Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons News

Spaceflight Now

France advances sovereign strike, combat-aircraft and space-intelligence capabilities alongside new Earth-observation launches

France’s DGA has awarded the THUNDART long-range strike contract to Safran Electronics & Defense and MBDA, launched initial Rafale F5 work with four major suppliers, and selected Airbus Defence and Space and Unseenlabs for the Cassiopée intelligence system. Separately, FLEX and Sentinel-3C entered orbit aboard Vega-C.

DefenseNews.com

US Air Force to Create Point-Defense Career Field and Acquisition Office for Global Base Protection

The U.S. Air Force plans to establish a dedicated point-defense career field within two years and is considering a new acquisition office to oversee the mission. The changes reflect a shift toward defending bases worldwide against drone and missile attacks, following recent Iranian strikes in the Middle East.

AeroTime

North Korea showcases coordinated drone, cruise-missile, ballistic-missile and rocket-artillery salvo

North Korea said it conducted a coordinated strike exercise on September 12 involving attack drones, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and rocket artillery, disclosing the drill two days later. The unusually broad salvo combined unmanned systems and multiple missile classes in a single exercise.

DefenseNews.com

L3Harris wins $4.7 billion PAC-3 propulsion award and $60 million U.S. Air Force sensor contract

Lockheed Martin awarded L3Harris an undefinitized contract valued at $4.7 billion to manufacture propulsion systems for PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptors, while the U.S. Air Force separately awarded about $60 million to continue C-HOBS proximity-sensor production in Cincinnati.

defence-industry.eu

Finland joins France’s nuclear deterrence initiative, opening talks on joint drills and temporary deployments

Finland has agreed to join France’s initiative to develop a European dimension for its nuclear deterrent following confidential government talks. The move opens discussions on joint exercises and possible temporary deployments of French strategic aircraft, extending Finland’s role in European deterrence planning.

SpaceNews.com

Pentagon seeks AI to turn space, missile data into operational threat assessments within seconds

The Pentagon is seeking an artificial intelligence system that can rapidly fuse space, missile and intelligence data into operational threat assessments. The effort would place commercial AI closer to the military decision-making loop, with speed and reliability central to converting large volumes of data into actionable assessments.

FlightGlobal

Baykar tests supersonic ballistic missile launched from Akinci UAV

Baykar has successfully tested its new UAV-300 supersonic ballistic missile from an Akinci uncrewed aircraft, adding another strike option to the platform’s weapons portfolio. The test expands the Turkish UAV maker’s demonstrated air-launched munition capabilities, although no additional details on range, payload or operational deployment were provided.

AeroTime

Australia declares JASSM-ER and LRASM operational on F/A-18F Super Hornets

Australia has declared the AGM-158B JASSM-ER and AGM-158C LRASM operational on its F/A-18F Super Hornets, adding long-range precision land-attack and maritime-strike capabilities to the aircraft. The move expands the Royal Australian Air Force’s ability to conduct standoff operations against both land and maritime targets.