Raytheon and DARPA have completed a successful baseline design review for the Tactical Boost Glide hypersonic weapons programme, the company announced on 29 July.
The review establishes the company's technical approach for a critical design review and moves the system a step closer to development and use. The company is working under a $63 million contract on the programme, which is a joint effort between DARPA and the US Air Force.
The US military is seeking hypersonic weapons to engage targets from longer ranges with shorter response times and with greater effectiveness than current weapon systems
Boost glide weapons use a rocket to accelerate the payload and achieve hypersonic speeds of velocities greater than Mach 5. During flight, the payload separates from the rocket and glides unpowered to its destination.
Any potential ‘Arctic Sentry’ mission would be months in the planning, but with tensions high in the region given the US’s push for Greenland, NATO countries will need to continue to emphasise their commitment to the region, analysts have said.
Defence Minister Gen Vladimir Padrino López has declared that the Venezuelan armed forces “will continue to employ all its available capabilities for military defence”.
The UK’s defence spending commitments remain uncertain as the government’s Defence Investment Plan, which had been due by the end of 2025, is yet to be published.
Disruption of infrastructure in Europe, whether by cyberattack, physical damage to pipelines or uncrewed aerial vehicles flying over major airports, as has happened more recently, is on the rise. What is the most effective way of countering the aerial aspect of this not-so-open warfare?
The US State Department’s approval of a multi-billion-dollar sale of weapons to Taiwan includes tactical mission networks equipment, uncrewed aerial systems, artillery rocket systems and self-propelled howitzers as well as anti-tank guided missiles.
Ireland’s multi-annual investment in capital defence spending is set to rise from €300m in 2026 to €360m in 2029–2030 with major upgrades across land, air, maritime and cyber domains.
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