SpaceNews.com
• Sandra Erwin
The Pentagon is urging defense contractors to increase production of missile interceptors after recent conflicts highlighted a gap between the rate at which the U.S. can expend its most capable air- and missile-defense weapons and the pace at which industry can replenish them.
Defense Industry & Major Contractors
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The Pentagon is urging defense contractors to increase production of missile interceptors after recent conflicts highlighted a gap between the rate at which the U.S. can expend its most capable air- and missile-defense weapons and the pace at which industry can replenish them.
Boeing is promoting an off-the-shelf radar seeker designed to reduce the cost of guided missiles, while Northrop Grumman has introduced Raid Hunter, a 50mm gun-based air defense system for countering drones, cruise missiles and other aerial threats in layered, short-range defense.
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The Pentagon says President Donald Trump’s $185 billion Golden Dome missile-defense initiative has established its first operational site at Fort Story, Virginia, and completed two key tests. Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein warned that without continued funding—and a solution to a potential 2027 cliff—the program will stop.
Providers of the UK Military Flying Training System detail current activity across a 110-aircraft fleet as the system enters its second decade. The RAF’s requirement to replace the BAE Systems Hawk is sharpening attention on the future structure, capacity and industrial base for military aircrew training.
SpaceX is expanding its role in missile defense, according to a summary from Huntsville, Alabama. The development points to a broader position for the company in national-security space and defense activity, though the available reporting does not specify the program, contract value, systems involved or timeline.
Golden Dome could strengthen U.S. defenses against global missile threats, but delivering the system will depend on whether the defense industrial base can modernize, expand capacity and overcome existing production constraints. The initiative therefore presents an industrial-base challenge alongside its strategic and technological ambitions.
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Joby Aviation will acquire Ohio-based defense technology company Resonant Sciences for approximately $500 million, expanding beyond its commercial eVTOL program. Resonant’s radio-frequency, sensing, mission-system and stealth capabilities will form Joby’s dedicated defense business, which is expected to be established following the deal’s anticipated 2027 closing.
Vertical Aerospace has secured approximately $100 million in financing commitments from existing and new investors to support certification and commercialisation of Valo, its piloted four-passenger electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft. The funding comes as the Bristol-based company advances the program toward critical design review and production.
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