Defense & Aerospace Report

On this Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Cat Buchatskiy, the cofounder of the Ukrainian security think tank the Serpens Institute, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss what’s next for the Ukraine war as Washington aligns with Moscow and constrains support for Kyiv; whether Europe is able to support Ukraine on its own if Washington cuts assistance; how Ukrainian forces have clawed back 400 square miles of territory from Russia, including the recent Operation Vivaldi mission that saw unmanned aircraft ferry unmanned ground systems that blasted holes in the front that were exploited by manned units; how Ukrainian military formations are organized to include organic engineering units that quickly acquire capabilities needed to address evolving wartime needs; importance of competition to ensure only the best systems are fielded, rather than a scattershot approach; how Ukrainians are responding to US pressure to hold elections and change leadership; the war’s endgame; what winter in Ukraine looks like without US air defense missiles; and how to deter Russia’s growing attacks against Europe.

On today’s Land Warfare Series program, sponsored American Rheinmetall, Melanie Marlow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Dan Roper of the Association of the United States Army join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss takeaways from last week’s AUSA conference and trade show including the imperative for overdue change across the force and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new drone command; budget outlook and whether the Army will remain a “bill payer” for other priorities; the US Army’s drive to engage allies and partners worldwide; continuing lessons from Ukraine; and more. Our coverage of AUSA is sponsored by Lockheed Martin.

On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss Washington’s moves to pressure Ukraine cede to Russian demands and its implications for US export orders; the budget outlook; what military mobilization looks like today; takeaways from Joanna Speed’s Aerospace Event in Washington, the Association of the United States Army’s conference and trade show, and the Wharton Aerospace Ventures gathering; and a look at the week ahead and in Washington and beyond. Our coverage at AUSA was sponsored by Lockheed Martin.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa of the independent equity research firm Agency Partners and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss a down week on Wall Street on AI stocks and rising energy prices as Iran sank a Singaporean cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran-backed Houthi rebels attack Saudi Arabia; Washington’s deepening partnership with Moscow to alleviate sanctions to allow Russia to energy and degrade intelligence and StarLink satellite support for Ukraine enabling Russian attacks that have impacted 600,000 Ukrainians; European nations scramble to help Kyiv given Ukraine’s dependence on US support; London’s decision to allow Ukrainian firms to license produce the Storm Shadow cruise missiles; the NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander warning to Russia against attacking the alliance; Greece’s $4 billion deal with Washington to upgrade F-16 fighters and buy weapons for then, F-35 Lightning II jets and H-60 Blackhawk helicopters; Poland’s confirmation that weapons ordered from Washington including Patriot air defense missiles will be delayed as US stocks depleted by the Iran war are prioritized; South Korea’s first test of a new hypersonic glide vehicle; Airbus uses a Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie to develop mission systems and Eurofighter teaming, estimating Germany will want about 500 CCAs for about 20 million euros each; Britain’s upcoming defender budget and France’s massive nationwide protests; and takeaways from Association of the United States Army’s annual conference and tradeshow and the Aerospace Event DC edition by Joanna Speed’s Aerolambda Group. Our coverage of AUSA was sponsored by Lockheed Martin.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, sponsored by L3Harris, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, Michael Herson of American Defense International, former DoD Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, and former Pentagon Comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss efforts by congressional staffers on the National Defense Authorization Act, appropriations and reconciliation that lawmakers will have to address after the November election as the Trump administration doubles down on its demand for a $350 billion reconciliation measure for the Pentagon; global outrage after President Trump’s alignment with Vladimir Putin to hobble Ukraine to advantage Russia in exchange for 2 million barrels of diesel to mitigate his electoral losses; NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Alex Grynkewich warning to Russia that any attack on the alliance would be utterly futile given its forces were ready to block, blunt and destroy a Russian attack; Iran’s attacks on Strait of Hormuz shipping including the sinking of a Singaporean-flagged cargo ship; Tehran-backed Houthi rebels strike Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni presidential complex in Sanaa; Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s call on Trump to attack Iran before November elections as former Israeli security chief Ronan Barr files “blood libel” suit against his former boss for blaming the Oct 7 attack on intelligence services; escalating settler violence on the West Bank; Beijing’s latest verbal assault on Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan; the US Army’s third Indo-Pacific multi-domain task force; Asia braces for a possible post-midterm political shift in Washington; and growing prospects for a meeting between Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

Military aircraft aren’t just for superpowers anymore. An increasing number of less traditional countries are beginning to make big inroads in the global market. Our friend Richard Aboulafia, managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory, tells us all about it. Plus the week’s headlines in airpower. Powered by GE Aerospace!

On today’s Land Warfare Series program, sponsored American Rheinmetall, Tim Cahill, the president of Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss accelerating and increasing production of top priority air defense weapons like the PAC-3 missile; how the company is working with the government to pare back unnecessary requirements and specifications or redesign and substitute components to speed or simply production; investing in the supply chain and navigating bottlenecks; pooling procurement of key materials across Lockheed Martin to benefit from better economies of purchasing scale; and what happens if projected spending on new weaponry fails to materialize. Our coverage of AUSA is sponsored by Lockheed Martin.

On today’s Technology Report, sponsored by Clarion Defence, joining Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian from Apex Europe 2026 are Bryan Grubert, the chief growth officer at optical and laser systems company Attalon; Karl Hearne, the business development manager at sovereign UK unmanned aircraft-maker Drone Evolution; and Henry Price, founder and CEO of startup British missile-maker Cody Aerospace. To learn more about attendance and sponsorship opportunities visit http://APEXdefense.org

On today’s Look Ahead program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the implications of President Trump’s steady efforts to normalize relations with Russia including the recent deal with Vladimir Putin to acquire 4 million tons of diesel fuel to reduce costs increased by the Iran war; the ongoing Iran war; major Pentagon deals including the US Navy’s contract with RTX for Standard Missile-6 weapons and the subcontractor to Boeing to triple production of seeks for Lockheed Martin’s PAC-3 missile; the US Air Force and Defense Innovation Unit’s decision to award contracts to several competitors in the service’s Massed Modular Aiorcraft competition for a lower cost replacement for the Reaper aircraft; the Navy’s contract with Anduril for submarine parts; expectations as companies prepare to release third quarter earnings; and a look at the week ahead and in Washington and beyond.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa of the independent equity research firm Agency Partners and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss a new all time high for Wall Street; weeks after signing tougher sanctions on Moscow, President Trump partners with Vladimir Putin to reduce oil prices before the November election by buying 4 million tons of Russian diesel; whether the effort will succeed to cut oil prices as it bolster’s Russia’s war coffers against Ukraine; the administration’s warning to Kyiv against striking Russia even as Moscow escalates attacks on Ukrainian civilians; British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s agreement to enhance military and economic cooperation between the countries that could extend to the Global Combat Air Program; the US Air Force’s abrupt withdrawal of US bombers from Britain over concerns of Iranian attack; analysis of US Navy’s $24.4 billion award to Raytheon for Standard Missile-6 production, the $14.7 billion award to Boeing to triple production of seekers for Lockheed Martin’s PAC-3 MSE or Missile Segment Enhancement, and the US Navy’s $6.6 billion contract to Anduril for nuclear submarine parts; the Air Force and Defense Innovation Unit tap seven competitors for the service’s Massed Modular Aircraft effort to succeed the Reaper, including Anduril, Chaos Industries, General Atomics, Grid Aero, Otto Aerospace, Shield AI and Swarm Aero; and Northrop Grumman’s YFQ-48A Talon Blue’s maiden autonomous flight.