Dassault Aviation   Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Defense Policy   Airbus  
AeroTime • Clement Charpentreau

Franco‑German tensions threaten the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme

Since its April 2018 launch, the Franco‑German‑Spanish Future Combat Air System has faced repeated industrial and political frictions. Following the Feb. 5 Franco‑German Council on defence and security, rising bilateral tensions now threaten progress — and potentially the programme’s future — on the collaborative next‑generation fighter.

2026-02-18T00:13:13.259959-08:00
Europe   Defense Budgets & Spending   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   BAE Systems  
Reuters

BAE Systems posts 12% FY operating profit rise as order backlog hits record £83.6bn

By Reuters: BAE Systems , Britain's biggest defence contractor, reported a better-than-expected 12% rise in full-year operating profit to 3.32 billion pounds ($4.5 billion) as global demand swelled its order backlog to a record 83.6 billion pounds.

Also: insidermedia.com, The Independent and news.ssbcrack.com
2026-02-17T23:35:19.519998-08:00
Supply Chain   Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Policy  
Wall Street Journal • Alistair MacDonald, Cristina Gallardo, Robbie Gramer

The Phantom Stealth Fighter That Exposes Europe’s Deep Divisions Over Defense

By Wall Street Journal: Duplicated efforts, a fragmented industry and soured collaborations are among the reasons the region isn’t getting more bang for its defense buck.

2026-02-17T22:40:44.118655-08:00
Satellite   Space Force   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Space Defense & Militarization   Defense Policy  
DefenseNews.com • Michael Peck

Pentagon seeks low‑cost commercial satellites for on‑orbit surveillance and close inspections

By DefenseNews.com: The Pentagon is looking for cheap commercial satellites that can maintain surveillance on other satellites in orbit, including close-range inspections.

Also: news.ssbcrack.com and news.defcros.com
2026-02-17T20:07:19.481560-08:00
North America   Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons   Defense Budgets & Spending   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Policy & Regulation   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Policy  
Breaking Defense • Michael Marrow

USAF's Sentinel ICBM to clear key milestone this year, expected operational in early 2030s

By Breaking Defense: “We certainly have not lowered the bar, and we certainly have not taken on any risk by doing this,” Air Force Gen. Dale White told Breaking Defense.

Also: Air & Space Forces Mag, Bloomberg, Aviation Week, DVIDS / U.S. DoD, Stars and Stripes, defence-blog.com, defensemirror.com, interestingengineering.com, news.defcros.com, Defense One, news.ssbcrack.com, Military Times and 6 more
2026-02-17T08:53:48.149477-08:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   General Atomics   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Defense Policy  
Aviation Week • Graham Warwick

DARPA’s Missile-Carrying LongShot Becomes Newest X-Plane

By Aviation Week: An air-launched missile-carrying UAS developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for DARPA’s LongShot project has been designed the X-68A.

Also: Breaking Defense, defence-industry.eu and defence-blog.com
2026-02-17T06:11:19.361596-08:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   F-16   Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Policy  
AeroTime • Clement Charpentreau

Ukraine denies ‘secret’ international F-16 squadron claim

By AeroTime: Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat has dismissed a report that US and Dutch pilots are flying Ukrainian F-16s over Kyiv, citing lack of evidence.

Also: pravda.com.ua, defensemirror.com, defence-industry.eu, prm.ua, Defence24, ukrinform.net and 3 more
2026-02-17T07:50:02.809275-08:00