 25, 2026, with an investment in next-generation phased-array antenna technology. The initiative targets faster, more resilient and scalable space-based data networks for global warfighter communications across multiple orbits.

ARMY

BAE Systems OneArc wins US Army contract for embedded vehicle training

Army crews will use the embedded training during the FDIA event to complete precision gunnery tasks for platform qualification.

AIR FORCE

Air Force contemplates unmanned tankers

The technology isn’t yet available to give autonomy to very large aircraft—but it’s coming.

US Air Force to extend service of B-1, B-2 bombers, official says

The decision to extend the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit comes amid moves by the force to further develop the B-21 Raider, the service’s next-generation stealth bomber with accelerated production.