Science & Tech

Space Lasers Will Revolutionize Military Communications, If They Work

The Pentagon has ambitious plans to launch hundreds of communications satellites in the years ahead. But getting them to talk to one another isn’t easy.

Business

Hicks Warns Against ‘Extreme Consolidation’ in Defense Industry

Kathleen Hicks, President Biden's pick to be deputy defense secretary, cruised through her confirmation confirmation hearing.

Business

Northrop Grumman Says It Will Walk Away From Cluster Bomb Contract

The company's CEO says the decision is part of a move to "be thoughtful about potential human rights implications" of its products.

Business

Raytheon Expects Biden to Block $500M Bomb Sale to Saudi Arabia

Yet industry executives believe foreign arms sales will remain a priority of the new administration.

Breaking News Threats

Saudis Expanding US Military Access to Airfields, Port, to Counter Iran

The year-old initiative is intended to give CENTCOM “more options” in a fight, general reveals.

Science & Tech

Aging ICBMs Must Be Replaced, Not Refurbished, STRATCOM Chief Says

Even the people who once knew how to fix them are “not alive anymore,” Richard says.

Ideas

Biden Must Prioritize Missile Defense

The new president will be pressed to choose between short- and long-term improvements. The rise in threats mean he must pursue both.

Business

Lockheed’s Proposed Aerojet Rocketdyne Purchase Sets Early M&A Test for Biden

The new administration will weigh in on a further consolidation of the U.S. defense industry.

Threats

In First, Navy Ship Shoots Down ICBM with SM-3 Interceptor

The test could set the stage for a new framework of missile interceptors in the Pacific.

Science & Tech

US Army Aims to Convert Navy Missiles for Remote-Launched Strikes

If experiments prove out, one soldier-operator will be able to pour fires from diverse launchers onto a target.

Threats

North Korea Unveils ‘Very Destabilizing’ ICBM

Pyongyang’s new missile boosts the chance of conflict, even if it doesn’t work.

Threats

Firms Picked to Make Orbiting Sensors for Next-Gen US Missile-Defense System

The sensors and satellites will be part of the Tracking Layer component of the next-gen missile-defense system.

Science & Tech

The Air Force’s ‘Connect Everything’ Project Just Had a Big Success

The simulated cruise missile intercept harnessed widely dispersed systems — all supervised by tablets in a flight-line hangar.

Science & Tech

Adding Sensors Saves Ammo, Army Network Testers Find

In a Thursday test, Sentinel radars helped air-warfare operators down simulated missiles with fewer interceptors.

Science & Tech

US Missile Defenses Are About to Level Up

Laser-armed Strykers, new Eastern European batteries, and sea-based interceptors are all coming in the next two years, Pentagon officials say.

Science & Tech

The U-2's Latest Feat: Passing Data from F-35s to Army Missiles

A recent demonstration used the old spy plane as an airborne comms relay between fighters and ground-based weaponry.