Defense

A collection of 98 posts

Defense

Pentagon Seeks Software-Only Encryption to Bridge Post-Quantum Transition

The Defense Department is asking industry for interim, software-only cryptographic solutions that require no hardware changes to protect military systems during its shift to post-quantum cryptography. A request for information released Thursday sets operational baselines for vendors and signals the Pentagon is executing on its campaign to prepare

Defense

Space Force Brings Digital Engineering to Its Nuclear Satellite Program

The U.S. Space Force has adopted a new collaborative digital engineering environment for its nuclear command, control, and communications satellite program. The move applies modern development methods to one of the most sensitive parts of the U.S. military satellite architecture. The tool is described as potentially changing how

Markets

Pentagon Awards SpaceX Fleet Contract to Put Starshield on Military Aircraft

The Space Force has awarded SpaceX a fleet-level service contract to expand use of its Starshield satellite network aboard military aircraft, extending the government-focused system beyond ground terminals and into airborne platforms. The award, posted August 25 by the Space Force's Commercial Space Office, covers satellite

Defense

Army Names Five Vendors and Bases for Janus Nuclear Microreactor Program

The Army on Wednesday selected five companies to build and operate nuclear microreactors at five installations under its Janus program, committing about $2.2 billion across fiscal years 2027 through 2031. The move is intended to deliver resilient baseload power to major bases in the event that external power grids

Markets

Polish Startup Ares Shield Lands $6 Million Deal to Defend Orbital Data Centers with Microwave Weapons

Florida-based Lonestar Data Holdings has contracted Polish startup Ares Shield to protect its space-based data centers using high-power microwave technology, in an agreement worth up to $6 million announced August 25. The deal calls for three satellites to be protected initially, with additional modules to follow as

Markets

Ursa Major to Enter Public Markets in $2.3 Billion Deal

Rocket propulsion and hypersonics startup Ursa Major announced it will go public in a transaction valuing the company at $2.3 billion. Chief Executive Chris Spagnoletti framed the deal as the step that turns the company's current base into the production capacity its customers are asking for. The

Markets

Redwire Boosts Investment in Phased Array Antennas for Military Space Networks

Redwire Corporation announced a strategic investment in next-generation phased array antenna technology aimed at delivering faster, more resilient, and more scalable space-based data networks for global warfighter communications. The company said the move positions it in a rapidly expanding market where high-capacity, low-latency communication is essential

Markets

Space Force Expands AI Project Management Software as Multi-Billion-Dollar Programs Mount

The Space Force has awarded Seattle-based firm Integrate a multi-million dollar contract to deploy its AI-enabled project management software across the service's Space Systems Integration Office. The deal expands the company's role as the Space Force takes on major new national security programs

Defense

German Space Command Chief Details Mission to Protect Allied Assets in Orbit

Major General Michael Traut, Commander of the German Space Command, discussed his organization's role in protecting German and allied space assets in a fireside chat published on August 21. His public comments underscore how Germany's dedicated military space operations organization is positioning itself within an increasingly

Defense

Army Trains AI Agents to Fill Cyber Work Roles Alongside Soldiers

The U.S. Army is training artificial intelligence agents to perform defined cyber work roles alongside human personnel, a shift that moves AI from analytical tool to active participant in cyber operations workflows. The effort runs through Task Force Lexington, which houses all of Army Cyber Command's AI

Markets

SpaceWERX Backs 11 Space Startups in $562 Million Push Toward Operational Fielding

SpaceWERX, the Space Force's innovation arm, selected 11 companies for a new round of public-private funding agreements designed to move space technologies from prototypes toward operational use. The agreements are expected to draw a combined $562.5 million from government organizations and private investors, signaling demand across

Policy

White House Strategy Elevates Undersea, Space, and AI to Top Tier of Military Tech Priorities

The White House this week released a 24-page National Security Science and Technology Strategy that names undersea superiority, outer space, and artificial intelligence as the three top priorities for U.S. battlefield dominance and power projection. The document sets out a four-tiered scheme for military technology and endorses

Defense

Space Force to Extend Aging DMSP Weather Satellites Through at Least 2028

The Space Force will keep its aging military weather satellite fleet operational until at least 2028 as it works to field a new replacement architecture. The decision reflects a gap between the retirement of legacy systems and the arrival of their successors, a gap the service is now managing directly.

Markets

Rocket Lab Joins Space Force Data Network Consortium With $12M in Optical Comms Orders

Rocket Lab has been onboarded into the U.S. Space Force's Space Data Network Consortium and awarded two delivery orders worth a combined $12 million to support the Space Data Network Backbone program. The awards task the company with demonstrating interoperability of secure optical communications in space, expanding

Defense

Space Force FY27 Budget Request Hits Record $71.3 Billion, Growth Concentrated in Four Areas

The Space Force's fiscal year 2027 budget request totals a record $71.3 billion, a 120 percent jump from FY26 that two separate analyses describe as the largest single-year percentage increase for any US military service in 75 years. More than 75 percent of the growth flows

Policy

US Air Force Antarctic Flight Returns to Christchurch After Space Hazard Warning

A United States Air Force flight bound for Antarctica turned back to Christchurch, New Zealand, on Tuesday after aviation authorities issued a warning about potentially hazardous space activity along its route. The warning originated with information supplied to New Zealand authorities by the Russian Air Traffic Management Corporation. The Civil

Markets

NRO Moves HawkEye 360 From Trial to Operational RF Intelligence

The National Reconnaissance Office has awarded HawkEye 360 a new contract for commercial radio-frequency intelligence, advancing the company from a multiyear evaluation program into operational support for U.S. intelligence and defense agencies. The award, announced August 17, moves commercial RF collection into the intelligence community's operational

Launch

SpaceX Launches Two Falcon 9s From Opposite Coasts in 38 Minutes

SpaceX completed two orbital Falcon 9 launches within 38 minutes on August 15, 2026, lifting off from operational pads on opposite coasts of the United States. The dual-coast doubleheader set a record for the shortest elapsed time between orbital missions executed by a single launch provider. The two flights

Defense

GEK800 Turbofan Wins F143 Designation and JASSM Second-Source EMD Contract

The GEK800 engine developed by Kratos Defense and GE Aerospace has received the U.S. Military Engine Type Designation F143-ZZ-100 and an Engineering, Manufacturing and Development contract from the United States Air Force. The engine has been selected as a second-source propulsion system for the Joint Air-

Defense

Viasat Taps Rocket Lab to Build Anti-Jam GEO Satellite for Space Force Tactical Comms Program

Viasat has selected Rocket Lab to build a geosynchronous satellite bus for the U.S. Space Force's Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global program, the two companies announced on August 17, 2026. The maneuverable, anti-jam spacecraft is intended to deliver secure communications for national security missions in contested environments.

Defense

H-3 Launch of QZS-7 Completes First U.S.-Japan National Security Space Program

An H-3 launch vehicle lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on August 10, 2026, carrying Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite 7, which hosts an optical Space Domain Awareness sensor for the United States Space Force. The flight completed the two-mission Quasi-Zenith Satellite System-Hosted Payload

Defense

CENTCOM Stands Up Multinational Task Force Falcon Strike for One-Way Attack Drones

U.S. Central Command has launched a multinational attack drone task force called Task Force Falcon Strike, built around one-way attack drones operating across air, sea surface, and undersea domains. The force is staffed by military personnel from the United States and regional partners, and CENTCOM is inviting Middle

Defense

Pentagon Signs Seven-Year Framework Deals to Expand SM-3 Interceptor Production

The Pentagon signed two seven-year framework agreements Friday with Boeing and RTX to expand production of critical components for the Standard Missile-3, the Navy's primary ship-launched interceptor against ballistic missiles. The deals aim to stabilize supply and lock in sustained output of an interceptor that

Defense

SpaceX Launches Classified USSF-366 From Vandenberg, With Signs Pointing to Starshield

SpaceX launched the classified USSF-366 mission for the United States Space Force from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Saturday, August 15, 2026. The payload is classified, but drop zone analysis suggests it may be a batch of low Earth orbit satellites built on SpaceX&

Defense

Ukraine Strikes Progress Rocket Space Centre, Hub of Russia's Satellite Internet Push

Ukraine struck Russia's Progress Rocket Space Centre with Flamingo missiles, igniting a large fire at the facility that produces launch vehicles for Moscow's satellite internet system. The attack, confirmed on August 15, 2026, marks the first known strike on a Russian space launch production site during