Author: Peter Bass

Six Missiles, Same Stealth: the F-35’s 2030 Bay Upgrade will change the Air Fight

Six Missiles, Same Stealth: the F-35’s 2030 Bay Upgrade will change the Air Fight

The Pentagon has placed a deceptively simple line item on the F-35 modernization calendar: raise internal missile carriage from four weapons to six by September 2030. Listed…

11. 09. 2026
Croatia Turns to South Korea’s Chunmoo After HIMARS Limits, Seeking 290-Kilometer Strike Reach

Croatia Turns to South Korea’s Chunmoo After HIMARS Limits, Seeking 290-Kilometer Strike Reach

The Croatian government has approved the purchase of 18 K239 Chunmoo multiple launch rocket systems from South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace, a package valued at about €544 million…

10. 09. 2026
The U.S. Air Force Pushes to Replace the MQ-9 Reaper With Far Cheaper MALE Drones

The U.S. Air Force Pushes to Replace the MQ-9 Reaper With Far Cheaper MALE Drones

The U.S. Air Force entered fiscal year 2026 with only 165 MQ-9A Reaper medium-altitude, long-endurance drones instead of the minimum 189 it needed. Attrition during Operation Rough Rider…

08. 09. 2026
Two Billion Euros and Thirty Years Later: Russia’s Nuclear Flagship Rejoins the Fleet

Two Billion Euros and Thirty Years Later: Russia’s Nuclear Flagship Rejoins the Fleet

After nearly three decades out of operational service, the nuclear-powered Kirov-class battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov is completing sea and state trials and is expected to rejoin…

04. 09. 2026
A Third European Navy Joins the FDI Family as Stockholm Rearms Its Fleet

A Third European Navy Joins the FDI Family as Stockholm Rearms Its Fleet

On 31 August in Stockholm, French President Emmanuel Macron and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson attended the signing of a contract under which Sweden will acquire four Defence…

02. 09. 2026
After Six Failed Bradley Replacements, the U.S. Army Finally Has Hardware: Wolf Versus Lynx

After Six Failed Bradley Replacements, the U.S. Army Finally Has Hardware: Wolf Versus Lynx

The U.S. Army’s long search for a successor to the M2 Bradley has moved from renderings and digital twins into steel. In late August 2026, General Dynamics Land Systems…

31. 08. 2026
Blueprints for Storm Shadow: Britain’s Decision Could Arm Ukraine with Precision Strike Power

Blueprints for Storm Shadow: Britain’s Decision Could Arm Ukraine with Precision Strike Power

In a significant escalation of Western support for Ukraine’s defence efforts, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham authorised the release of classified technical data…

28. 08. 2026
Poland’s F-15EX Option: Capability Gaps, Historical Interest and Official Caution

Poland’s F-15EX Option: Capability Gaps, Historical Interest and Official Caution

The recent inclusion of Poland among potential Foreign Military Sales customers in a major United States Department of War framework contract awarded to Boeing for the F-15…

27. 08. 2026
Long-Range Missiles and the New Meaning of Defence: Lessons from Ukraine for Germany

Long-Range Missiles and the New Meaning of Defence: Lessons from Ukraine for Germany

Germany is preparing to invest nearly twelve billion euros in a multi-layered arsenal of long-range conventional missiles, a programme that marks one of the most…

25. 08. 2026
Surviving the First Strike: Proliferated Architectures and Rapid Reconstitution in Low Earth Orbit

Surviving the First Strike: Proliferated Architectures and Rapid Reconstitution in Low Earth Orbit

Space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance has shifted from a small number of exquisite, high-value satellites in higher orbits to dense constellations…

19. 08. 2026
Beyond the Attack Submarine: Building Persistent Awareness on the Seabed

Beyond the Attack Submarine: Building Persistent Awareness on the Seabed

The undersea domain has long been dominated by nuclear-powered attack submarines, the most capable platforms for both hunting and hiding beneath the surface. Yet the strategic importance…

17. 08. 2026
Microwave and Electromagnetic C-UAS Enter the Fight Against Swarms

Microwave and Electromagnetic C-UAS Enter the Fight Against Swarms

The rapid proliferation of low-cost unmanned aerial systems has exposed the limits of traditional kinetic interceptors and even high-energy lasers. While lasers offer precision and…

16. 08. 2026