Wall Street Journal
• Adriano Marchese
Rocket Lab secured a $266 million multi-launch contract from the U.S. Space Force—its largest launch agreement to date. The deal covers up to 18 primarily suborbital missions, with work concentrated around a spaceport in Kodiak, Alaska, and is tied to U.S. missile defense capabilities.
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Rocket Lab secured a $266 million multi-launch contract from the U.S. Space Force—its largest launch agreement to date. The deal covers up to 18 primarily suborbital missions, with work concentrated around a spaceport in Kodiak, Alaska, and is tied to U.S. missile defense capabilities.
Lockheed Martin’s Stephanie Hill said the company is moving beyond the “lasers are always five years away” refrain, asserting its laser air-defense systems will reach operational status before the end of the decade. The remark signals maturing directed-energy timelines for layered counter-UAS and air-defense needs.
Longshot has been selected for the U.S. Air Force’s Velocity Alliance, a consortium aimed at upgrading national test capabilities with an affordable, high-cadence hypersonic test launcher concept. Separately, the UK MOD awarded Lockheed Martin UK £320 million for Project Bowline, delivering a hypersonic target aircraft to support missile defense flight tests from 2027 over the Hebrides.
Allied rotorcraft played a central role in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) sinking exercises, engaging retired warships with at least four different missile types. The drills underscore how helicopter-launched precision effects are being integrated across allied maritime strike concepts during large-scale live exercises.
Israeli and Western officials say recent satellite imagery shows Iran quickly rebuilding assets damaged during the U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign. The scope cited ranges from missile bases deep in mountainous areas to bridges, ports, and production facilities, indicating accelerated recovery of both military and economic infrastructure.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will move into co-manufacturing Patriot interceptor missiles with Raytheon, aiming to ease supply shortages and reduce costs amid U.S. licensing and air defense cooperation talks. At Farnborough 2026, Lockheed Martin showcased PAC-3 ACE, a lower-cost interceptor with a blast-fragmentation warhead option.
Terma is promoting a multi-mission pod architecture for F-35 operators, positioning the already-approved structure as a potential platform to carry new payload systems. The company says the same structural baseline could be adapted for a range of missions, enabling faster capability refresh as F-35 requirements evolve.
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