
The U.S. Pentagon has signed agreements with several defense firms to expand production of low-cost cruise and hypersonic missiles under new procurement programs aimed at increasing strike weapon inventories between 2027 and 2029.

Northrop Grumman has delivered the first Airborne Laser Mine Detection System pod to South Korea under the Korean Mine Countermeasures Helicopter program, supporting mine detection and classification in coastal waters. The system, already in service with the U.S. and Japanese navies, uses laser-based sensors to locate floating and near-surface mines and will be integrated into the Republic of Korea Navy’s mine countermeasure fleet.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems unveiled the L-SPIKE 4X Launched Effect and showcased the Iron Beam laser air defense system at AUSA 2025 in Washington, D.C. The company said Iron Beam is entering delivery to the Israel Defense Forces, while the new L-SPIKE 4X expands its precision strike missile family.
Kavi kehna kya chahta hai? Giving the iteration a thumbs-down, defense industry executives questioned the rationale behind some of the amendments and also expressed pessimism, saying in some cased it would ‘make things worse’.
These changes are skewed to favor and encourage defense industry in India, some of which appear to have been influenced by reactions to corruption scandals. Do have a look at the list of changes, copied and pasted, verbatim, from the defense ministry press release.
The Indian defense industry will benefit from an inflow of $30 billion as offsets through military procurements from abroad over the next decade, according to a report submitted to parliament Wednesday.