Giovanni de Briganti, Author at DEFENSE-AEROSPACE

U.S. Soldiers prepare a PAC-2 missile for loading onto a Patriot system during exercise Tenacious Archer 25 at Koror International Airport, Palau, Aug. 15, 2025.

$441.6M for GEM-T: About 150 Rounds Against 1,400 Fired

Air & Missile Defense Systems · Analysis · August 2026. Primary source: US Department of War daily contracts bulletin. Inventory figures are think-tank estimates, not disclosed stockpile numbers. The Army’s first PAC-2 buy in thirty years was fully obligated on day one

August 21, 2026

U.S. Department of War press briefing at the Pentagon. Under Secretary Hurst and Space Force Lt. Gen. Whitney speak to reporters about the FY2027 budget proposal. Washington D.C., April 21, 2026.

Defense Budgets / Policy

The FY2027 request: $1.5 trillion and what it actually buys

The FY2027 request was released by OMB on 3 April 2026, with the detailed Department of War rollout on 21 April. Figures below reflect the request as of that rollout. Congressional markup was ongoing at the time of writing — verify against

August 21, 2026

A US Army Air Defense Artilleryman re-loads a MIM-104 Patriot missile launcher in the CENTCOM area of responsibility, 29 April 2026

Middle East

Operation Epic Fury: The Interceptor Numbers, and Why They Disagree

Operation Epic Fury began on 28 February 2026. The figures below were published between March and August 2026 and are attributed to the organisations that produced them. Where sources disagree, both numbers appear. The US Army says it shot down more than

August 20, 2026

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Charlotte Dudenhoeffer

Naval Systems

U.S. Navy Confirms the First FF(X) Frigates Will Launch Without a Vertical Launch System

The U.S. Navy says the first production group of its new FF(X) frigates will deploy without a built-in Vertical Launch System. The service confirmed that point on Dec. 22, 2025, after releasing early renderings that showed no obvious VLS on the bow.

December 22, 2025

U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Stephany Miller

Russia-Ukraine War

Ukrainian Operative Sets Russian Su-30 Jets on Fire in Daring Lipetsk Air Base Sabotage

Ukrainian military intelligence said a resistance operative set fire to two Russian fighter aircraft inside a hangar at Lipetsk Air Base in western Russia, roughly 340 kilometers, or about 210 miles, from the Ukrainian border. Defense officials confirm the public case rests

December 22, 2025

U.S. Air Force photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman

AI & Autonomy

USAF Assigns YFQ-48A Designation to Northrop Grumman’s Project Talon Drone

The U.S. Air Force on Dec. 22, 2025 assigned the YFQ-48A Mission Design Series to Northrop Grumman’s Project Talon, a semi-autonomous prototype aircraft. The service described Talon as a “strong contender” for its Collaborative Combat Aircraft effort, as Increment 2 concept work

December 22, 2025

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Zachary Rufus

Aircraft

USAF F-35A Stealth Fighters Deploy to Puerto Rico for Operation Southern Spear

USAF F-35A fighters from the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing arrived in Puerto Rico on Dec. 20, 2025 for Operation Southern Spear. The jets flew into Roosevelt Roads Naval Station near Ceiba, which now serves as a staging point for

December 20, 2025

U.S. Air National Guard photo by Capt. Jason Sanchez

Aircraft

Inside the F-117 Nighthawk’s First Strike in Panama and Its Surprising Modern Legacy

Dec. 20, 2025 marks 36 years since the F-117 Nighthawk’s first combat use during Operation Just Cause in Panama. The sortie stayed quiet at the time, yet it set a pattern that followed the jet into later wars. Central America also sits

December 20, 2025

Naval Systems

U.S. Navy Announces New Cutter-Based FF(X) Frigate to Replace the Constellation-Class

The U.S. Navy confirmed it will pursue a new frigate class, FF(X), built around the Coast Guard’s Legend-class National Security Cutter hull. Navy leaders say the first ship will launch in 2028, with Ingalls Shipbuilding set as the lead builder. The move

December 19, 2025

Russia-Ukraine War

Ukraine Targets Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker Qendil With Drone Attack Far From Black Sea

Ukrainian security officials said aerial drones struck the crude oil tanker Qendil in the Mediterranean Sea. The vessel is tied to Russia’s sanction-evasion oil exports, according to Western tracking and sanction records. Ukraine described the strike as its first confirmed attack on

December 19, 2025

Giovanni de Briganti

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