German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Ukraine’s response to the revised US peace plan addresses the issue of potential territorial concessions — a central obstacle in efforts to end Russia’s war. European leaders have invited the US to discuss the proposal this weekend, with further talks possible in Berlin, next week.
ICEYE has signed its first direct satellite procurement contract with the Portuguese Air Force, providing Portugal with an independent SAR surveillance capability, as the company announces major new European investment to expand sovereign satellite systems.
The U.S. War Department has rolled out GenAI.mil, a new generative AI platform featuring Google’s Gemini for Government, making advanced AI tools available to all military and civilian personnel, marking a major move towards an AI-enabled workforce.
Australia’s Boeing MQ-28A Ghost Bat has completed its first autonomous AIM-120 air-to-air missile engagement, prompting the government to announce AUD 1.4 billion in new investment to advance the collaborative combat aircraft into an operational capability.
Croatia has ordered 18 CAESAR MkII artillery systems and 15 Serval armored vehicles under a French-led joint procurement mechanism funded by the EU SAFE programme and includes a full regimental capability package of radars, command-and-control elements, logistics vehicles and optronic equipment.
Leonardo has conducted a successful SAMP/T NG missile qualification launch using its KRONOS Grand Mobile High Power radar, marking the first major test milestone for the newly launched Michelangelo Security Dome.
The UK has launched Atlantic Bastion, a hybrid undersea warfare programme integrating autonomous systems, AI and traditional naval assets to protect critical infrastructure amid rising Russian submarine activity.
Tata Advanced Systems and Lockheed Martin have begun building a new MRO facility to support India’s C-130J fleet, and will provide depot-level maintenance, component repair, structural checks, avionics upgrades and expanded training for engineers and maintainers.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has dismissed the Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy, which portrays freedom of expression in Europe as eroding. Speaking in Berlin, he said Germany needs no advice on free speech protections and defended the country’s constitutional safeguards and free media.
The UK and Norway have agreed to operate a combined fleet of Type 26 frigates and deepen defence cooperation to counter rising Russian submarine activity and protect critical infrastructure in the North Atlantic.
Germany’s Bundestag has passed legislation to introduce a new voluntary military service from January 1, requiring young men to undergo medical checks and be added to a national register while keeping service itself voluntary. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius urged support for the measure, arguing that core democratic freedoms must be actively defended. The law also allows parliament to trigger needs-based conscription if recruitment goals are not met.
Germany has activated the first operational elements of the Arrow 3 missile defence system, giving the country and its partners an early-warning and interception capability against long-range ballistic missiles for the first time. The €3.6-billion system—developed with Israel and the US—marks Germany’s first long-range missile shield and forms a key part of the European Sky Shield Initiative.
Sagar Defence Engineering has opened a new facility in Pune to manufacture Uncrewed Surface Vehicles as part of its partnership with Liquid Robotics, the plant will enable local manufacturing, ocean testing and sustainment of unmanned maritime systems, including capacity building for the Wave Glider platform.
Global defence revenues surged to a record $679 billion in 2024, driven by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and rising geopolitical tensions, according to new SIPRI data. The world’s 100 biggest arms makers saw sales grow 5.9 percent, with strong increases in Europe and steady dominance by U.S. firms. SpaceX entered the Top 100 for the first time, while China posted a rare decline due to procurement disruptions.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has completed a high-speed rocket-sled test of a fighter aircraft escape system in Chandigarh, validating canopy severance, ejection sequencing and aircrew recovery using a dual-sled setup with an LCA forebody.
