Aircraft Carrier   North America   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact  
Associated Press • Associated Press

USS Gerald R. Ford ends record 11-month deployment, returning to Norfolk after Iran and Maduro missions

The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) has returned to Naval Station Norfolk after a 326-day deployment—the longest carrier tour since Vietnam—operating across the North Sea, Mediterranean, Caribbean and Red Sea. The cruise included support tied to the Iran conflict and a mission associated with the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, earning a Presidential Unit Citation for the ship and escorts.

Also: Fortune, CNN, The Independent and ibtimes.com
2026-05-16T07:54:56.501768-07:00
Supply Chain   Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Policy & Regulation   Export Controls & Trade Compliance   Defense Deals   Boeing  
FlightGlobal • Craig Hoyle

UK F-35s to gain SDB-II weapons, as MoD details corrosion challenge after maritime deployment

By FlightGlobal: Precision-guided bomb order remains subject to final approval. The UK’s Lockheed Martin F-35B combat aircraft will be equipped with Boeing Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB-II) weapons as an interim step, due to ongoing delays with integrating a European-produced alternative.

Also: Janes, Aviation Week, UK Defence Journal and 3 more
2026-05-15T04:12:16.071143-07:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   AI   Helicopter   Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aviation Safety & Regulation   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Policy  
FlightGlobal • Dominic Perry

Nyx picks: UK MoD selects four contenders for Apache ‘loyal wingman’ project

By FlightGlobal: Anduril, BAE Systems, Tekever and Thales will share £10 million for work on autonomous aircraft platforms.

Also: Aviation Week, Urban Air Mobility News, UK Defence Journal, defence-blog.com and defence-industry.eu
2026-05-15T04:38:12.321145-07:00
Military Aircraft Procurement   Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Defense Policy  
The War Zone • Joseph Trevithick

Secretive AIM-260 Air-To-Air Missile Finally Breaks Cover

By The War Zone: The AIM-260 has been in development for years as a much-needed longer-range successor to the venerable AIM-120 AMRAAM. Add TWZ (opens in a new tab) More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results.

Also: The Aviationist, Aviation Week and Times of India
2026-05-15T11:01:11.571863-07:00
Hypersonic   Supply Chain   Military Aircraft Procurement   Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
DefenseNews.com • Cristina Stassis

US Army to receive thousands of Barracuda-500M cruise missiles in Anduril deal

By DefenseNews.com: The Pentagon’s Low-Cost Containerized Missiles program aims to obtain over 10,000 low-cost cruise missiles over a three-year span.

Also: Army Times, Military Times and defensemirror.com
2026-05-15T12:38:49.643415-07:00