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

Phantom stealth fighter exposes Europe's fragmented defence-industrial landscape

A proposed 'Phantom' stealth fighter programme lays bare Europe's deep divisions over defence procurement, with duplicated efforts, a fragmented industrial base and soured collaborations blamed for reducing value from defence spending. The row underscores persistent barriers to consolidation and efficient joint acquisition.

2026-02-17T22:40:44.118655-08:00
Europe   Defense Budgets & Spending   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   BAE Systems  
NEW
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: The Independent and insidermedia.com
2026-02-17T23:35:19.519998-08:00
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
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, The Hill and 3 more
2026-02-17T11:21:10.672083-08:00