A Forecast International blog about the arms trade, geopolitics, defense and security, and military spending.
Forecast International attended this year’s Air & Space Forces Association conference in National Harbor, Maryland, that showcased several new products and emerging market trends. SkyCourier UX Textron Aviation and Merlin …
Trends in UAS at AFA 2026 Read More
The recent announcement that the United States has “on-orbit space control weapons” has sent a shockwave through the space community. There have never been official weapons in space, bar a …
Space as a Domain of War: Decoding “Space Control Weapons” Read More
The $4.8 billion U.S. Army contract awarded Tuesday to Northrop Grumman for their Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) system signals a major expansion of an already critical program. The vital self-protection …
Multi-Billion Dollar Contract Signals Growing Demand for Advanced Countermeasures Read More
During a hearing before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on rebuilding American critical minerals supply chains, Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy Michael Cadenazzi stated, “The very …
Critical Minerals: How Little Known Elements Determine U.S. National Defense Strategy Read More
When it comes to systems-based drone defense, mobility, adaptability, cost-per-shot value, and combat effectiveness are just some of the factors planners are considering, whether for fast-tracking development of certain technologies, …
Choosing All-of-the Above: New Trends in Layered C-UAS Defense Read More
Introduction The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) – the U.S. and Canada’s joint defense partnership for missile defense and aerospace control – is currently winding its way along two …
NORAD’s Two Paths Amid Modernization Read More
Steam catapults have defined carrier aviation for decades, launching thousands of aircraft from the decks of U.S. Navy carriers. Then, the arrival of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) launched …
EMALS vs Steam: Comparing Aircraft Launch Systems at Sea Read More
The recent decision by the U.S. to reactivate the PAC-2 GEM-T interceptor after a 30-year hiatus has raised immediate concerns across the defense industry. Initial analysis suggests this order may …
What the PAC-2 Revival Really Signals About U.S. Interceptor Strategy Read More
The start of the 2027 fiscal year is now less than two months away, and in typical fashion, the fate of the annual defense budget is in limbo. Three out …
How Congress Is Reshaping the Pentagon’s FY27 Spending Plans Read More
In some ways, the early days of Lockheed Martin’s SPY-7 radar – derived from the same architecture as the Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) funded and tested by the U.S. …
The SPY-7 Redemption Arc Read More