A Forecast International blog about the arms trade, geopolitics, defense and security, and military spending.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) YFQ-42A prototypes on a California flight line during U.S. Air Force CCA flight testing. Image – U.S. Air Force. General Atomics and Anduril …
U.S. Air Force Taps Two Vendors to Build AI-Piloted Combat Drones Read More
In 2023, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering led a cross-agency study involving representatives from the U.S. military services, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), …
The Energetics Bottleneck Threatening U.S. Munitions Production Read More
The SPY-6 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) made its debut in the wake of the SPY-3/SPY-4 Dual Band Radar’s failure to replace the AEGIS Weapon System at cost, having …
The SPY-6 Program Comes Into Its Own Read More
The House Armed Services Committee released the Chairman’s Mark of the FY27 defense authorization bill Tuesday. The proposal, which the full HASC committee will review and adjust on Thursday, June …
Draft HASC Defense Bill Aligns with FY27 Base Budget while Bypassing Reconciliation Read More
The Navy’s newly released long-range shipbuilding plan carries an ambitious price tag: around $1.2 trillion for new ship construction over 30 years, more than 30 percent above what the previous …
The Navy’s Golden Fleet Has a Price Problem Read More
In 2023, the Pentagon announced the Replicator Initiative with fanfare, aiming to field vast numbers of affordable, expendable drones as a strategic counter to China. However, by 2025, the program …
A New DAWG in the Fight: The Pentagon’s $54 Billion Bet on Autonomous Warfare Read More
Ground demonstration of the Barracuda 500M air-breathing autonomous cruise missile. Source: Anduril Anduril has expanded its role within the U.S. missile production ecosystem, emerging as the country’s third solid …
Barracuda-500M Affordable Cruise Missiles at Scale Read More
The White House recently released a historic $1.5 trillion national security budget that sets out expansive investment plans for munitions, shipbuilding, drones, and emerging technologies, while also pouring billions into …
Inside the Pentagon’s Historic $1.5 Trillion FY27 Budget Request Read More
Demonstration of the PAC‑3 Missile Segment Enhancement integrated into the Aegis Combat System. Source: Lockheed Martin The U.S. Navy is set to become the second U.S. service branch to operate …
PAC‑3 MSE Integration and the Future of U.S. Naval Missile Defense Read More
At the beginning of the 2026, it appeared that after years of institutional debate and congressional interventions on its behalf that the service life of the A-10 Thunderbolt II in …
USAF Will Fly A-10 to 2030 Read More