U.S. Navy

The U.S. Department of Defense awarded RTX's Raytheon a multiyear contract worth up to $20.7 billion to produce Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs), a deal the Pentagon says will nearly double production. The five-year contract, with two option years, was awarded on September 25 and announced on September 28, 2026. It is a joint procurement by the Air Force, Navy, and allied nations, part of the Pentagon's Arsenal of Freedom campaign to replenish munitions stockpiles depleted by the war with Iran. Congress has not yet funded the full deal, which Reuters described as provisional.

10 reports · 5 sources · Updated Oct 1, 10:05 PM UTC

The U.S. Navy has selected Boeing to develop its sixth-generation carrier-based fighter, the F/A-XX, awarding a full-scale development contract valued at over $20 billion. The contract includes multiple test aircraft for ground, airworthiness, systems, and weapons integration testing. The F/A-XX is expected to augment and eventually replace F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers beginning in the 2030s, operating alongside the F-35. The selection follows Boeing's 2025 win of the U.S. Air Force's F-47 sixth-generation fighter program.

7 reports · 4 sources · Updated Sep 29, 11:00 PM UTC

The U.S. Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin signed a framework agreement on September 17, 2026, to expand production of the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM), a classified long-range air-to-air weapon designed to counter Chinese PL-15 missiles. The non-contractual agreement serves as a demand signal to justify supplier investment, with Lockheed committing its own capital to expand capacity ahead of potential orders. Australia became the first export customer in August 2026 with a $520 million USD commitment. Congressional approval is required for a multiyear procurement contract.

8 reports · 5 sources · Updated Sep 23, 05:20 AM UTC

On September 13, 2026, the U.S. and U.K. successfully test-launched a U.S. Mk 48 Heavyweight Torpedo from the Royal Navy's experimental extra-large unmanned underwater vehicle (XLUUV) XV Excalibur at the British Underwater Test & Evaluation Centre in Scotland. The trial, conducted under AUKUS Pillar 2, validated the mechanical, electrical, and software integration of a U.S. kinetic payload onto an allied autonomous vessel, marking a historic first for allied undersea warfare.

6 reports · 2 sources · Updated Sep 22, 07:06 PM UTC

The U.S. Navy awarded defense startup Castelion a $200 million contract on September 17, 2026, for production of the low-cost Blackbeard hypersonic missile, deployable from carrier-based F-35 and F/A-18 fighters. The award funds additional missiles beyond 50 previously funded units, with $43 million allocated for 444 missiles. Castelion aims for per-unit cost around $500,000. The contract leverages the Small Business Innovation Development Act to rapidly transition private-capital-developed technology into production.

5 reports · 2 sources · Updated Sep 17, 03:35 PM UTC

The U.S. military destroyed two small Iranian vessels after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attempted to seize a U.S. Navy unmanned surface vessel patrolling the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command confirmed the attempted hijacking was thwarted, and the drone remains under U.S. control. Iranian state media separately reported shooting down a third U.S. MQ-1 drone over the strait. The incidents escalate tensions in the critical global oil chokepoint.

9 reports · 4 sources · Updated Sep 16, 12:41 PM UTC

Anthropic released a threat intelligence report detailing how it disrupted attempts by Iranian, Chinese, Russian, and Houthi-linked actors to misuse its Claude AI model for biological weapons research, missile guidance software, surveillance tools, and targeting of U.S. Navy ships. The report covers cases from December 2025 to August 2026, including five bioweapon-related plots, Iranian identity harvesting via a disguised Firefox extension, and Houthi development of guided rockets with ranges over 2,000 kilometers.

23 reports · 11 sources · Updated Sep 13, 02:15 PM UTC

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the capture of a U.S. Anduril Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicle at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. The Pentagon confirmed the loss of an older-model drone, stating it malfunctioned while surveying regional waters and carried no sensitive data. Analysts assess Iran will likely attempt to reverse-engineer the hardware, though software defenses may limit gains. The incident underscores ongoing tensions in the strategic waterway.

26 reports · 8 sources · Updated Sep 11, 02:18 PM UTC