MBDA announced that the SPEAR air-to-surface missile completed its first flight aboard a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B test aircraft earlier this year. The flight at Naval Air Station Patuxent River marked another stage in the integration programme for the weapon onto the UK’s F-35B fleet, with additional testing activities planned.
The UK Ministry of Defence has deployed the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System on RAF Typhoon fighter jets operating in the Middle East to counter drone threats. The laser-guided system completed testing and entered operational service within two months.
The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded £10 million in contracts to four companies developing autonomous drones designed to support Apache attack helicopters. The drones are intended for reconnaissance, strike support and electronic warfare missions under Project NYX.
The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems a new five-year contract worth up to $1.7 billion for continued production of APKWS laser-guidance kits, supporting large-scale procurement of low-cost precision munitions for U.S. forces and allied nations.
The Indian Army has contracted Larsen & Toubro to manufacture BvS10 Sindhu all-terrain vehicles with technical support from BAE Systems Hägglunds. The agreement includes logistics support and marks the first expansion of the BvS10 platform into Asia, with the vehicles intended for use across diverse Indian operational environments.
Saab, Boeing and BAE Systems have signed a Letter of Intent to collaborate on the UK’s next fast-jet training programme, proposing a system built around the T-7 trainer aircraft. The companies plan a UK-based assembly line, integrated live-synthetic training capabilities and expanded supply-chain opportunities, while also positioning the collaboration for future international pilot-training requirements.
The British Royal Navy’s sixth Astute Class submarine, HMS Agamemnon, has completed her first dive at BAE Systems’ Barrow shipyard, marking a key stage in trials before entering operational service. The test verified weight, stability, and onboard systems performance.
Turkey signed separate agreements at the International Defence Industry Fair in Istanbul last week, with plans to purchase 40 Eurofighter aircraft from the United Kingdom and sell 48 of its indigenous Kaan fighter aircraft to Indonesia.
The ULPGM-V3 has three modular warhead options including anti-armour to destroy modern armoured vehicles equipped with Rolled Homogeneous Armour with Explosive Reactive Armour, Penetration-cum-Blast warhead with anti-bunker application and pre-fragmentation warhead.
Offering the latest look at the form of the future next generation fighter, the model of the flying demonstrator for the next generation Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) combat aircraft was published on Thursday, with the demonstrator expected to be ready for flight by the end of 2027, becoming the first such aircraft developed in the UK in the last 40 years.
Italy’s Leonardo, British BAE Systems and the Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. Ltd. have set up Edgewing for the design and development of their next generation combat aircraft under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).
The proposed 2,000+ km range deep precision weapon planned to be fielded in the 2030s could fill a capability gap uncovered by the death of the INF Treaty between Russia and the U.S., which barred land-based intermediate range missiles.
Australia announced a $4.7 billion purchase of Raytheon SM-2 and SM-6 missiles and Taiwan is likely to buy three Raytheon NASAMS medium-range air defence systems in a $2 billion sale.
The company will also demonstrate the LiteHUD Head-Up Display, the 40 Mk4 Air Defence Gun, the 57 Mk3 Naval Gun System and the Combat Vehicle 90 and BvS10 Beowulf vehicles.
According to the company, “We’re establishing a supply chain footprint that could do a minimum of forty percent of a future buy,” adding, “BAE Systems would like a request for a proposal for more Ultra-Lightweight Howitzers but we’d like to see a minimum of forty percent made in India.”
