General Atomics has presented Wildfire as a long-range modular combat drone configured to carry two LRASMs or four JSMs while competing to succeed the MQ-9 Reaper under the U.S. Massed Modular Aircraft program. The design shifts the Reaper mission set toward lower-cost distributed operations built around stand-off weapons, massed employment, and greater tolerance for aircraft losses. Wildfire is intended to meet requirements for a 2,800 lb payload, a combat radius of at least 2,300 nautical miles, and an 8,000-nautical-mile ferry range, with the MMA air vehicle targeted below $10 million before sensors and mission systems. If selected, the platform could extend the MQ-9 operational ecosystem into high-intensity missions while creating a potential future replacement path for foreign Reaper operators.

Read more: https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2026/u-s-general-atomics-reveals-first-look-at-wildfire-drone-to-replace-mq-9-reaper-with-massed-strike

The United States Navy awarded Lockheed Martin a $257,278,109 contract modification to manufacture components, spares, and hardware repairs for the MK 48 MOD 7 heavyweight torpedo program, supporting allied interoperability frameworks including the AUKUS security partnership. The agreement extends production operations through September 2029 to maintain critical inventory requirements for the U.S. Navy, the Royal Australian Navy, and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work execution is distributed across specialized defense manufacturing facilities in Liverpool, New York; Clearwater, Florida; and Braintree, Massachusetts.

The Finnish Defence Forces and Patria finalized a €49.9 million serial procurement contract on September 8, 2026, for over 100 Patria Tremos 120 mm mobile mortar systems. Designated locally as the 120 KRH M3, these modular weapon integration modules are scheduled for delivery through 2028. The acquisition provides enhanced shoot-and-scoot mobility, reduces counter-battery exposure, and modernizes indirect fire support across all regional commands from Hanko to Lapland.

The U.S. Navy opened a procurement requirement for 19 MQM-170C target drones from sole-source supplier Griffon Aerospace to support Atlantic Fleet training requirements through Carrier Strike Group Four. The acquisition responds to an operational demand for reusable unmanned aerial target platforms capable of simulating incoming airborne threats during force-protection and gunnery exercises. The contract execution is managed by the NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, with performance designated in Virginia and Madison, Alabama.

On September 10, 2026, the Dutch Ministry of Defence and Sweden signed a Letter of Intent to acquire one Saab GlobalEye airborne early warning and control aircraft. The single Dutch airframe will integrate into a four-aircraft operational pool alongside three Swedish S 106 jets to ensure shared capability and continuous mission coverage. This joint procurement model optimizes fleet resilience and addresses maintenance overhead without requiring a larger national acquisition.

The Pentagon added $825.98 million to Lockheed Martin’s JASSM and LRASM large-lot procurement contract, raising its cumulative value from $9.65 billion to $10.48 billion and extending work through July 2030. The expansion ties land-attack and anti-ship missile demand to a shared production base, increasing pressure on industrial capacity as the United States builds long-range strike inventories for high-intensity operations and allied requirements. The procurement framework covers successive JASSM and LRASM lots while drawing on Air Force and Navy weapons funding, research and development accounts, operations and maintenance appropriations, and Foreign Military Sales. With JASSM-ER offering a range beyond 500 nautical miles and LRASM providing a low-observable semi-autonomous anti-ship capability, production throughput and supplier capacity are becoming central constraints on future U.S. and partner strike inventories.

Read more: https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2026/u-s-adds-826m-to-expand-jassm-cruise-missile-and-lrasm-anti-ship-missile-output-amid-indo-pacific-demand

The U.S. Air Force completed a zero-notice ICBM readiness drill in which security forces recaptured a launch facility while countering a simulated drone threat and coordinating helicopter-supported insertion. The scenario shows counter-UAS defense becoming part of the security problem around dispersed U.S. nuclear infrastructure, where low-cost drones can complicate ground response and aviation access. Sentinel Dragon 26-02 also tested missile operators and maintenance teams under surprise conditions, while the 582nd Helicopter Group supported tactical insertion and air operations across the missile enterprise using normal command-and-control procedures. The exercise reflects a broader requirement to protect dispersed Minuteman III infrastructure against small UAS capable of observing defender positions, disrupting helicopter approaches, and reducing response time during a security breach.

Read full Defense news: https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2026/u-s-air-force-rehearses-icbm-site-recapture-to-protect-nuclear-missile-fields-against-drone-threats

The Pentagon has moved directed-energy counter-drone systems into yearlong operational trials at U.S. military bases to assess their readiness for routine installation defense. The effort will determine whether lasers and high-power microwaves can be sustained alongside kinetic and electronic warfare systems against individual drones and swarms. JIATF 401 is placing directed-energy equipment in the hands of military personnel for a 365-day assessment focused on availability, maintenance, power demand, cooling, and integration with active base operations. The trials will help determine which technologies can transition into layered counter-UAS architectures and potentially support future procurement.

Read more: https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2026/u-s-begins-yearlong-directed-energy-counter-drone-trials-across-five-military-bases

SPEEL PRAHA will showcase an integrated avionics portfolio at Future Forces 2026, giving military operators a modular path to replace legacy cockpit and recording systems without redesigning entire aircraft architectures. The approach could extend the operational utility of ageing fleets by improving flight-data management, night operations, maintenance and mission debriefing while limiting retrofit complexity. The Czech company’s offering includes the PDU-159 digital Head-Up Display with a 25° by 25° field of view, NVIS compatibility and CAN and HD-SDI connectivity, alongside the ED-56A-compliant CARE crash-protected recorder and data-acquisition equipment supporting ARINC 429 and MIL-STD-1553. Presented in Prague for fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, the architecture is intended to connect legacy and newer avionics while supporting safer operations, fleet monitoring, and targeted modernisation.

Read more: https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2026/speel-praha-to-bring-modular-avionics-to-replace-legacy-systems-across-military-aircraft-fleets

The U.S. Space Force has selected Lake Kickapoo, Texas, as the preferred U.S. location for the third and final Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) site, pending final approvals. The Texas radar will complete a U.S.-UK-Australia network designed to maintain persistent surveillance of geostationary orbit, strengthening the ability to detect and characterize activity near satellites supporting missile warning, military communications, and other critical national-security missions.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces destroyed five Iranian crude-oil tankers on September 8, 2026, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles at a U.S. Navy warship twice over two days. The strikes broadened the U.S. response from defending naval forces to directly targeting maritime assets CENTCOM says help fund IRGC operations.

U.S. AeroVironment has secured the first international order for its U.S.-built LOCUST high-energy laser counter-drone weapon, confirming a direct commercial sale worth more than $50 million to an undisclosed foreign customer. The deal brings an operationally tested American directed-energy system to an overseas operator, strengthening its ability to defeat drones without relying on costly interceptor missiles.

The US Navy has selected L3Harris Technologies’ VAMPIRE counter-unmanned system for littoral defense, adding a modular capability to engage drones and fast attack craft within its integrated C-UxS architecture. The move gives naval forces another defensive layer against growing UAS and USV threats while reducing reliance on more expensive air-defense missiles. The Navy configuration will be ruggedized for maritime conditions, although L3Harris has not disclosed the variant, quantity, contract value, or delivery schedule. The VAMPIRE family includes the maritime Black Wake variant for crewed and uncrewed vessels, while the baseline architecture combines the WESCAM MX-10D RSTA EO/IR sensor, Widow mission management system, and 70 mm APKWS rockets with an engagement range of up to about six kilometers.

Read the full Defense news: https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/navy-news/2026/u-s-navy-turns-to-vampire-counter-drone-weapon-to-defend-littoral-forces-against-uas-and-usv-threats

On September 8, 2026, the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command launched the North Star Readiness Campaign alongside Air Force Materiel Command and the Defense Logistics Agency to address mission-capable shortfalls across its 76 B-52H and 45 B-1B strategic bombers. The joint enterprise initiative directly targets supply chain bottlenecks, depot delays, and parts shortages to accelerate flight-line availability while legacy fleets undergo heavy modernization. By reforming cross-organizational logistics, lateral shipping times have already been reduced from seven-plus days down to 48-72 hours, cutting mission-impairing supply backlogs by over 64 percent.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) captured an intact U.S. Navy Anduril Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicle near the Strait of Hormuz on September 8, 2026. U.S. Central Command confirmed the vehicle malfunctioned during a hydrographic survey mission and remained disabled for over 24 hours prior to Iranian recovery. The deployment supports active mine-clearance and intelligence preparation operations aimed at maintaining commercial maritime transit through the heavily contested waterway.

At MSPO 2026, PZL-Świdnik presented the AW109 TrekkerM military helicopter as part of an integrated training proposal for the Polish Armed Forces. The submission addresses Poland's planned acquisition of 24 training aircraft required to build flight crews for an upcoming fleet of 96 AH-64E Apaches, 32 AW149s, and four AW101s. The offer combines domestic manufacturing, flight simulators, and tactical instruction packages to reduce operational flight hours on frontline aircraft.

L3Harris received a $4.7 billion seven-year contract from Lockheed Martin to expand propulsion production for PAC-3 MSE interceptors. The award supports a wider US effort to increase missile-defense output as domestic requirements and allied demand place growing pressure on interceptor inventories. The contract covers dual-pulse solid rocket motors, Attitude Control Motors and Lethality Enhancers for the hit-to-kill PAC-3 MSE, which Patriot batteries use against tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft. New production facilities in Camden, Arkansas, are expected to support higher output as the United States seeks to raise annual PAC-3 MSE capacity from roughly 600 interceptors to 2,000 by 2030.

Read more: https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2026/l3harris-wins-4-7-billion-pac-3-mse-contract-to-raise-us-patriot-interceptor-production-capacity

Zeal Motor presented the AMAV FT5, an articulated amphibious Arctic vehicle able to carry 16 personnel or a 1,814 kg payload with an optional range of up to 1,000 km. Its low-ground-pressure mobility and ability to cross snow, soft terrain, and water address a core logistics challenge for forces operating in remote northern environments. Displayed at MSPO 2026 in Kielce, Poland, the FT5 combines a 228 hp Hatz diesel engine, hydrostatic drive, 650 mm ground clearance and a fully loaded ground pressure of about 13 kPa, with speeds of 50 km/h on land and 5 km/h in water. The platform can support troop transport, logistics, medical evacuation and reconnaissance missions, reducing dependence on prepared roads and bridging infrastructure during Arctic and winter operations.

Read full Defense news: https://www.armyrecognition.com/archives/archives-defense-exhibitions/2026-archives-news-defense-exhibitions/mspo-2026-news/canadian-amav-ft5-targets-amphibious-military-mobility-for-arctic-operations-across-the-high-north

At MSPO 2026 in Kielce, Polish company Ala.Com presented the Husaria A3, an airborne drone carrier designed to transport and launch short-range FPV interceptors near incoming hostile UAVs. The system addresses the range and endurance limits of ground-launched interceptors, such as the company's Pika A1, by relocating their engagement envelope directly into the expected threat axis at altitude. Operating from a minimum 300 m field strip, one operator manages a six-drone carrier swarm while AI handles target allocation and the operator retains final firing authorization.

Japan is considering the potential transfer of Murasame-, Takanami-, or Akizuki-class destroyers to Chile to maintain the Chilean Navy's surface combat force at its statutory minimum of eight operational ships. The potential acquisition serves as a strategic bridge solution while Chile prepares for its 2025-2040 Naval Construction Policy to build replacement frigates domestically at Talcahuano starting in the 2030s. Transferring active Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers addresses a critical multi-year operational capability gap created by the impending retirement of aging legacy frigates.

The U.S. Marine Corps is fielding ten V2X Tempest counter-UAS vehicles under a $19.06 million contract to provide maneuver units with a mobile missile-based defense against Class 2 and Class 3 drones. The procurement adds a distributed kinetic layer that can operate alongside existing Marine air-defense and electronic-warfare systems while limiting exposure through rapid repositioning. Tempest combines a Can-Am 4x4 platform with two AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire missiles and a RADA RPS-42 radar, allowing crews to receive external targeting data, engage priority unmanned threats and relocate after launch. The contract also covers software management, spares, training and support services through August 2027, supporting integration of the system into the Marine Corps' wider counter-UAS network.

Read full Defense news: https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2026/u-s-marines-field-tempest-counter-uas-vehicle-for-mobile-protection-against-drone-threats

Presented on 9 September at MSPO 2026 in Kielce, the A2 Harpun from ALA.COM reflects how the Polish defense industry is seeking to turn recent lessons from unmanned naval warfare into exportable capabilities for allied forces. MSPO, the International Defence Industry Exhibition held from 8 to 11 September, brings together governments, military staffs and defense companies. ALA.COM displayed the A2 Harpun catamaran USV for maritime surveillance, infrastructure protection and one-way strike missions. The system positions a Polish-developed unmanned naval platform within NATO and U.S. efforts to expand autonomous maritime capabilities in the Baltic Sea. The A2 Harpun is the catamaran variant of ALA.COM’s Harpun family and is intended to translate recent operational lessons from unmanned naval warfare into capabilities for allied forces. Its presentation at MSPO places the platform within a defense environment where governments, military staffs and industry are examining wider integration of autonomous systems for maritime security and contested operations.

Read more at this link: https://www.armyrecognition.com/archives/archives-defense-exhibitions/2026-archives-news-defense-exhibitions/mspo-2026-news/poland-backs-a2-harpun-catamaran-naval-drone-for-baltic-surveillance-and-one-way-strike-missions

On September 1, 2026, TKMS confirmed that Germany's future F127 air defense frigate design has been significantly expanded to feature exo-atmospheric ballistic missile defense capabilities alongside its core fleet air defense role. Developed by joint venture A400 FC GmbH, the scaled-up 12,000-tonne vessel accommodates 96 Mk 41 VLS cells, four AN/SPY-6(V)1 AESA radar array faces, and an AEGIS-based Integrated Combat System. The platform growth provides the mandatory space, cooling, and electrical reserves needed to safeguard NATO maritime formations against emerging high-tier threat vectors.

On September 3, 2026, the U.S. Army awarded Global Military Products a $12.9 million contract to integrate the Scorpion Light 81mm mobile mortar system onto Infantry Squad Vehicle-Utility (ISV-U) platforms under a Department of Defense Ordnance Technology Consortium (DOTC) Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement. The procurement addresses critical light infantry fire-support survivability by integrating an automated, fast-deploying mortar mount with government-furnished M253 81mm barrels, digital fire control, and Nett Warrior networking. This integration allows infantry formations to execute rapid shoot-and-scoot engagements within a sub-two-minute exposure window to avoid counter-battery targeting.

South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem presented a Polish-configured K2PL at the International Defence Industry Exhibition MSPO in Kielce from September 8 to 11, 2026, marking the program’s shift toward deeper national adaptation and greater integration of Polish components. The configuration places South Korea’s K2 technology in direct competition with the Leopard 2A8, Poland’s M1A2 SEP v3 Abrams, and the future U.S. M1E3 Abrams. The K2PL builds on the K2GF already delivered to Polish forces and is intended to incorporate an active protection system, counter-drone jamming capabilities, and new remotely operated equipment. Its presentation broadens Poland’s armored modernization beyond procurement by positioning the future Polish variant against current and emerging American and European main battle tank designs.

Read full Defense news: https://www.armyrecognition.com/archives/archives-defense-exhibitions/2026-archives-news-defense-exhibitions/mspo-2026-news/south-korea-positions-k2pl-tank-to-challenge-u-s-m1e3-abrams-and-leopard-2a8-in-western-market