UAV Development & Drone Programs   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Defense Policy  
DefenseNews.com • Zita Fletcher

Apaches test APEX 30mm proximity rounds, use airburst shrapnel to down drones in air‑to‑air trials

AH‑64 Apache crews test‑fired APEX 30mm proximity‑fuzed rounds in air‑to‑air trials, using airburst shrapnel effects to engage and destroy unmanned aerial systems at multiple ranges. Live‑fire testing produced successful drone shoot‑downs, validating the 30mm APEX munition as a counter‑UAS option for attack helicopters.

2026-02-18T03:40:37.318659-08:00
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 said a "new era" of defence spending would drive its growth for years to come after the British contractor reported a 12% rise in full-year operating profit on Wednesday and a record 83.6 billion-pound ($113.50 billion) order backlog.

Also: Bloomberg, Aviation Week, defence-industry.eu, spacewar.com, business-live.co.uk, The Independent, insidermedia.com, Business Wire, Seeking Alpha and 3 more
2026-02-17T23:35:19.519998-08:00
Dassault Aviation   Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Defense Policy   Airbus  
AeroTime • Clement Charpentreau

FCAS on the edge? Franco‑German tensions threaten the Future Combat Air System programme

By AeroTime: Since it was officially announced in April 2018, the joint development by France, Germany, and (later) Spain of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), slated to eventually replace the current generation of Eurofighter and Rafale fighter jets, has had quite a few turbulences.

Also: lemonde.fr
2026-02-18T00:13:13.259959-08:00
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: interestingengineering.com, news.ssbcrack.com and news.defcros.com
2026-02-17T20:07:19.481560-08:00
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: asdnews.com, Breaking Defense, Army Recognition, defence-industry.eu, defence-blog.com and interestingengineering.com
2026-02-17T06:11:19.361596-08:00
MRO   North America   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Defense Policy   Boeing   Boeing 747   Boeing 757  
CBS News • Eleanor Watson, James LaPorta, Jennifer Jacobs

U.S. Air Force VIP fleet to replace Kennedy-era blue with navy, red and gold, sources say

By CBS News: The Kennedy-era robin's egg blue that's currently on the planes is being updated to navy, red and gold.

Also: aviationnews.eu, CNN, Flying Magazine, Reuters, AeroTime, Air Data News, The Hill, Live and Let's Fly, The Independent and 6 more
2026-02-17T11:21:10.672083-08:00