Rafael to Turn Volkswagen Plant Into Defense Hub; In Russia’s Long Drone Shadow

INVESTMENT

US approves $5.75bn JDAM-ER, tank engine sales to Saudi Arabia

The proposed sales are intended to enhance Saudi Arabia’s airborne defence capacity and its ability to address regional security challenges.

CMG Raises $10.3M Seed Led by Overmatch

Texas-based energetics manufacturing company Critical Materials Group announced that it’s raised a $10.3M seed round led by Overmatch Ventures, with participation from Victory Six Advisors and Fulcrum Ventures.

TECHNOLOGY

Rafael signs deal to turn Volkswagen plant into defense hub

Rafael, Lower Saxony and investment fund Aurelius signed a declaration of intent to transform Volkswagen’s Osnabrück site into a center for security and defense technologies. The first phase will focus on developing and producing air-defense components, potentially including systems linked to Rafael’s Iron Dome, with detailed negotiations and regulatory approvals still to come.

SPACE

China's Commercial Space Sector Is Going Public

To go public as a rocket company in China, you first have to fly one.

That’s roughly the effect of a rule the Shanghai Stock Exchange issued in December, as part of a set of market reforms that has a handful of Chinese space startups lining up for listing on the STAR Market—the country’s Nasdaq alternative for domestic tech.

EUROPE

‘NATO 3.0’: How Ukraine’s war innovation is reshaping the alliance

Ukraine’s battlefield technology is increasingly shaping NATO’s debate over future defense, as European allies and Canada assume greater responsibility for supporting Kyiv and strengthening the alliance’s military capacity.

Sweden signs HIMARS deal, forges rocket artillery pact with Finland

The $732 million acquisition comprises “just over” ten launchers together with a “substantial quantity” of ammunition, Defense Minister Pål Jonson said.

Berlin launches crisis response after Rhysida dumps 5.79TB of allegedly stolen government data

The ransomware gang claims the haul includes plaintext credentials, classified material, and vulnerability assessments of Berlin’s water supply

DRONES

In Russia’s Long Drone Shadow

Moscow is testing Europe’s defenses with drone incursions and could decide to use drones against the continent on a much larger scale once the war in Ukraine pauses. European countries will need Kyiv to help them prepare for such a possibility.

Israeli Tech Gives Drones a Way to Confirm What They See at 1 Kilometer

RangeMark can decode each marker into a unique, machine-readable identity without relying on network connectivity.

Air Force Speeds Up Low-Cost Drone Program after MQ-9 Losses

The Air Force is accelerating its plans to field an MQ-9A replacement in the wake of heavy Reaper losses in operations against Iran, top officials said Sept. 3, and they’re targeting a price point of just $10 million per aircraft.

CHINA

From dance floor to war: China readies humanoid robots for combat

At the World Humanoid Robot Games in China last month, robots jumped, boxed and danced. Some fleet-footed bots ran faster than Usain Bolt over 100 meters. Spectators cheered the machines’ improving capabilities and their meme-worthy stumbles.

RESEARCH

The New Revolution in Military Affairs

Russia’s war against Ukraine has entered a new phase, one defined less by territorial gains than by intense technological competition.

Both sides are now engaged in a sustained effort to gain advantage through rapid innovation and adaptation, introducing new types of unmanned systems, countermeasures, and operating methods at unprecedented speed. Ukraine is championing a distributed, bottom-up innovation model with hundreds of firms and volunteer groups, close integration between frontline units and manufacturers, and research-and-development activity embedded directly in combat formations.

Russia, by contrast, pursues a centralized approach, with the state playing a dominant role in steering, producing, and scaling new weapon systems and capabilities. Ukraine is ahead in some areas and Russia in others, but both have moved far beyond prevailing Western practices, transforming the battlefield into a live environment of continuous military-technical experimentation.

MARITIME

Some Navy subs are waiting years for shipyard work, and that’s costing billions of dollars

Maintenance delays have cost the Navy’s attack submarine fleet more than 41 years they could have been in operation—and those waiting to be taken out of service could cost more than $3 billion over the next five years, according to a recent watchdog report.

NAVY

HII wins $336m contract for USS William J. Clinton carrier materials

Work under this contract is scheduled to take place in Newport News, Virginia, with completion anticipated by March 2039.

MARINES

Leonardo set to deliver seven Centauro II vehicles to Brazil

The deal covers the first batch of 8x8 wheeled vehicles for serial production under an overall programme for 98 platforms.

STRATEGY

New Complications in Countering the Flow of Arms in the Caribbean

Arms trafficking in the Caribbean has soared in recent years, with many states now ranking firearms trafficking as the number one public safety and security threat. As new methods of arming individuals and gangs emerge across the Caribbean, gun violence continues to rise throughout the region.

While armed gangs in Haiti currently possess superior firepower to the police, most countries are trying to get a handle on the problem before it becomes that bad. Some outdated narratives, particularly about South American arms, still color thinking about firearms in the region, but the reality is becoming increasingly complex in the directional flow, trafficking methods, and the actors involved.

The undebatable truth is that the majority of the region’s firearms are coming from the United States.