German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall and Italian defense company Leonardo are planning a 50:50 partnership in Italy to develop and commercialize armored vehicles for the European market. The plan, outlined in a memorandum of understanding that the two companies signed on Wednesday, focuses on the Italian Army’s ground systems programs on a new main battle tank...
Category: National Security
Airbus Lands $2.3B Deal to Build Germany’s Next-Generation Military Satcom
Airbus has received a $2.3 billion contract to supply the German Armed Forces with geostationary military communications satellites. The agreement requires developing and deploying two communications spacecraft to replace Germany’s existing telecommunications satellites, COMSATBw 1B and 2B. Airbus said it is expected to deliver the hardware before the decade ends. The European aerospace giant will...
BAE Systems Forms New Space Leadership Business Unit With Doug Liddle as Head
BAE Systems has established a new business unit to grow its space capabilities. This unit arose from acquiring U.K. satellite company In-Space Missions in 2021, which was integrated into the company’s Digital Intelligence unit. Doug Liddle, co-founder of In-Space Missions, will head the new business unit, which will handle BAE Systems’ Azalea satellite program focused...
More Arms Contracts Loom With Additional $2.3B US Military Aid to Ukraine; Lloyd Austin Quoted
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has announced that the United States is increasing its military assistance to Ukraine by $2.3 billion, according to an Associated Press report on Austin’s meeting with visiting Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov at the Pentagon on Tuesday. The increased aid will source $150 million from the presidential drawdown authority allowing the...
European Investment Fund, NATO Partner to Improve Regional Defense Sector Investment
The European Investment Fund has launched an initiative to strengthen investments in the continent’s defense and security capabilities. In a memorandum of understanding with the NATO Innovation Fund, the two organizations aim to encourage private capital funds to allocate more of their investments towards the region’s defense and security industry. The MOU includes plans for...
US Military Bases in Europe Raise Security Alert Amid Potential Threats; Sabrina Singh Quoted
Security risks at several forthcoming major events in Europe, such as the Paris Olympics and the European football championship, have prompted the U.S. military bases in the region to raise their alert level, Sabrina Singh, the Department of Defense’s deputy press secretary, announced at a Pentagon briefing Monday. Singh did not specify the new alert...
State Department to Host More Than 40 NATO Officials Under Exchange Program
The Department of State will host two batches of NATO officials under an exchange program, opening up an opportunity to exchange knowledge with their American counterparts. Under the International Visitor Leadership Program, the State Department expects more than 40 current and future leaders to visit the United States to attend the 2024 NATO Washington Summit...
European USV Minesweeping Project Enters Third Phase, Targets 2026 Demo in Norway
Work has started on the European Defence Agency’s Modular Lightweight Minesweeping Next Generation project’s third phase to further advance the technology readiness level of systems under development and demonstrate their use in an operational environment. The project seeks to develop and deploy smaller unmanned surface vehicles as lightweight minesweepers operating in a formation or as a...
Rheinmetall Secures Potential $3.8B German Military Truck Procurement; Armin Papperger Quoted.
Germany’s Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support has signed a framework contract with Rheinmetall to supply the German armed forces with up to 6,500 military trucks valued at a potential $3.8 billion. The German Parliament’s budget committee approved the procurement’s funding on June 26. The contract, which Rheinmetall described as a “record...
Swedish Government to Procure 10 Saab Combat Boats
The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration has ordered 10 combat boats worth $37.83 million from Saab. The boats, which will be delivered over several years, are based on Saab’s CB90 Next Generation vessel manufactured in the company’s shipyard in Docksta. According to Saab’s website, the CB90 Next Generation features a new combat management system and sensors...










