Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact  
AINonline • Charlotte Bailey

UK plans new Lockheed Martin F-35A buy focused on training, amid debate over fleet size for NATO nuclear mission support

The UK is considering new Lockheed Martin F-35A acquisitions primarily to meet training needs, according to reporting tied to ongoing discussions about how large the future fleet must be to support the NATO nuclear mission.

2026-07-18T04:16:31.687745-07:00
Hypersonic   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aviation Safety & Regulation   Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons   Defense Budgets & Spending   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Policy  
The War Zone • Joseph Trevithick

USS Zumwalt Set To Return To Fleet After Long Anticipated Hypersonic Missile Upgrade

By The War Zone: Issues tied to Zumwalt's hugely powerful hybrid-electric power plant and other factors have set back its return to the fleet.

Also: Defense Scoop and 4 more
2026-07-17T12:57:47.112080-07:00
Hypersonic   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aviation Safety & Regulation   Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons   Defense Budgets & Spending   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Policy  
DefenseNews.com • Michael Peck

US Navy 2 years behind on hypersonic missile installation on Zumwalt destroyers

By DefenseNews.com: The U.S. Navy’s expensive effort to install hypersonic missiles on three Zumwalt-class destroyers is two years behind schedule.

Also: Defense Scoop and 4 more
2026-07-17T12:58:41.317870-07:00
AI   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Space Defense & Militarization  
Wall Street Journal • Amrith Ramkumar, Anissa Gardizy, Becky Peterson

SpaceX in Talks to Provide Computing Power for Pentagon’s AI Push

By Wall Street Journal: SpaceX SPCX is in talks with the Defense Department about providing the agency with access to data-center capacity worth billions of dollars for running artificial-intelligence models, deepening ties between Elon Musk’s company and the Pentagon.

Also: Seeking Alpha
2026-07-17T16:45:44.734298-07:00