With a European next-gen fighter program in doubt, what would an FCAS collapse look like?
A key meeting on the future fighter has been “postponed,” a German official told Breaking Defense, as analysts weigh what’s next.
Airbus
Germany signs off on $4.4 billion Eurofighter Typhoon deal
The latest Typhoon order is the most lucrative of seven weapon system acquisitions rubber stamped by the budget committee.
New Zealand to spend $3bn upgrading helicopters and ‘embarrassing’ defence planes
Government says country will buy five Seahawk helicopters and two Airbus A321XLR aircraftNew Zealand will spend nearly NZ$3bn ($1.7bn) upgrading its ageing defence fleet, including replacing its “embarrassing” planes that have left multiple prime minis…
Airbus workers vote to strike for 10 days next month in pay dispute
Unite says stoppages at Broughton and Filton factories could disrupt production of wings and delay deliveriesBusiness live – latest updatesThousands of Airbus workers in the UK are to go on strike for 10 days in September in a row over pay that threate…
Spain rules out F-35 order, prioritizes Eurofighter and FCAS
A Lockheed Martin executive previously told Breaking Defense that the F-35 was Madrid’s only real option to replace aging Harrier jets for ship-based operations.
Eyeing international sales, General Atomics moves to build drone wingmen in Europe
The company plans to tap its German-based affiliate General Atomics Aerotec Systems GmbH to produce and customize drone wingmen for European customers.
European missile group MBDA selling parts for bombs that have killed children in Gaza
Exclusive: Britain has paused some weapons sales to Israel, but a Guardian investigation shows revenues from the GBU-39 bomb generated by the US arm of MBDA flow through the UKEurope’s largest missiles maker, MBDA, is selling key components for bombs t…
Airbus, Kratos team to pitch German Air Force drone wingmen
An Airbus spokesperson told Breaking Defense that the partnership, featuring Kratos’s XQ-58A Valkyrie paired with Airbus-provided mission systems, is “offer[ing] our German customer something we believe they have a requirement for in the coming years.”…
Belgium plans largest ammunition order, announces early NH90 helicopter retirement
In comments heavily critical of the troubled NH90, Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said that Belgium’s four TTH standard aircraft will be “decommissioned from September.”
Air Force again changes course on tankers, plans new ‘production extension’ program
The Air Force plans to use the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus’s Capability Production Document “as the most affordable requirements basis” for the new program, potentially giving the embattled aerospace manufacturer a leg up in a competition.