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Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Airbus  
Air Data News • Ricardo Meier

Merz confirms Germany is weighing GCAP as Airbus seeks a quick fighter decision

Germany is considering joining the UK-Italian-Japanese Global Combat Air Programme, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, as Berlin weighs options after the next-generation fighter component of its partnership with France and Spain faltered. Airbus is skeptical of entering GCAP as a junior partner; France says FCAS cooperation on combat-cloud connectivity continues.

2026-10-29T03:04:33.402210-07:00
Israel   Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
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DefenseNews.com • Rudy Ruitenberg

Switzerland shortlists SAMP/T, Barak MX for long-range air defense

By DefenseNews.com: Switzerland narrowed down the choice of the country’s second future long-range air defense system to either Israel’s Barak MX system or the French-Italian SAMP/T NG.

2026-10-29T04:25:38.410822-07:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   Airport Infrastructure & Air Traffic Management   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Policy  
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Bloomberg • Greg Sullivan

Russia Downs Record Total of Ukrainian Drones Amid Summit

By Bloomberg: Russia said its air defenses intercepted more than 1,200 Ukrainian drones overnight, the highest reported total to date, while President Vladimir Putin holds a summit with leaders from Africa.

Also: The Independent, ANI News Agency, tass.com and newsable.asianetnews.com
2026-10-29T02:04:54.231015-07:00
Europe   Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
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Reuters • Maria Rugamer

Destinus' monthly output tops Europe's pre-war annual cruise missile production

By Reuters: Defence ​startup Destinus has built more than 1,750 Ruta cruise missiles in Europe and now produces ‌more cruise missiles in a month than Europe did in a year before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it told Reuters.

Also: defence-industry.eu
2026-10-29T02:04:18.728497-07:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact  
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Reuters • Allison Martell, Gavin Finch, Maggie Michael, Marine Delrue

Iran’s hidden web of military agencies is slipping hardware past the US blockade

By Reuters: Iran has harnessed a military-financial complex of 5,000 agencies to bring in components, explosives and heavy-duty trucks critical to its drone and missile programs.

2026-10-29T04:04:28.879552-07:00
Europe   Cybersecurity (Cyber Threats & Protection)  
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Reuters

France's Sopra Steria raises 2026 growth target again as defence, cybersecurity lift Q3 sales

By Reuters: IT consulting firm Sopra Steria on Thursday lifted its annual organic revenue ​growth target to 2.5%-3.0% from 2.0%-2.5% after quarterly ‌sales rose 7.9% to €1.42 billion ($1.59 billion), driven by its defence, aerospace, and cybersecurity segments.

2026-10-29T00:04:20.415436-07:00