Flying Magazine
• Jack Daleo
A U.S. Air Force C-17 headed for Antarctica was diverted after Russia’s Air Traffic Management Centre alerted New Zealand authorities to a “potential hazard” linked to a planned missile launch. The incident highlights the operational consequences of launch activity and the importance of cross-border airspace coordination.
Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons
Latest source-backed stories
A U.S. Air Force C-17 headed for Antarctica was diverted after Russia’s Air Traffic Management Centre alerted New Zealand authorities to a “potential hazard” linked to a planned missile launch. The incident highlights the operational consequences of launch activity and the importance of cross-border airspace coordination.
Moog is expanding its Huntsville, Alabama, operation with a secure Hypersonic/Interceptor Hardware-in-the-Loop laboratory, described as one of only a few such facilities in the U.S. The company highlighted the expansion during the Space and Missile Defense Symposium, underscoring its focus on advanced defense-system testing.
Defense-tech startup Castelion has secured more than $1 billion in new financing as it seeks to mass-produce lower-cost hypersonic weapons. The funding will support expanded missile production and development of a broader portfolio spanning offensive and defensive weapon systems.
Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of the U.S. Space Force, says more missiles have been launched globally in the past three years than in all previous years combined. The assessment underscores the growing role of space-based systems in detecting and tracking missile activity, including launches from Iran.
Japan will conduct tests of hypersonic and other missiles in Australia under an agreement that highlights the two nations’ expanding defense cooperation. The activity adds an operational testing dimension to their security relationship and underscores the growing strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific.
The GEK800 turbofan, designated F143-ZZ-100 by the U.S. military, has been selected for Engineering, Manufacturing and Development as a second propulsion source for the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile. The award advances a new 800-pound-thrust engine into the JASSM production and supply-chain base.
High activity
Ukraine says long-range Flamingo cruise missiles struck the Progress Rocket and Space Center in Samara, a producer of Soyuz-2 and Soyuz-5 launch vehicles, as well as the Savasleyka military airfield. The facility is also linked to Russian military satellites and a Starlink-style communications network.
Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are slowing momentum behind a proposed arrangement that would allow Ukraine to produce Patriot missile interceptors, despite President Donald Trump’s promise last month to grant Kyiv a license. Officials are questioning what has caused the hold-up in advancing the production agreement.
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