Americas
Lockheed Martin won a $2billion modification for the production of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Interceptors to support the US government. Under this modification, the contractor will produce THAAD components under fixed-price incentive (firm-target) contract line-item numbers. The work will be performed in Dallas, Texas; Sunnyvale, California; Troy, Alabama; and Camden, Arkansas, with an expected completion date December 1, 2029. One offer was solicited, and one offer was received. Fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2025 procurement funds in the amount of $284,917,283 are being obligated at time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
Canada’s Department of Defense is replacing the wooden stocks of the Canadian Rangers’ C19 standard rifles in service since 2018. Issues with the gun’s red-dyed wooden stock were first noted during its adoption, in which it was found “leaching and staining the hands of users as a result of extended periods of time in a wet environment,” Nunatsiaq News reported.
Middle East & Africa
Germany’s government intends to set up an airlift operation to provide humanitarian aid to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on Monday. Details of the operation, which will be carried out in cooperation with Jordan and with the backing of France and the United Kingdom, are still scarce. But previous German aid-dropping operations in the territory may give a glimpse of what to expect, according to a defense spokesman in Berlin.
Europe
Poland has announced a $55 million investment this year for drone procurement and unveiled a series of measures aimed at making drones a central element of its defense strategy. “We are embarking on a drone revolution. The Polish Armed Forces are entering a new era in which the mass deployment of unmanned systems will become one of the main pillars of our defense,” said Cezary Tomczyk, Secretary of State for the Ministry of National Defense.
Asia-Pacific
Australia hosted a significant number of Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, held from 13-27 July. Australia, Canada and the USA all contributed C-17s, meaning there were around 17 C-17s on the continent at the same time. The most challenging mission performed during this year’s Talisman Sabre was a 14-hour flight from Alaska to Australia by five US Air Force (USAF) and one Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C-17s filled to the brim with American and German paratroopers plus a handful of vehicles.