defense

Antares Nuclear closed a $470 million Series C, seven weeks after its Mark-0 reactor reached criticality, to build microreactors for US military bases.

Rocket Lab disclosed 31 new launch contracts plus five Neutron flights in the first quarter, then stacked three same-day announcements: an Anduril hypersonics order, a Raytheon-paired Space Force selection, and a Mars-veteran robotics acquisition.

Hermeus closed a $350 million Series C at a $1 billion valuation, combining equity and debt as it shifts prototyping into production and relocates to El Segundo.

North America's largest additive manufacturing conference draws 450 exhibitors to Boston as DoD allocates $3.3 billion for AM and vendors unveil production-grade systems.

GE Aerospace announced plans to invest $1 billion across more than 30 communities in 17 states during 2026, bringing cumulative domestic manufacturing investment since 2024 to $2.5 billion as the company races to meet record commercial and defense engine demand.

A RUSI Journal paper argues that restoring peatlands, wetlands, and forests along Eastern European frontiers could impede mechanized forces while delivering climate and biodiversity benefits at a fraction of the cost of traditional anti-tank defenses.

Ukraine's 147th Artillery Brigade is the first known military unit to field-test commercial exoskeletons in active combat, using $1,000 Hypershell devices to help gunners handle over a metric ton of ammunition daily.

China's Announcement 18 export controls on seven rare earth elements remain permanently active, disrupting defense supply chains and forcing the U.S. to accelerate a mine-to-magnet strategy still years from completion.

The contract modification funds engineering, integration, and long-lead production work for the Conventional Prompt Strike program as USS Zumwalt prepares for live-fire testing following its January sea trials.

The Army consolidates 120 Anduril procurement actions into one decade-long framework, with an $87 million counter-UAS task order as the first draw.

The Army says its first hypersonic missile battery is weeks from full fielding, yet the Pentagon's testing office warns it lacks the data to assess whether the weapon actually works in combat.

The DOD orders 30,000 small attack drones at $5,000 each from 11 vendors — including a British company that topped the leaderboard — as the first phase of a $1 billion program to field 300,000 domestically produced combat drones by 2027.