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Defense Scoop • Mikayla Easley

Space Force confirms Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo as SDA director and dual-role PAE for missile warning/tracking

After serving as acting director since last September, Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo was named permanent director of the Space Development Agency effective May 11. The Space Force also assigned him a new dual portfolio acquisition executive role (PAE) overseeing SDA and Space Force missile warning and tracking programs.

2026-05-19T13:25:44.979344-07:00

FlightGlobal

Indonesia inducts Rafale fighters, A400M MRTT airlifter and Falcon 8X in Jakarta

2026-05-18T22:24:06.519735-07:00

AeroTime

Destinus and Rheinmetall accelerate RUTA Block 3 for 2,000-km European deep-strike cruise missile trials

2026-05-18T04:24:56.842056-07:00

Aviation Week

RAF puts APKWS on frontline Typhoon jets for counter-UAS in the Middle East

2026-05-16T16:10:48.963293-07:00

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Defense Scoop

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Space Force confirms Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo as SDA director and dual-role PAE for missile warning/tracking After serving as acting director since last September, Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo was named permanent director of the Space Development Agency effective May 11. The Space Force also assigned him a new dual portfolio acquisition executive role (PAE) overseeing SDA and Space Force missile warning and tracking programs.

2026-05-19T13:25:44.979344-07:00

Space Force confirms Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo as SDA director and dual-role PAE for missile warning/tracking

FlightGlobal

Indonesia inducts Rafale fighters, A400M MRTT airlifter and Falcon 8X in Jakarta On May 18, Indonesia’s Air Force (TNI-AU) formally accepted and inducted a new batch of aircraft at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, including six Dassault Rafale (four two-seat and two single-seat) plus an Airbus A400M MRTT and four Falcon 8X jets. The handover also showcased integration-ready combat capability with Meteor and AASM Hammer weapons.

2026-05-18T22:24:06.519735-07:00

Indonesia inducts Rafale fighters, A400M MRTT airlifter and Falcon 8X in Jakarta

AeroTime

Destinus and Rheinmetall accelerate RUTA Block 3 for 2,000-km European deep-strike cruise missile trials Destinus says it is starting faster development of the RUTA Block 3 program with Rheinmetall, targeting next year for deep-strike missile trials. The 2,000-kilometer-class, Europe-produced precision strike system extends the operationally validated RUTA family and is positioned for scaled long-range production.

2026-05-18T04:24:56.842056-07:00

Destinus and Rheinmetall accelerate RUTA Block 3 for 2,000-km European deep-strike cruise missile trials

Aviation Week

RAF puts APKWS on frontline Typhoon jets for counter-UAS in the Middle East The Royal Air Force has begun operational use of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) on Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon fighters deployed in the Middle East, moving from testing to frontline service in under two months. The low-cost guided-rocket option is intended to improve engagement of one-way attack drones.

2026-05-16T16:10:48.963293-07:00

RAF puts APKWS on frontline Typhoon jets for counter-UAS in the Middle East

DefenseNews.com

Anduril to supply 3,000 Barracuda-500M containerized cruise missiles to the U.S. Army starting in 2027; DoD selects firms to fie The U.S. Army has lined up Anduril to deliver at least 3,000 surface-launched Barracuda-500M cruise missiles beginning in 2027, tied to DoD’s Low-Cost Containerized Missiles initiative. Separately, the Department of Defense selected five companies to field thousands of containerized cruise missiles and Blackbeard hypersonic weapons between 2027 and 2029.

2026-05-15T12:38:49.643415-07:00

Anduril to supply 3,000 Barracuda-500M containerized cruise missiles to the U.S. Army starting in 2027; DoD selects firms to fie

The War Zone

Photos confirm AIM-260A JATM air-to-air missile in flight-test configuration on U.S. Navy F/A-18F AIM-260A—Lockheed’s longer-range successor to the AIM-120 AMRAAM—has surfaced in the first publicly captured imagery. The missile was photographed during a test flight from Eglin Air Force Base, carried by a U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet, showing an AIM-260A in a flight-test configuration.

2026-05-15T11:01:11.571863-07:00

Photos confirm AIM-260A JATM air-to-air missile in flight-test configuration on U.S. Navy F/A-18F

FlightGlobal

UK greenlights F-35B StormBreaker/SDB-II interim stand-off strike as corrosion, spare-parts gaps cut mission capability The UK MoD approved StormBreaker for the F-35B and is equipping the fleet with Boeing Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB-II) as an interim stand-off capability while SPEAR 3 integration slips into the early 2030s. Officials also detailed corrosion issues and spare-parts shortfalls that are reducing UK F-35 mission rates and carry deployment-support limitations.

2026-05-15T04:12:16.071143-07:00

UK greenlights F-35B StormBreaker/SDB-II interim stand-off strike as corrosion, spare-parts gaps cut mission capability

SpaceNews.com

Golden Dome chief disputes CBO’s $1.2T cost estimate for space-based missile defense U.S. Space Force Golden Dome program director Michael Guetlein challenged a Congressional Budget Office estimate pegging the program’s cost at $1.2 trillion. Speaking at Washington’s “Inside the Dome” conference, he argued the estimate does not reflect the program’s affordability and scaling path.

2026-05-14T10:36:53.949538-07:00

Golden Dome chief disputes CBO’s $1.2T cost estimate for space-based missile defense

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Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons News

Space Force confirms Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo as SDA director and dual-role PAE for missile warning/tracking

Indonesia inducts Rafale fighters, A400M MRTT airlifter and Falcon 8X in Jakarta

Destinus and Rheinmetall accelerate RUTA Block 3 for 2,000-km European deep-strike cruise missile trials

RAF puts APKWS on frontline Typhoon jets for counter-UAS in the Middle East

News Timeline