Editorial Team, Author at defense-aerospace

Raytheon Secures 0 Million ESSM Block 2 Production Deal with Japan’s MELCO

Raytheon Secures $250 Million ESSM Block 2 Production Deal with Japan’s MELCO

Raytheon, an RTX business, has clinched a $250 million direct-commercial-sale contract with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. The agreement sets the stage for licensed production of the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile Block 2 (ESSM B2) at MELCO’s Komaki-North complex. According to industry sources, the package is the largest single ESSM commitment Tokyo has placed since joining the NATO Seasparrow program.

Raytheon Secures $250 Million ESSM Block 2 Production Deal with Japan’s MELCO Read More »

Bell Textron Delivers First MV-75 FLRAA Virtual Prototype to U.S. Army for Early Testing

Bell Textron has handed the first MV-75 virtual prototype to the U.S. Army, marking a concrete step in the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program. Defense officials confirm the hand-off took place at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, on 24 June, only eighteen months after the contract’s Milestone B decision. The digital twin now sits with the Army’s aviation project office, where engineers will run mission rehearsals and early software tests.

Bell Textron Delivers First MV-75 FLRAA Virtual Prototype to U.S. Army for Early Testing Read More »

How US Defense Contractors Can Win Big in Europe’s €800 Billion Spending Surge

European governments just backed the most aggressive defense-spending target in NATO history. NATO leaders left The Hague with a pledge to lift defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product. The commitment came only days after several EU capitals pushed double-digit increases through their 2025 draft budgets. Germany alone confirmed a rise from €95 billion to €162 billion within four years.

How US Defense Contractors Can Win Big in Europe’s €800 Billion Spending Surge Read More »

Denmark and Sweden Join NATO’s A330 MRTT Pool in 12-Jet Fleet Expansion

The Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF) just secured two more Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transports. The contract, signed on 24 June 2025 at the NATO Defence Industry Forum in The Hague, brings the pooled inventory from ten planned aircraft to twelve. Defense officials confirm that Denmark and Sweden joined the program the same day, making eight member states in total. The newcomers will fund and fly the extra jets under the established cost-sharing formula.

Denmark and Sweden Join NATO’s A330 MRTT Pool in 12-Jet Fleet Expansion Read More »

UK Commits to Purchase 12 F-35A Fighters for NATO Nuclear Sharing Mission

The United Kingdom confirmed it will acquire at least twelve F-35A Lightning II fighters, adding a land-based nuclear mission to the Royal Air Force for the first time since 1998. Defense officials confirm the jets will form part of NATO’s Dual-Capable Aircraft program, which keeps U.S.-owned B61-12 bombs under shared control.

UK Commits to Purchase 12 F-35A Fighters for NATO Nuclear Sharing Mission Read More »

Sweden Signs 0 M IRIS-T SLM Deal via European Sky Shield Initiative

Sweden Signs $900 M IRIS-T SLM Deal via European Sky Shield Initiative

Sweden has taken its first big equipment step as a NATO ally. On 24 June 2025 the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) confirmed a €830 million (≈ SEK 9 billion, $900 million) order for seven IRIS-T SLM fire units. Diehl Defence will produce the systems, but German procurement authorities signed on Stockholm’s behalf under the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI). Defense officials confirm that the contract will give Sweden a medium-range layer able to defend army brigades and the Gotland battlegroup against cruise missiles, helicopters, drones, and fixed-wing aircraft.

Sweden Signs $900 M IRIS-T SLM Deal via European Sky Shield Initiative Read More »

World’s Longest One-Stop Flight Launched by China Eastern via Auckland

China Eastern Airlines has unveiled a two-continent route that rewrites long-haul maps. The carrier will link Shanghai Pudong and Buenos Aires Ezeiza with a technical stop in Auckland, creating the world’s longest one-stop service when it launches in December 2025.

World’s Longest One-Stop Flight Launched by China Eastern via Auckland Read More »

Why Airbus Led Order Books and Defense Dominated Exhibits at Paris Air Show 2025

Paris closed the gates of Le Bourget last night. Crowds went home with ringing ears and packed phones. When we look at the tally, two facts stand out. Airbus walked away with the bulk of commercial orders. The defense sector filled almost half of every hall. Those two forces shaped a show that felt different from any edition in recent memory.

Why Airbus Led Order Books and Defense Dominated Exhibits at Paris Air Show 2025 Read More »

How Operation Midnight Hammer Deployed 30,000-lb Bunker Busters on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz

Operation Midnight Hammer, carried out from late Friday into early Sunday, hit the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear complexes. Defense officials confirm seven B-2 Spirit bombers dropped fourteen 30,000-pound GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs, while a guided-missile submarine launched Tomahawk cruise missiles at surface facilities. More than 125 U.S. aircraft supported the raid. Senior leaders say the goal was to disable centrifuge halls buried hundreds of feet below ground and curb threats to American and allied forces in the Gulf.

How Operation Midnight Hammer Deployed 30,000-lb Bunker Busters on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz Read More »