Israel   Middle East   Military Aircraft Procurement   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Deals   Defense Policy  
New York Times • David E. Sanger, Tyler Pager

Netanyahu urges Trump to block Turkish access to F-35 jets ahead of NATO Ankara summit

Ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu pressed President Trump to prevent Turkey from restoring access to F-35 jets. Trump is expected to tell Turkey he is ready to restore access, after previously imposing a ban over concerns Russia could gain insight into the F-35 stealth technology, including via Turkish access.

2026-07-06T16:28:58.149383-07:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   AI   M&A   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
Breaking Defense • Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.

Ondas makes $876M acquisition of DYZNE, latest in acquisition spree

By Breaking Defense: After buying eight companies in the last two years, Ondas execs say they will focus on integrating their portfolio of drones “from surface to stratosphere” by developing a new AI command system in partnership with Palantir.

Also: dronelife.com and Unmanned Airspace
2026-07-06T13:18:26.907500-07:00
Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Policy  
Aerospace Testing Intnl • Ben Sampson

Edgewing awarded £4.6bn to push GCAP fighter into detailed design and test phase

By Aerospace Testing Intnl: Edgewing has been awarded a £4.6 billion (US$6.1 billion) contract to move the UK, Italy and Japan’s Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) into its next major design and testing phase, ahead of a demonstrator aircraft that is due to fly before the end of 2027.

Also: AeroTime
2026-07-06T03:28:51.812856-07:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Asia-Pacific (APAC)   Boeing  
FlightGlobal • Ryan Finnerty

MQ-28 flies with F-15EX, takes on fuel from HC-130J in Pacific exercises

By FlightGlobal: Uncrewed MQ-28 was operating from the Northern Mariana Islands as part of the Valiant Shield exercises. The US Air Force's newest fighter has operated side-by-side with Boeing's uncrewed MQ-28 Ghost Bat tactical jet.

2026-07-06T10:15:44.380916-07:00
Saudi Arabia   Air Cargo & Freight Logistics   Middle East   Orders   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Export Controls & Trade Compliance   Airlines   Boeing   Boeing 747  
FlightGlobal • David Kaminski-Morrow

Saudia Group distances itself from batch of 777-200ERs apparently transferred to Iran

By FlightGlobal: Carrier insists it has 'no relationship' with twinjets which were withdrawn and sold in 2023. Middle Eastern operator Saudia Group is rejecting suggestions that it supplied a batch of Boeing 777-200ERs to an Iranian company.

Also: Air Data News, FlightGlobal, Air Cargo News, AeroTime, Airline Economics, Aviation Business News, Aviation A2Z and 5 more
2026-07-05T23:14:40.596737-07:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Defense Policy   Thales  
FlightGlobal • Dominic Perry

UK MoD commits to fielding Watchkeeper successor by 2027

By FlightGlobal: Legacy surveillance platform will be retired next March, although a replacement has yet to be chosen. UK defence procurement officials face a race against time to acquire and field a new uncrewed surveillance platform for the British Army before the Thales Watchkeeper WK450 is withdrawn from service early next year.

2026-07-06T09:16:21.644992-07:00
Satellite   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Space Exploration & Science Missions   Space Defense & Militarization   BAE Systems  
SpaceNews.com • Sandra Erwin

BAE microchip designed for strategic defense missions passes radiation test

By SpaceNews.com: WASHINGTON — BAE Systems said its Endura space microprocessor has demonstrated it can operate in some of the most demanding radiation environments faced by national security spacecraft, clearing a key hurdle as military satellite programs seek more capable onboard computing.

2026-07-06T06:09:44.338596-07:00