Diego Ramos

US Air Force to Expand KC‑46 Fleet with Up to 75 Additional Jets

US Air Force to Expand KC‑46 Fleet with Up to 75 Additional Jets

The U.S. Air Force has authorized an extension to KC-46A production for up to 75 additional aircraft. Senior leaders announced this decision in the past two weeks to sustain the tanker recapitalization line once the current contract expires. Under the original 2011 agreement, the program of record has already expanded to 188 aircraft, reaching that contracts contractual ceiling. The new block of 75 planes sits atop the existing deal and carries the service into the next phase of its tanker roadmap.

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Air Force Establishes Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office to Meet 2027 Cybersecurity Goals

Air Force Establishes Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office to Meet 2027 Cybersecurity Goals

The Air Force spent the last week making zero trust a permanent part of its operations. A memo issued on July 22 created a dedicated office to oversee it – the Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office (PfMO) – and named its first chief zero trust officer. This group now has control over timelines, budgets, and green-lighting all service-level implementation efforts tied to the 2027 Defense Department targets.

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Berlin Approves Bundeswehr Procurement Acceleration Act to Cut Delays by 2035

Berlin Approves Bundeswehr Procurement Acceleration Act to Cut Delays by 2035

Germany has passed a new law to speed up military spending. On July 23, the cabinet approved the Bundeswehr Procurement Acceleration Act. It now heads to the Bundestag, where coalition leaders expect a vote by the end of August. The law will stay in place until 2035 and will take the place of a more limited fast-track measure passed back in 2022.

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BPMI and Gecko Robotics Partner to Fast-Track Nuclear Submarine Delivery with AI Inspections

BPMI and Gecko Robotics Partner to Fast-Track Nuclear Submarine Delivery with AI Inspections

A new alliance between Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc. (BPMI) and Pittsburgh-based Gecko Robotics was unveiled on July 15. Announced during a White House technology round-table in Pittsburgh, the arrangement places Gecko’s autonomous inspection robots and data-analytics software inside BPMI’s nuclear-propulsion supply chain. Senior Navy officials describe the move as a direct response to slipping submarine-delivery schedules and mounting maintenance backlogs.

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Why Japan’s Mogami IP Proposal Matters for Future Arms Exports

Why Japan’s Mogami IP Proposal Matters for Future Arms Exports

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) have signalled a shift in Tokyo’s approach to defence exports. They’re offering to hand all intellectual property related to the Mogami-class frigate to Australia. This marks a departure from Japan’s decades-long policy of strictly domestic defence development, confined to the Japan Self-Defense Forces.

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Million Set Aside as Army Plans 2026 Tests of Blackbeard Hypersonic Round on Autonomous Launchers

$25 Million Set Aside as Army Plans 2026 Tests of Blackbeard Hypersonic Round on Autonomous Launchers

The Army is moving fast to fold a new hypersonic strike option into its tactical fires family. Budget lines for fiscal year 2026 outline Project HX3, a pathway that funnels $25 million toward Castelion’s Blackbeard Ground Launch missile and an autonomous launcher called Common Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher. Defense officials confirm the objective: prove a mature design in the first calendar quarter of 2026 and push ten flight-test rounds through a HIMARS rail before the fiscal year ends.

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House Appropriations Committee Proposes Flat 2 Billion FY26 Defense Budget Ahead of Pentagon Request

House Appropriations Committee Proposes Flat $832 Billion FY26 Defense Budget Ahead of Pentagon Request

The House Appropriations Committee circulated its full fiscal 2026 defense draft late on 28 June, two days before the Pentagon is expected to send over its own request. The text assigns $832 billion in discretionary authority, matching last year’s enacted figure and staying under the current spending cap. Senior committee aides state the panel relied on the continuing-resolution baseline while it waited for a complete budget package from the administration. Defense officials confirm the bill will serve as the chamber’s opening position when conference talks begin this autumn.

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Why DARPA Cancelled Its DRACO Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Project

Why DARPA Cancelled Its DRACO Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Project

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has closed the books on its Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations program. Defense officials confirm the termination order went out late Monday. The move ends a five-year push to field a nuclear-thermal upper stage able to sprint between Earth and the Moon. According to industry sources, the agency pulled remaining funds into other space access lines once it judged the return on investment had vanished.

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