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
The Dassault Rafale program is entering a period of sustained high-rate production, with export customers increasingly interested in acquiring the aircraft despite strong competition provided by the Lockheed Martin F-35, …
Rafale Rising: Production Ramp-Up and the Road to the F5 Standard Read More
The British Army is moving toward a new model of manned and uncrewed aerial operations as the Ministry of Defence advances Project NYX, a program aimed at pairing the AH-64E …
UK Advances Project NYX to Pair Apache Helicopters With Autonomous Uncrewed Aircraft Read More
The Pentagon has released a new National Defense Strategy (NDS) that represents a shift in Washington’s strategic posture, placing renewed emphasis on homeland defense, bolstering U.S. influence in the Western …
National Defense Strategy Prioritizes the Western Hemisphere, Shifts Burden-Sharing to Allies Read More
Throughout the month of December and into January, Reuters and other news sources dropped a steady drum-beat of news on potential Pakistani arms export deals, most of which center around …
Pakistan’s Flurry of Arms Sales Read More
What Is the New Strategy? On January 9th, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) released its Artificial Intelligence Acceleration Strategy. The Strategy promotes a familiar outcome: for the U.S. military …
The U.S. DoD’s AI Acceleration Strategy Read More
PLA Rocket Force units participating in a parade for the PRC’s 70th anniversary in Beijing. Source – People’s Republic of China As China enters its 15th Five‑Year Plan (2026–2030), Beijing …
Analysis of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and Its Expected Impact on China’s Military Modernization Read More
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has completed another round of awards under its Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) multiple-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract, a flexible acquisition vehicle with …
Pentagon Mobilizes Industrial Base for “Golden Dome” Missile Shield with $151B SHIELD Award Read More
Based on a selective picture of just the activity discussed in this post, the month of December saw multi-year purchases of C-UAS technology valued at well over $1 billion. This …
Over $1 Billion in December Purchases Closes Out Blockbuster 2025 for Counter-Drone Technology Read More
In its Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) requested roughly $1.9 billion to fund new projects that were previously part of its Network-Centric Warfare …
DARPA’s Advanced Technology Development and Commercialization Read More