Space Force   Leadership   Military Aircraft Procurement   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Policy & Regulation   Defense Policy  
Breaking Defense • Michael Marrow

Air Force names inaugural portfolio acquisition executives to implement Hegseth reforms — overseeing advanced aircraft and NC2

The Department of the Air Force has created seven mission-aligned acquisition organizations and named inaugural portfolio acquisition executives — five officials — to implement Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s procurement reforms. The executives will oversee priority programs including advanced aircraft development and nuclear command-and-control (NC2).

Also: Defense Scoop, news.defcros.com, news.ssbcrack.com, Military Times, insidedefense.com, Defense Daily and news.defcros.com
2026-01-09T11:52:42.938534-08:00
Satellite   Space Force   L3Harris   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation   Space Defense & Militarization  
Breaking Defense • Theresa Hitchens

SpaceX to launch SDA Tranche 2 missile-tracking layer — 36 satellites (L3Harris, Lockheed) plus 8 Millennium FOO Fighters

By Breaking Defense: SpaceX will launch 36 Tranche 2 Tracking Layer satellites — 18 built by L3Harris and 18 built by Lockheed Martin — plus eight FOO Fighter birds built by Millennium Space Systems.

2026-01-09T13:28:13.058173-08:00
UAV Development & Drone Programs   AI   North America   Military Aircraft Procurement   Aircraft Manufacturing (OEMs)   Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Defense Policy  
FlightGlobal • Ryan Finnerty

US Navy integrates autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft with F-35s in Joint Simulation Environment to develop new fighter tactics

By FlightGlobal: The US Navy has digitally integrated autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft with Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters inside the Joint Simulation Environment, as the service begins a fleet transformation that will see uncrewed fighters operated alongside conventional aircraft.

Also: news.ssbcrack.com, Navy Times, marinecorpstimes.com and Military Times
2026-01-09T05:28:00.902972-08:00
Defense Industry & Major Contractors   Policy & Regulation   Defense Policy  
Reuters • Gabriel Rubin

Trump’s ‘bully pulpit’ raises political risk for defense firms — threats to RTX buybacks and major investor deals

By Reuters: President Trump wants to block defense contractors like $250 bln RTX from repurchasing stock and big investors such as Blackstone from buying homes. He can't do so alone, but CEOs will waste resources coping.

Also: Flying Magazine
2026-01-09T06:45:28.523190-08:00