Author: Defenceline Webdesk

A C-130 Hercules military transport aeroplane. Credit: Chris Chambers Yorkshire/Shutterstock.com. StandardAero has been awarded a place on the US Air Force’s (USAF) new maintenance contract for T56 engines, which power the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft. The 10-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ), firm-fixed-price agreement has a ceiling value of $342.2m. Discover B2B Marketing That Performs Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms. Find out more Under the terms of the contract, StandardAero will perform depot-level maintenance for T56 Series engines, associated modules, and components. The agreement extends to the global fleet of more than…

Hanwha K9 Mobile Howitzers. Credit: Hanwha Defense USA. Hanwha Defense USA (HDUSA) has landed its first major contract with the US Army to provide prototype K9 Mobile Howitzers (K9MH) for the military’s Mobile Tactical Cannon (MTC) programme. Awarded under Other Transaction Authority, the agreement is valued at up to $262.9m and covers an estimated four-year period. Discover B2B Marketing That Performs Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms. Find out more The agreement encompasses the accelerated supply of six prototype systems, with an option for a further 12 units. According to the…

Legislation aimed at improving the amount of paid leave federal employees are eligible each year took another step forward as Democratic senators introduced companion legislation shortly before Congress left for its August recess.In June, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced the Comprehensive Paid Leave for Federal Employees Act (H.R. 9261), a measure that would provide feds with up to 12 weeks each year of paid family leave, to be used to attend to a serious health condition or care for a spouse, child or parent. It also would cover absences needed in connection with a family member’s deployment into…

The Trump administration says the nation’s science and technology research ecosystem needs to embrace “novel security solutions” to ensure the U.S. maintains its global edge, according to a new document publicly released on Monday. The National Security Science and Technology Strategy published by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy outlines how the U.S. innovation sector should be leveraged and guarded to defend the country. The new document builds off last year’s National Security Strategy, which called, in part, for “protecting the competitiveness of the U.S. economy and bolstering the resilience of the American technology sector.”To help safeguard the…

A Tomahawk cruise missile being fired during US Navy exercises in the Philippine Sea in 2018. Credit: US Navy RTX has secured $22.9bn from the US War Department for the production of Tomahawk cruise missiles The munition, with a range of 1,000 miles, has served as the cornerstone of America’s long-range effects in the Middle East this year Consumption rates have demonstrated the need for industry to step up the sustainment of advanced missile stockpiles In a bid to sustain advanced missile stockpiles, the US War Department has provided Raytheon, an RTX business, with $22.9bn to accelerate the production of…

The newest White House tech strategy pushes faster development of emerging technologies for the military, gives defense innovators more room to experiment, and will broaden the federal market for young defense tech startups. But it also doubles down on a particular approach to developing AI—one that favors a handful of well-connected U.S. tech companies at the expense of other innovative approaches. That could benefit China and slow the U.S. military from getting the tools commanders actually want. Here’s a breakdown of the winners and losers.Winners: swarms, deployed AI, faster military technologyThe strategy puts a big emphasis on new, tech-driven approaches to…

On August 23, Kazakhstan will elect the first members of its new Kurultai, a 145-seat unicameral legislature established under the constitution that entered into force in July. Seven political parties are contesting the election in a single nationwide constituency. All seats will be filled through proportional representation, with no directly appointed deputies. A consequential question is what the newly elected institution will be expected to do. The distribution of seats and the composition of the new legislature will naturally dominate domestic attention. But the election also has implications beyond Kazakhstan. It will test whether the country can support its increasingly…

On 17 August 2026, the Government of India signed a USD $203 million deal with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) to lease two MQ-9B SeaGuardian high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the Indian Navy (IN) for 30 months. Currently, the IN operates two leased MQ-9Bs under a contractor-owned, contractor-operated (COCO) arrangement dating to November 2020, and that contract will end in early 2027. The new pair keeps an orbit running until the 31 MQ-9Bs India ordered in 2024 start arriving. Through the MQ-9B, the IN – alongside the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Army (IA) – will…

Six trucks packed with heavily armed military personnel moved slowly into Byain Phyu, a predominantly Rakhine Buddhist village on the outskirts of Sittwe, the capital of Myanmar’s Rakhine State. The timing of their arrival – 8 a.m. – was odd. Soldiers usually patrolled the village and carried out raids in the afternoon, evening, or night. About 200 military personnel disembarked from the vehicles after halting at the center of the village. They divided equally into two groups and began to march in opposite directions along the main street passing through the village. Their task was to surround the village of…

The Indian Air Force (IAF) concluded a week-long helicopter drill, Exercise Rotor Clap III, on August 2 at the Pokhran firing range in Rajasthan. The exercise was conducted to validate a key operational concept of shooting down unwarranted low-flying loitering munitions and drones. The exercise is part of an attempt by the IAF to plug the loopholes exposed during Operation Sindoor, especially pertaining to the incursion of Pakistani drones deep into Indian territory. This carries serious consequences for Pakistan, as it is linked to India’s attempt to establish a defensive shield against airborne objects, as evidenced by New Delhi’s pledge…