Pentagon pushes AI to speed up missile and space‑threat detection

During a visit to Athens, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new memorandum of understanding that will let American and Greek police share counter‑terrorism data in real time. The deal comes as Greece grapples with the security fallout from mass migration routes and human‑trafficking networks. Rubio and Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said the pact is part of a broader strategic dialogue that began in 2018 and includes deeper defense cooperation, trade growth and cultural exchanges. Greece will receive $4 billion to modernise its armed forces and improve interoperability with U.S. units, while both sides explore joint projects for their defence industries. The Greek government also pledged to help secure the Strait of Hormuz if a peace process takes shape. The announcement was shadowed by a brief controversy over U.S. ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle, whom some senators accused of overstepping diplomatic norms; Rubio defended her performance, saying the embassy is “doing a great job.” Overall, the agreement tightens NATO’s eastern flank, expands intelligence sharing and injects significant resources into regional security, signaling a stronger, more coordinated U.S.–Greek partnership.

Brazil’s Embraer and the U.S. giant Lockheed Martin are vying for a 60‑aircraft, $10.5 billion contract to replace the Indian Air Force’s aging transport fleet. Embraer’s C‑390 Millennium will face Lockheed’s upgraded C‑130J‑30 Block 8.1.2, with both bidders promising to shift most of the production to India. Embraer has earmarked Nagpur, partnering with Mahindra Defence, while Lockheed will build 12 jets in the United States and 48 in India alongside Tata Advanced Systems. The Indian government mandates at least 40 % domestic content and requires the aircraft to operate from high‑altitude, unpaved strips along the Himalayan frontier with Pakistan and China. Beyond troop and cargo moves, the planes will support disaster relief and humanitarian missions, expanding India’s strategic reach. The deal, opened to five Indian firms in August, is a centerpiece of New Delhi’s two‑decade push for a homegrown aerospace ecosystem and deeper technology transfer. If awarded, the contract could create a new supply chain, generate thousands of jobs, and cement long‑term partnerships with Mahindra and Tata, boosting India’s defense industrial base. For Embraer, a win would deepen Brazil‑India ties and give the C‑390 a foothold in a market dominated by Western platforms. For Lockheed, it would expand the C‑130 family’s footprint and reinforce U.S. defense cooperation with India. Bids close in early December, after which technical evaluations will decide which aircraft will power India’s next generation of military transport.

The Defense Department announced Monday that four directed‑energy weapons will be fielded in a year‑long pilot to protect U.S. bases from rogue drones. The lineup includes AeroVironment’s palletized LOCUST laser, KBR‑spun‑off Kord’s Firefly laser, Boeing’s Compact Laser Weapon System and Epirus’s Leonidas high‑powered microwave. The test, run by the Army‑led Joint Interagency Task Force 401, will gather data on performance, operating costs and maintenance needs across sites that include Grand Forks Air Force Base, Whiteman Air Force Base, Joint Base Lewis‑McChord and Fort Bliss. <br /> <br /> Laser systems promise a cheap per‑shot alternative to missiles, while the microwave can knock out swarms in a single burst. Officials stress that cost‑per‑engagement is only part of the equation; a $6 million system that fires once a year is not a bargain if it can’t be used repeatedly. The pilot will also assess collateral effects, especially for the broader microwave footprint. <br /> <br /> If the trial proves the technology reliable and affordable, the Pentagon could replace a portion of its kinetic air‑defense budget with static or mobile laser pods that can be truck‑loaded and moved on short notice. That would tighten homeland security around critical infrastructure and the southern border, and could spur export interest from allies seeking low‑cost drone‑defeat solutions. However, the program is still in its infancy—deployment details, exact unit counts and total spend remain undisclosed, and the effectiveness of the systems against larger, more sophisticated drones is untested. <br /> <br /> The initiative reflects a broader shift toward directed‑energy weapons as the U.S. confronts a growing swarm‑drone threat from state and non‑state actors. Success could accelerate further investment, while setbacks would likely keep the technology in a niche role for years.

Paris – France fired an upgraded M51.3 ballistic missile from its nuclear‑powered submarine Le Vigilant on Tuesday, marking the first sea‑launch of the latest version. The test, conducted off Finistère and ending with a splash‑down in the North Atlantic, used a dummy warhead, but the missile’s range now tops 9,500 km and it can carry four to six MIRVs. President Emmanuel Macron called the trial “very important” for France’s strategic credibility, noting that allies and rivals will be watching closely.<br /> <br /> The launch follows a recent overhaul of Le Vigilant and a series of acceptance tests that accompany every major refit of France’s SSBN fleet. ArianeGroup, which builds the missile, says the new TNO‑2 warhead and improved propulsion give the M51.3 better accuracy and penetration against missile defenses. Each of France’s four ballistic‑missile submarines can hold up to 16 of the 50‑ton rockets.<br /> <br /> The test is part of a broader push to modernise France’s nuclear triad, which includes new SSBNs and a planned hypersonic cruise missile for Rafale fighters. Macron has also floated the idea of “forward deterrence,” a vague proposal to extend French nuclear coverage to European partners.<br /> <br /> While the launch does not change the balance of power, it signals that France is keeping its nuclear arsenal at the cutting edge. NATO allies are likely to view the move as a reassurance of collective defence, whereas Russia and China may see it as a reminder of Europe’s renewed strategic depth.

Northrop Grumman’s YFQ‑48A Talon Blue completed its maiden fully autonomous flight in the Mojave Desert, handling taxi, take‑off, in‑flight maneuvers and landing without a human pilot. The aircraft is part of the company’s internally funded Project Talon, which aims to cut parts, weight and cost while speeding up production of combat‑ready unmanned systems. <br /> <br /> The company says the modular design lets it roll out new variants quickly, a promise that resonated with U.S. Air Force customers who have asked for affordable, field‑ready autonomy. While the Air Force has not yet awarded a contract for Talon Blue, it has placed Northrop Grumman in a pool of vendors that will compete for software contracts tied to its upcoming fleet of 500 autonomous aircraft slated for service by 2032. <br /> <br /> The flight comes weeks after the service named Anduril’s FQ‑44A “Fury” and General Atomics’s FQ‑42A “Vengeance” as part of that 500‑plane push, and after Anduril completed its first live‑fire test. Northrop’s demonstration shows it can keep pace with rivals, but it also underscores the rapid expansion of unmanned combat capability that policymakers and analysts are watching closely. Each successful test reduces the technical barrier to fielding swarms of cheap, AI‑driven aircraft, a development that could reshape future battlefields while raising questions about control, escalation and export. <br /> <br /> For now, Talon Blue’s flight is a technical milestone that puts Northrop Grumman in the running for the next wave of autonomous weapons, a race that could accelerate both innovation and strategic uncertainty.

Defense startup Anduril announced a $3.7 bn investment to build a shipyard in Baltimore County, Maryland, aimed at producing key parts for the Navy’s Virginia‑class attack submarines. The U.S. Navy matched the move with a contract that could reach $2.9 bn, paying only for parts that meet production targets and leaving most of the execution risk with Anduril. The combined $6.6 bn effort is part of a broader push to expand U.S. arms manufacturing after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and recent Middle‑East conflicts strained existing supply chains.<br /> <br /> The Maryland facility, called Arsenal‑2, is slated to be operational by the end of the decade and is projected to create about 3,100 direct jobs and support more than 11,000 indirect positions. Anduril already runs a $1 bn Arsenal‑1 plant in Ohio that builds autonomous combat drones, and it is expanding its maritime portfolio with a California site that makes torpedo tubes and other submarine components. Once Arsenal‑2 is online, the company plans to add larger modules and hull sections to its production line.<br /> <br /> Virginia‑class submarines, the Navy’s newest nuclear‑powered attack boats, can cruise at over 25 knots and are used for anti‑submarine warfare, land‑attack strikes and surveillance. They are currently built by General Dynamics’ Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Industries. Anduril’s entry into the undersea market signals a shift toward private‑sector speed and flexibility in delivering critical defense hardware.<br /> <br /> The deal boosts U.S. industrial capacity, secures a supply chain for a key strategic platform, and adds thousands of jobs, while also underscoring the growing reliance on tech‑focused firms for traditional shipbuilding tasks.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said his government will cover the cost if Washington decides to turn its rotating battalion in the Baltic state into a permanent U.S. base. The offer follows President Donald Trump’s comment that he would "look at" Lithuania’s request, calling the country "friends" and "great people." Lithuania, a NATO and EU member that shares borders with Russia and Belarus, already hosts about 1,000 American troops in a rotating armored battalion that has been in place since 2019. Sinkevicius told Trump’s envoy John Coale last month that a standing U.S. presence would provide a "critical guarantee of deterrence and security" for the region. He added on Facebook that the only hurdle is a political decision by the United States, and that Lithuania stands ready to pay the associated expenses. The proposal underscores Vilnius’s push for a stronger security umbrella as Moscow steps up activity near its western flank. While the move could bolster NATO’s deterrence posture, it also risks heightening tensions with Russia, which has repeatedly warned against further NATO encroachment. Analysts see the offer as a clear signal that the Baltic states are willing to shoulder part of the financial burden to keep a permanent American footprint on their doorstep.

Boeing signed a seven‑year, roughly $14.7 billion contract with the Pentagon to boost output of the Patriot PAC‑3 MSE missile seeker threefold. The deal, part of the Defense Department’s push to speed up acquisition, will see the seekers built at Boeing’s Huntsville, Alabama plant and delivered over the next seven years. <br /> <br /> The seeker is the radar‑eye of the PAC‑3 interceptor, spotting ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons and hostile aircraft before the missile’s two‑pulse solid‑rocket motor steers it into the target. By tripling production, the United States aims to keep pace with allies’ growing demand for high‑end missile defense and to counter the rise of cheap, swarm‑style munitions that have strained interceptor stocks in recent conflicts. <br /> <br /> Lockheed Martin announced a similar surge, raising its annual PAC‑3 output from about 600 to 2,000 units under a parallel seven‑year framework. Boeing’s move follows a busy week for the company, which also landed a $20 billion contract to develop the Navy’s next‑gen F/A‑XX fighter and a $2.38 billion order for 22 more F‑15EX jets. <br /> <br /> Overall, the expanded seeker line strengthens U.S. and partner defenses, improves readiness against a broader set of threats, and signals continued investment in high‑cost, high‑tech interceptors despite recent debates over their cost‑effectiveness.

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) told Defense News that its "Modernizing Polygraph" effort no longer includes generative AI, large‑language models, or facial‑micro‑expression analysis. The agency said active research is limited to traditional methods, while it will keep an eye on emerging tools for future use. The clarification comes after a series of declassified slides showed the Pentagon had been experimenting since 2019 with AI that scans speech, text and facial cues for deception, a line of work critics say lacks scientific backing and could trample civil liberties. <br /> <br /> In July, a senior official described AI‑assisted sentiment and deception analysis as a "force multiplier" for human investigators, noting the models were trained on lab‑controlled data. Budget documents list the Polygraph+/Polygraph Next program at $31 million, covering AI scoring algorithms, thermal imaging and other non‑contact sensors. Yet the latest DCSA statement says the Air Force is not part of the current development phase and that no AI‑based voice or facial screening is being fielded. <br /> <br /> National‑security lawyers, AI auditors and scientists have warned that AI‑driven lie detection is unproven, prone to error and could infringe on rights in a domain where safeguards are already thin. DCSA declined to share further details on the project's scope or why AI was dropped. While the Pentagon continues to monitor the technology, the pause signals a cautious approach that avoids deploying untested AI in a sensitive security setting.

The U.S. Army is field‑testing a suite of counter‑drone tools along the southern border after recording 378 drone incursions in the last month, according to Brig. Gen. Brian Filler of Joint Task Force Southern Border. The drones, mostly off‑the‑shelf commercial models equipped with cameras, are being used by cartels for surveillance of smuggling routes and human‑trafficking operations. In a recent Northern Command exercise at Falcon Peak, Arizona, defense firms demonstrated radar arrays, interceptor drones, autonomous gun platforms and laser weapons that have already knocked down 11 cartel drones since August. <br /> <br /> The push mirrors rapid innovation seen in Ukraine, where battlefield drones have forced a wave of new defensive technologies. Army officials say the border offers a real‑world proving ground to evaluate how these systems perform outside the lab, from detection to kinetic engagement. Companies such as Anduril, Shield AI, Teledyne FLIR and Allen Control Systems showcased their products, including Anduril’s Ghost UAV, FLIR’s detection suite and the “Bullfrog” automated machine gun. <br /> <br /> Pentagon leaders stress that cartel drones are far less sophisticated than those used in combat zones, but the ability to practice detection, tracking and neutralisation is seen as essential to staying ahead of criminal tactics. The effort also highlights the growing role of venture‑backed defense startups, which have attracted billions since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. By borrowing Ukraine’s fast‑iteration model, the Army hopes to refine its counter‑drone posture quickly, bolstering border security and deterring future aerial surveillance by organized crime.