Aircraft Carrier   Middle East   Accident   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Policy  
New York Times • Helene Cooper

Fire aboard USS Gerald R. Ford burned 30+ hours during extended Middle East deployment; Iran names support facilities as targets

A laundry-room fire aboard USS Gerald R. Ford burned more than 30 hours before being extinguished, sailors and officials said. The blaze, occurring during the carrier's extended Middle East deployment, raised immediate readiness and safety concerns as Iran declared logistics and service facilities supporting the strike group legitimate military targets.

Also: pilotonline.com, nationalsecurityjournal.org, Stars and Stripes, Economic Times and naval-technology.com
2026-03-16T15:58:52.875486-07:00
Supply Chain   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Defense Policy  
The War Zone • Joseph Trevithick

Pentagon: EA-18G Growlers Using Mix of New and Legacy Jamming Pods Despite 'Significant' Teething Issues During Strikes on Iran

By The War Zone: A Pentagon report says the new pods are still having significant teething issues even though they are being used in active conflicts.

Also: worldwarwings.com and news.defcros.com
2026-03-16T14:54:10.685792-07:00
eVTOL   UAV Development & Drone Programs   Supply Chain   M&A   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors  
Reuters

AeroVironment to acquire ESAero (Empirical Systems Aerospace) for $200M, bolstering UAS and advanced air mobility capabilities

By Reuters: Drone maker AeroVironment said on Monday it has acquired Empirical Systems Aerospace, a producer of unmanned aircraft systems and advanced air mobility platforms, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $200 million.

Also: Defense Daily and 4 more
2026-03-16T13:25:02.896733-07:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   AI   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Bayraktar  
Aviacionline • Gastón Dubois

Baykar K2: Heavy 200 kg Kamikaze Drone Unveiled with Swarm and GNSS‑Independent Navigation

By Aviacionline: Baykar unveils the K2, a new heavy kamikaze drone with swarm capabilities—and a 200 kg punch The K2 combines artificial intelligence, GNSS-independent navigation, and swarm operations to conduct deep-strike missions against high-value targets.

Also: airforce-technology.com, news.ssbcrack.com, interestingengineering.com, quwa.org, Defence24 and c4isrnet.com
2026-03-15T14:58:42.129779-07:00
F-16   MRO   Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Budgets & Spending   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Geopolitical Developments & Conflict Impact   Defense Deals   Defense Policy  
Reuters

Greece approves €3bn air-and-drone defence system and €4bn package including upgrade of 38 F-16s

By Reuters: A Greek parliamentary committee approved on Monday the purchase of a three-billion euro multi-layer air and drone defence system and the upgrade of 38 F-16 fighter jets, with the total cost estimated at about 4 billion euros ($4.6 billion), two sources told Reuters.

Also: Seeking Alpha and defence-industry.eu
2026-03-16T09:00:47.534622-07:00
Satellite   Europe   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Commercial Space   Space Defense & Militarization  
Business Wire

Redwire to Build Belgium’s First National Security Satellite with Aerospacelab

By Business Wire: Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW), a global leader in space and defence technology solutions, today announced it has been awarded a prime contract by Belgian D...

Also: Seeking Alpha
2026-03-16T05:33:21.292646-07:00
Dassault Aviation   Europe   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Airbus  
AeroTime • Clement Charpentreau

FCAS dispute: Airbus warns Dassault 'there is no plan B' amid programme development difficulties

By AeroTime: In order to understand the difficulties encountered in the development of the Future Combat Air System, the “system of systems” built around a sixth-generation fighter jet developed by Airbus and Dassault Aviation, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Armed Forces of the French Senate heard two executives from Airbus on March 17, 2021.

Also: euractiv.com
2026-03-16T05:12:25.541351-07:00