April, 2026 - globaldefencemagazine.com

US Army buys Thor multi-mission drones

The US Army has awarded Mistral a $20 million contract to deliver Thor mini unmanned aerial systems, developed in collaboration with Elbit Systems subsidiary Fuse. The Group 2 UAV...

April 30, 2026
Admin
Air Platforms
Mergers & JV

Bell, KAI team for high-speed helicopter

Bell Textron has partnered with Korea Aerospace Industries to explore advanced solutions for South Korea’s High Speed Medium Utility Helicopter program. The collaboration evaluates tiltrotor designs based on Bell’s...

Leidos secures $456M support deal

Leidos has secured a $456 million, four-year contract to continue operating Military OneSource for the US Department of Defense. The platform serves more than 4.7 million users, providing 24/7...

April 30, 2026
Admin
Naval Platforms
R&D

Albania naval plan includes 10 new ships

Fincantieri and KAYO have formed a joint venture to develop Albania’s naval shipbuilding capacity. The partnership aims to construct up to 10 naval vessels by 2030 while revitalizing domestic...

Lockheed gets $1B HIMARS production deal

Lockheed Martin has secured a $1.13 billion contract to produce M142 HIMARS systems for the US and allied nations, including Australia, Canada, Estonia, Sweden, and Taiwan. Known for its...

Raytheon secures $833M ESSM Block 2 deal

The US Navy has awarded Raytheon an $833 million contract to produce additional Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) Block 2 systems for 12 allied nations under the NATO SEASPARROW consortium....

April 30, 2026
Admin
Missile & Missile Defence
R&D

THUNDART rocket reaches live fire stage

MBDA and Safran Electronics & Defense have successfully demonstrated the THUNDART rocket system, achieving key milestones within just 18 months. Testing at Île du Levant confirmed structural integrity and...

10 EU allies form joint naval force

A group of ten European nations has signed a statement of intent to strengthen cooperation under the Joint Expeditionary Force to counter emerging threats in northern waters. Led by...

April 30, 2026
Admin
Communication and Electronics
R&D

Northrop adds Green Hills to GPS system

Northrop Grumman has integrated Green Hills Software’s INTEGRITY-178 tuMP real-time operating system into its LN-351 Embedded GPS/Inertial Navigation System–Modernization (EGI-M). The system merges inertial navigation with an M-Code GPS...

April 29, 2026
Admin
Naval Platforms
Mergers & JV

Hanwha, Leidos team for Navy ship design

Hanwha Ocean and Leidos have partnered to develop next-generation naval vessels and expand shipbuilding capacity. The collaboration focuses on adapting Korean ship designs to US Navy requirements and strengthening...