DEFENSE-AEROSPACE

Solicitation Calls for Scalable USVs Ready for Mass Production in 18 Months

August 5, 2025

The U.S. Navy issued a formal solicitation on July 28, 2025, for a new class of unmanned surface vessels-Modular Attack Surface Craft (MASC)-designed to move from contract award to prototype delivery within 18 months and then scale production across multiple shipyards. White

Aircraft

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

August 4, 2025

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

Defense Budgets / Policy

Air Force Orders 100% Inspections of M18 Weapons Following Service Member’s Death

August 4, 2025

The U.S. Air Force has ordered a service-wide, 100% inspection of all M18 sidearms after a 21-year-old Security Forces airman died on July 20 at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. The move expands a previously announced pause inside Air Force Global

Contracts & Deals

Defense Ministers Agree to Resolve FCAS Work‑Share Dispute by December

August 1, 2025

Boris Pistorius and Sébastien Lecornu closed their latest meeting in Osnabrück with a single-line instruction for staff: settle the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) work-share fight by the end of December. Pistorius called the deadline “non-negotiable”. Lecornu warned that further delays would

Joint Exercises / Special Ops Training

RAND and Joint Counter‑UAS Office Run Six Exercises on Homeland Drone Defense

July 31, 2025

A July 25 after-action brief lays out what happened during the sixth RAND-Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office exercise, held the day before at Fort Belvoir. This was not another planning session. Teams ran live drills to stop drones from reaching runways.

Latest

Solicitation Calls for Scalable USVs Ready for Mass Production in 18 Months

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

Air Force Orders 100% Inspections of M18 Weapons Following Service Member’s Death

Defense Ministers Agree to Resolve FCAS Work‑Share Dispute by December

RAND and Joint Counter‑UAS Office Run Six Exercises on Homeland Drone Defense

Authors

Julien Mercier

Clara Nguyen

Priya Shah

Michael Adler

Lena Kovacs

Diego Ramos

Peter Johansson

Lucas Meyer