A Forecast International blog about the arms trade, geopolitics, defense and security, and military spending.
On Tuesday, a U.S. Marine Corps F-35C Lightning II fighter operating from the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) aircraft carrier shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea. Reports indicate …
U.S. F-35C Downs Iranian Drone Amid Escalation in the Gulf Read More
In end-of-year contract action, the Pentagon announced on December 29 an $8.58 billion award to Boeing to build 25 new F-15IA aircraft for Israel. The ten-year Foreign Military Sale …
Israeli Order for F-15IAs Underscores Eagle II’s Potential Read More
Lockheed Martin closed 2025 with a record number of 191 F-35 deliveries across all three variants. The figure eclipses the airframer’s previous high mark in 2021 by nearly 50 units. …
Record F-35 Deliveries Bolstered by Catch-Up Read More
Executing the first order of a broader contract, the U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems $322 million to produce Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) kits to equip the Army, …
U.S. Initiates BAE Laser-Guided Munitions Contract Amid C-UAS Growth Read More
Contract awards are continuing to pile up for Boeing and the U.S. Army’s CH-47 Block II Chinook program, proving the service’s commitment to the modernized variant. In late September, the …
Boeing Wins Big in Recent Chinook Push Read More
Recent months have produced a blur of activity in the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) market segment, most notably with developments related to the Air Force’s CCA or drone loyal wingman …
U.S. CCAs: Breaking Down the Field Read More
With activity at this year’s Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) exposition in Washington swirling around C-UAS, Air Launched Effects, and unmanned ground vehicles, the show also delivered on several …
Army Aviation at AUSA: Three Leading Stories Read More
In the flurry of last-minute defense spending before the fiscal year’s end, the Pentagon moved to formalize Lot 18 and 19 F-35 production with a $12.5 billion contract for Lockheed …
Lockheed Martin Secures F-35 Contract for 296 Fighters Read More
With any time spent in the U.S. defense world, you’re bound to come across the buzzy acronym, MOSA. But what does it mean, and why does it matter? Strictly speaking, …
What is MOSA? A Perspective from the Army’s New Tiltrotor Read More
In a scathing assessment of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter effort and associated contractors, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a 54-page report on the program’s recent performance. The federal …
A Sobering Report on the DoD’s Largest Weapons Program Read More