Breaking Defense

Army awards Anduril counter-drone task order as first in new $20B ‘contract vehicle’

Global

Israel’s defense industry accelerates production amid multi-front war

"The decisions we made to expand and accelerate production lines in Israel before the operation will now allow us to take production rates to the next level," said Israeli MoD Director General Amir Baram.

By Seth J. Frantzman

Air Warfare

AeroVironment to acquire California drone maker ESAero in $200M deal

The multimillion dollar deal for Empirical Systems Aerospace will "accelerate AV's ability to bridge the gap between conceptual design and manufacturing execution," AV chief Wahid Nawabi said.

By Patrick Dawson

Naval Warfare

Navy unveils acquisition reform, establishes five more PAE organizations

The Navy previously established a PAE for Robotics and Autonomous Systems in December.

By Diana Stancy

Latest News

Land Warfare

Lockheed completes first flight test for PrSM Inc 2 aimed at hitting moving maritime targets

Lockheed’s announcement comes shortly after the Army announced its Increment 1 PrSM capabilities were used for the first time in combat during the ongoing conflict in Iran.

By Carley Welch

Global

Baykar unveils K2 Kamikaze drone with AI, swarming capabilities

The company, famous for producing mid-range drones that proved effective in the early days of the Ukraine conflict, said the K2 fits within its “cost-effective defense solutions strategy."

By Agnes Helou

In this episode:

We talk Iran developments and the latest in the back-and-forth between Anthropic and the Pentagon.

Naval Warfare

EXCLUSIVE: Aircraft carrier Nimitz service life extended until 2027

A service official revealed the change to Breaking Defense, pushing back previous plans to mothball the ship this May.

By Diana Stancy

Space

How US military space operators are likely aiding the fight in Iran

While senior officials have offered praise with few details, experts told Breaking Defense space ops likely include jamming or spoofing satellite communications.

By Theresa Hitchens

Naval Warfare

UK Navy buys 20 USVs to act as unmanned ‘proving ground’

The Ministry of Defence declined to say if the new vessels could be deployed soon to aid Iran-related maritime operations.

By Andrew White

Naval Warfare

How technology, strategy and industry are shaping the next fleet

Discover how unmanned systems and emerging technologies are shaping the future of U.S. naval power in Breaking Defense’s new eBook.

By Breaking Defense

Global

UAE fights off outsized share of Iranian attacks, pulls back on sharing interception rates

One expert said the UAE may have shifted its public messaging strategy for "operational security" reasons.

By Agnes Helou

Air Warfare

Following congressional rebuke, Air Force awards E-7 contracts

The new awards procure an undisclosed number of developmental aircraft and address diminishing manufacturing sources for the plane’s radar.

By Michael Marrow

Pentagon

CENTCOM confirms six dead in tanker crash in Iraq, as Iran conflict approaches third week

“The incident occurred over friendly territory in Western Iraq while the crew was on a combat mission, and, again, was not the result … of hostile or friendly fire,” Gen. Dan Caine said today.

By Ashley Roque and Michael Marrow

Opinion

After Epic Fury, a munitions supplemental becomes imperative

The conflict with Iran has incurred a staggering expenditure of ordnance that jeopardizes long-term deterrence and defense goals.

By Tom Karako

Global

Inside the IDF’s newest military division securing the Jordan Valley

Breaking Defense visited the 96th Division, which was created in June 2025 and brings a new command structure to the border between Israel and Jordan.

By Seth J. Frantzman

Air Warfare

A file photo shows an U.S. Air Force KC-135R Stratotanker with the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 108th Wing and F-16 Fighting Falcons with the 177th Fighter Wing simulate a mid-air refueling. (New Jersey National Guard photo by Mark C. Olsen)

KC-135 tanker involved in Epic Fury goes down in Iraq: CENTCOM

According to CENTCOM, the incident was “not due to hostile or friendly fire" and occurred during Operation Epic Fury.

By Michael Marrow

Space

EXCLUSIVE: Freeman out as head of Amazon Leo Government

Ricky Freeman joined the company in 2023 as part of an increased focus in the defense market.

By Theresa Hitchens

Global

Europe can lead its conventional defense ‘by 2035’, EUCOM commander says

The date could signal a turning point in America’s relationship with the NATO alliance.

By Michael Marrow

Pentagon

Iran supplemental to fund mix of ‘new things’ and legacy systems: Pentagon comptroller

Jules Hurst did not say when lawmakers could expect to receive the funding request, which is said to be over $50 billion.

By Valerie Insinna and Ashley Roque

Featured:

Army awards Anduril counter-drone task order as first in new $20B ‘contract vehicle’

Israel’s defense industry accelerates production amid multi-front war

AeroVironment to acquire California drone maker ESAero in $200M deal

Navy unveils acquisition reform, establishes five more PAE organizations

Latest News

Lockheed completes first flight test for PrSM Inc 2 aimed at hitting moving maritime targets

Baykar unveils K2 Kamikaze drone with AI, swarming capabilities

EXCLUSIVE: Aircraft carrier Nimitz service life extended until 2027

How US military space operators are likely aiding the fight in Iran

UK Navy buys 20 USVs to act as unmanned ‘proving ground’

Artificial Intelligence & Autonomy: A New Era in Defense

Baykar unveils K2 Kamikaze drone with AI, swarming capabilities

Anthropic CEO says Pentagon ban less harsh than Hegseth had threatened

Pentagon’s new chief data officer to push ‘AI capabilities to warfighters’

AI giant Anthropic says it ‘cannot in good conscience’ agree to Pentagon demands

Pentagon CTO says it’s ‘not democratic’ for Anthropic to limit military use of Claude AI

Kodiak AI lands Marine Corps deal to add driverless tech to ROGUE Fires platform

ChatGPT will be available to 3 million military users on GenAI.mil

AI ‘fundamentally changing’ adversary behavior, leading to force generation reforms: Official

DoD expects AI-powered database of patents ready for industry by year’s end

To overcome Golden Dome ‘affordability’ hurdle, DoD needs acquisition reform, AI: Official

How technology, strategy and industry are shaping the next fleet

UAE fights off outsized share of Iranian attacks, pulls back on sharing interception rates

Following congressional rebuke, Air Force awards E-7 contracts

CENTCOM confirms six dead in tanker crash in Iraq, as Iran conflict approaches third week

After Epic Fury, a munitions supplemental becomes imperative

Inside the IDF’s newest military division securing the Jordan Valley

In Focus: Speed at the Tactical Edge

Powering up: Air Force eyes ‘broad reaching’ battery, energy storage research

‘Simple plans, violently executed’: One Army unit’s old-school counter to high-tech chaos

‘California jammin’: Wargames show Army’s electronic weakness — and a human fix

Marines aim to be CJACD2 ‘fast follower’ with Dynamis Series of C2 experiments

KC-135 tanker involved in Epic Fury goes down in Iraq: CENTCOM

EXCLUSIVE: Freeman out as head of Amazon Leo Government

Europe can lead its conventional defense ‘by 2035’, EUCOM commander says

Iran supplemental to fund mix of ‘new things’ and legacy systems: Pentagon comptroller