Breaking Defense
• Ashley Roque
Army G-2 Andrew Evans told Breaking Defense that the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) program is currently “completely” on cost and schedule. He warned that a continuing resolution could complicate plans for production, putting progress at risk amid the budget impasse.
Defense Budgets & Spending
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Army G-2 Andrew Evans told Breaking Defense that the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) program is currently “completely” on cost and schedule. He warned that a continuing resolution could complicate plans for production, putting progress at risk amid the budget impasse.
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AEVEX says its turbojet-powered Specter is designed for single-use attack missions but can also carry cameras, jamming equipment and other payloads. The platform’s proposed non-kinetic roles broaden its potential mission set, as militaries and governments focus on one-way attack drones and other small uncrewed systems.
The U.S. Space Force is preparing to test whether it can expand its workforce nearly as quickly as its budget. The challenge is not funding alone: building and retaining the personnel needed to execute the service’s growing mission may prove harder than securing resources.
European officials are criticizing the militarization of space even as they fund programs intended to strengthen their own defensive posture in orbit. The initiatives described fall short of weaponization, highlighting the distinction between building space defenses and deploying weapons in space.
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The multi-year award covers production and sustainment of Standard Missile-3 Block IB interceptors as the Pentagon works to replenish missile-defense inventories and increase munitions output. It follows a framework agreement between the Defense Department and Raytheon to expand production of the interceptor.
India’s air force chief says the service needs 40 new fighters each year, while reaching its stated aspiration of 42.5 squadrons remains a distant prospect — if it is achieved at all. The remarks underscore the scale of the gap between the force’s target and its current trajectory.
Amprius Technologies will use an award of up to $75 million from the U.S. Department of War to convert an existing electric-vehicle battery production line to manufacture high-energy-density cells for unmanned aerial systems.
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European governments are preparing to invest as much as €24 billion ($27 billion) in a joint military space project spanning satellite communications, surveillance and missile warning. The initiative would also establish shared tracking data, deepening cooperation across Europe’s defense-space capabilities.
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