Lockheed Taps Machina Labs for JASSM Missile Parts; Royal Navy’s Continuous 140-year Destroyer History to End in 2030s

INNOVATION

Lockheed Taps Machina Labs for JASSM Missile Parts

Robo-manufacturing startup Machina Labs announced that it’s inked a qualification contract with mega-prime Lockheed Martin (which, conveniently, also sits on Machina’s cap table through its venture arm) for Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) components.

INVESTMENT

Lakestar closes $300M defence fund and warns Europe off US tech reliance

Klaus Hommels says Washington's moves to restrict Anthropic are the latest sign that Europe needs to own both its technology and the capital behind it

AI

New AI ‘Agent Network’ Could Gather Intel Faster for Strike Packages

The Defense Department announced the start of “Agent Network” for artificial intelligence-enabled battle management and targeting June 25. The new network is expected to build off the existing Palantir Maven Smart System and coordinated support by Lumbra, an agentic AI operating system.

TECHNOLOGY

What Zelenskyy risks by firing Ukraine's tech-minded defense minister

Mykhailo Fedorov helped turn drones, software, and faster procurement into military advantages. His removal could slow the reforms Ukraine needs to compete with Russia.

Farnborough International Airshow to spotlight defense, electric air taxis

The global aviation industry is readying to converge on Farnborough, England, for its biannual air show.

Organizers expect a record-breaking 120,000 visitors at the event, which spans July 20-24, with an extra 5,000 square meters of exhibition space added to the sprawling pavilions this year. They say the primary driver is an influx of military exhibitors, shifting the show’s traditional 60-40 aerospace-defense split to an even 50-50.

Royal Navy’s continuous 140-year destroyer history to end in 2030s

UK Royal Navy destroyer heritage will come full circle when the last class of destroyers, the Type 45s, leave service in the 2030s.

AI, lasers and satellites: Technological innovation in the 2026 Iran war

The war between Israel, the U.S. and Iran is not only reshaping the Middle East battlefield; it is accelerating a revolution in how modern wars are fought.

Army announces Project Convergence-Capstone 6: A milestone in modernization

The U.S. Army will execute Project Convergence-Capstone 6 from July 20 to July 29 at Fort Irwin, California. Directed by Lt. Gen. Michael McCurry, commanding general of the Army Futures and Concepts Command, PC-C6 aims to rigorously experiment with future technologies by significantly expanding the scope, scale and complexity of operations previously tested at the 4th Infantry Division’s Ivy Sting and Ivy Mass exercises.

POLICY

Navy, Army risk wasting money, time without unified hypersonic missile strategy: GAO

The GAO determined that the Navy is already roughly two years behind schedule on modernizing the Zumwalt-class destroyers as part of the more than $50 billion hypersonic effort.

SPACE

Europe Pushes Into Exo-Atmospheric Missile Defense With Bliksem EXO Interceptor

Bliksem EXO uses kinetic hit-to-kill technology to destroy ballistic missiles through direct collision in space.

EUROPE

Defense tech is taking root in Italy too. Interview with Federico Costantini Vergallo, Ceo of Veco Robotics

From quadruped robots and artificial intelligence to the future of Italy’s defense innovation ecosystem, Federico Costantini Vergallo argues that the country’s technological competitiveness will depend not only on advanced platforms, but also on closer cooperation between industry and the Armed Forces, stronger national coordination, and a new generation of leaders capable of embracing disruptive technologies

UK claims “expanding” F-35 fleet but no new fighters until 2030s

Contradictory statements regarding the UK’s F-35 plans have emerged from senior defence ministers in recent days.

STARTUPS

Neros Lands Army Contract Worth Up to $500M

the California-based drone startup snagged a five-year, $500M-ceiling US Army contract for its Archer FPV drones under the Purpose-Built Attritable System (PBAS) program.

Singularity steps into the light with $80 million Series A to protect humans from cheap modern warfare

US defence startup Singularity has emerged from stealth with an oversubscribed $80 million Series A round at a $400 million valuation, as it looks to bring low-cost air defence systems into large-scale production.

Beyond Reach Labs Raises $10M Seed, Moves to NYC

Beyond Reach Labs, a startup building hardware to help satellite operators deploy large solar arrays, announced a $10M seed round today to meet an expected massive wave of incoming demand.

Interlagos led the round, which included additional participation from TerraForge Capital, Off-Piste Capital, Y Combinator, and Augur VC.

DRONES

Israeli Startup Wants to Stop Entire Drone Swarms, Not One Drone at a Time

Skapion’s air defense system engages entire drone swarms simultaneously, reducing intercept costs against large-scale aerial attacks.

Broken Drone, Far from Home: The Case for Overseas Autonomous System Sustainment

As the Navy shifts from a decade of developing and testing unmanned systems to fielding them in the operational fleet, it will need to expand its maintenance options to support them. The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group will deploy this year with a medium-sized unmanned surface vehicle.