Defense Industry & Major Contractors News

Breaking Defense • Michael Marrow

USAF nominee proposes dedicated CCA squadrons, may place units in Guard and Reserve

Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, nominee for USAF chief of staff, said the service could form dedicated squadrons of CCAs and place units in the Air National Guard and Reserve. He supports airborne “domain awareness” programs, withheld endorsement of the E‑7A, and warned low flight hours and parts shortages threaten readiness.

2025-10-09T10:49:04.296632-07:00

European Spaceflight

ArianeGroup CEO Martin Sion to become Alstom chief as Ariane 6 production ramps

2025-10-09T07:59:43.455390-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Defense budgets on both sides of the Atlantic reshape space industry

2025-10-08T15:12:41.183014-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Space Force awards Muon Space $44.6M to build three Quickbeam multispectral weather-wildfire smallsat prototypes

2025-10-08T11:47:19.558047-07:00

Defense Industry & Major Contractors News Timeline

AeroTime

French frigate Alsace intercepts supersonic target with MBDA Aster 30 The French Navy frigate Alsace intercepted a supersonic target using MBDA's Aster 30 interceptor in a recent at-sea engagement. The Aster 30 is the same missile family fielded by the SAMP/T MAMBA ground-based air-defence system, highlighting cross-domain commonality.

2025-10-10T04:56:20.632502-07:00

French frigate Alsace intercepts supersonic target with MBDA Aster 30

Air & Space Forces Mag

Boeing strike to delay F-15EX deliveries, Gen. Wilsbach warns; flags hypersonic mission and pilot readiness shortfall Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach told his Oct. 9 confirmation hearing that ongoing strikes at Boeing will delay US Air Force deliveries of the F-15EX, and repeatedly framed the jet’s rising mission to carry hypersonic and “very long range” weapons while warning pilots are not flying enough.

2025-10-09T19:36:29.633907-07:00

Boeing strike to delay F-15EX deliveries, Gen. Wilsbach warns; flags hypersonic mission and pilot readiness shortfall

Aviation Week

China tightens rare-earth export controls, heightening risk to U.S. military and aerospace supply chains China announced new export restrictions on rare-earth elements and related technologies, a move that concentrates supply risk for magnets and components used across aerospace, defense and space systems. The controls increase pressure on U.S. military supply chains and raise procurement and production risks for OEMs and prime contractors.

2025-10-09T15:04:24.486392-07:00

China tightens rare-earth export controls, heightening risk to U.S. military and aerospace supply chains

zona-militar.com

Dassault delivers 300th Rafale as production ramps to meet export surge Dassault Aviation has delivered the 300th Rafale multirole fighter, a milestone the company says was completed "a few days ago" and which reflects the type's export resurgence. Firm orders total 533 with 233 aircraft still to deliver, and production is progressing toward a four‑aircraft‑per‑month rate.

2025-10-09T14:19:22.854876-07:00

Dassault delivers 300th Rafale as production ramps to meet export surge

The War Zone

Northrop to flight‑test Lumberjack jet‑powered modular missile from XQ‑58 Valkyrie next year Northrop Grumman plans air‑launched flight tests next year of Lumberjack, a jet‑powered modular missile to be carried by the XQ‑58 Valkyrie. Lumberjack can also eject and dispense its own small munitions, combining sustained powered flight with on‑demand submunition deployment for flexible strike profiles.

2025-10-09T14:19:04.486817-07:00

Northrop to flight‑test Lumberjack jet‑powered modular missile from XQ‑58 Valkyrie next year

Via Satellite

Defense demand and AI accelerate Earth‑observation growth as Golden Dome underscores sovereign ISR needs Defense procurement is the primary growth engine for the Earth‑observation satellite market as governments seek sovereign ISR capabilities, industry leaders say. The trend is increasing demand for high‑resolution SAR/optical constellations, on‑board AI analytics and integration with programs such as Golden Dome.

2025-10-09T12:48:27.852078-07:00

Defense demand and AI accelerate Earth‑observation growth as Golden Dome underscores sovereign ISR needs

DefenseNews.com

Wilsbach: USAF likely to stand up dedicated Collaborative Combat Aircraft squadrons; Guard and Reserve could host units During his Senate confirmation hearing, Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach said the U.S. Air Force will likely assign Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) to dedicated squadrons rather than embed them in existing fighter units, and that the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve could stand up CCA units at undisclosed bases.

2025-10-09T12:40:41.918944-07:00

Wilsbach: USAF likely to stand up dedicated Collaborative Combat Aircraft squadrons; Guard and Reserve could host units

Breaking Defense

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USAF nominee proposes dedicated CCA squadrons, may place units in Guard and Reserve Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, nominee for USAF chief of staff, said the service could form dedicated squadrons of CCAs and place units in the Air National Guard and Reserve. He supports airborne “domain awareness” programs, withheld endorsement of the E‑7A, and warned low flight hours and parts shortages threaten readiness.

2025-10-09T10:49:04.296632-07:00

USAF nominee proposes dedicated CCA squadrons, may place units in Guard and Reserve

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