Bloomberg
• Sana Pashankar
President Donald Trump is seeking billions in private-sector investment for the Golden Dome missile-defense vision, with SpaceX and Anduril among the companies wagering on technologies that remain unproven. The effort would link commercial aerospace and defense ambitions to a major national-security initiative.
Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons
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President Donald Trump is seeking billions in private-sector investment for the Golden Dome missile-defense vision, with SpaceX and Anduril among the companies wagering on technologies that remain unproven. The effort would link commercial aerospace and defense ambitions to a major national-security initiative.
U.S. intelligence identified in mid-February 2024 that Russia was developing a non-operational, space-based nuclear anti-satellite capability, while Moscow dismissed the claim as fabricated. The report underscores the strain on existing arms-control frameworks governing nuclear weapons and military activity in space.
India’s air force has tested a locally produced long-range glide bomb offered in four sizes, according to the report. The munition’s stated ability to operate in GPS-denied environments points to a focus on retaining precision-strike capability when satellite navigation is disrupted or unavailable.
Ukraine’s air force is tracking incoming missile shipments closely as it manages a shortage affecting its F-16 fleet. The limited supply has made deliveries time-critical, with commanders uncertain whether replenishment will arrive before Russia’s next aerial barrage.
Ukraine’s intelligence service says it has mapped the production chain for Russia’s Zircon hypersonic missile and identified U.S.-origin electronics inside the weapon. The findings challenge Moscow’s claims about Zircon’s capabilities while highlighting the technology and supply-chain dependencies underpinning Russia’s strategic weapons production.
Japan describes the ASM-3 Kai as an “air-to-surface/anti-air” weapon, suggesting the supersonic cruise missile could be intended to counter large, high-value airborne targets in addition to its established anti-ship mission. The designation points to a potentially broader role for Japan’s air-launched strike arsenal.
High activity
The Pentagon has signed seven-year framework agreements with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems and Lockheed Martin to expand the industrial base for air-defense interceptors. The deals target a tripling of Patriot PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement production capacity and a fourfold increase in THAAD missile output.
Gravitics was selected by Lockheed Martin to build three spacecraft, described as “orbital carriers,” for demonstrations of space-based missile-defense technologies under the Pentagon’s Golden Dome program, according to regulatory filings. The selection adds a spacecraft builder to a major U.S. effort focused on missile defense in orbit.
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