The War Zone
• Joseph Trevithick, Thomas Newdick
Sierra Nevada Corporation has withdrawn its clean-sheet trainer proposal from the U.S. Navy’s competition to replace the T-45 Goshawk. After Boeing and Lockheed Martin also exited, the Textron Aviation Defense-Leonardo partnership and its M-346N proposal are the only remaining contender.
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Sierra Nevada Corporation has withdrawn its clean-sheet trainer proposal from the U.S. Navy’s competition to replace the T-45 Goshawk. After Boeing and Lockheed Martin also exited, the Textron Aviation Defense-Leonardo partnership and its M-346N proposal are the only remaining contender.
After visiting Buckley Space Force Base as acting defense secretary, the author says seeing the domain’s contested character firsthand changed an abstract understanding into a visceral one. The argument: U.S. space capabilities and the industrial base supporting them must be built for space’s role in warfighting.
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Democrats’ midterm gains shifted control of congressional committees responsible for NASA funding and Space Force oversight, raising the prospect of closer scrutiny for SpaceX and defense spending. In Texas, the electoral shift also puts deals Elon Musk struck with the state at risk, while defense stocks fell on spending concerns.
The German defense AI company has transferred the source code for its Mission Operating System Bundeswehr to the country’s military procurement agency, giving the state ownership of software historically retained by industry. The system is intended for future combat drones and other air warfare platforms, enabling Germany to develop them independently of individual suppliers.
The US Air Force has withdrawn three Embraer A-29 Super Tucanos from service after evaluating them for a Test Pilot School role at Edwards Air Force Base; the aircraft are in storage. Separately, Sierra Nevada Corp. has left the Navy’s UJTS competition, leaving Textron and Leonardo’s M-346N as the only known contender.
MBDA is developing Stratus RS, a high-speed missile for rapid strike, for France and the United Kingdom. The weapon’s range is expected to be “far” greater than Exocet’s, and MBDA is awaiting a development contract from France’s Directorate General for Armament.
Sierra Nevada Corp. has withdrawn from the U.S. Navy’s trainer-jet competition, according to an exclusive report. The service now plans to award the Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) contract between July and the end of September 2027, setting a defined procurement window for the remaining competition.
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