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A U.S. Space Force Space Domain Awareness payload launched successfully Aug. 10 aboard Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite 7, or QZS-7, completing a bilateral effort that places American sensors on Japanese navigation satellites. The U.S. payload rode a Japanese H3 rocket from Tanegashima Space Center. It is the second and final sensor in the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System-Hosted Payload program, the first national security space partnership of its kind between the United States and Japan, according to a recent release. The new payload will deliver near-real-time data to the Space Surveillance Network, improving the U.S. Space Force’s understanding of activities within geosynchronous orbit…

Operational concept from fiscal year (FY) 2023 for Japan’s stand-in jammer unmanned aerial vehicles (center) that appear to be launched from a manned aircraft (top right). (Japan Ministry of Defense)Earlier this month, it was reported that Japan’s Ministry of Defense (JMOD) is considering introducing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with stand-in jammers capable of operating within hostile airspace and tasked with disrupting enemy radar, air defense and communication networks.[1]The UAV-mounted stand-in jammer payloads are expected to enable the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) to conduct electronic warfare (EW) within threat zones, disabling radar and communications systems that support adversary missile and…

Trending:Arman Tsarukyan vs. Charles Oliveira 2 cancelled as Tsarukyan set for new UFC 331 fightONE ChampionshipA rivalry that once defined an entire division may not get its expected third chapter after all. Stella Hemetsberger retained her ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World Title with a third-round knockout of Natalia Diachkova at ONE Fight Night 46, broadcasting live on Prime Video from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium this past Friday, August 14. The win pushed her ONE Championship record to a perfect 6-0 and earned a US$50,000 performance bonus for the finish. With the Diachkova rivalry now closed at 1-0, attention naturally turns…

In a world shaped by volatility, ambiguity and ‘black swan’ shocks, it’s easy for leaders to convince themselves that monitoring a risk is the same as managing it. In practice, this can lead to procurement teams being overwhelmed by a mass of data and endless alerts that they’re unlikely to have time to read, let alone act on. Until we reach the time that technology can do much, if not all, of this work, procurement chiefs may find they’re better served focusing their risk management efforts on the most important threats. As Procurement Leaders’ Resilience Cohort learned last week, this…

German drone maker Helsing has enlisted Japanese e-commerce and finance firm Rakuten to help finalize a deal to sell its unmanned systems to Japan’s army, a spokesperson for Rakuten said on Monday.Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Forces are currently testing Helsing’s HX-2 strike drone, as Tokyo looks to modernize its military and counter an increasingly assertive China. The field tests will run until the end of September, the spokesperson said.Helsing struck an “initial agreement” for the Japanese government to use its systems earlier this year, a spokesperson for the Munich-based company said, adding that the move was made possible by an unnamed…

The U.S. Air Force wants target drones that can mimic the performance of a variety of aircraft, from stealth fighters and heavy bombers to large and small drones.The goal is to create a family of drones that can “represent the full range of airborne threats, spanning from inexpensive ‘hobby drones’ to the most advanced adversary fighter and large-scale aircraft,” according to the Air Force’s Request for Information, which has a deadline of Sept. 28.At the same time, the Air Force desires next-generation target drones that are so inexpensive and easy to manufacture that they can be “treated as attritable or…

President Donald Trump on Sunday instructed the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with long-term Asian ally South Korea, citing the cost of the drills and Seoul’s refusal to take part in actions against Iran. Hours before exercises were scheduled to begin, Trump said on his Truth Social site he was “not happy” that the U.S. had agreed to participate and highlighted his “very good relationship” with Kim Jong Un, the leader of nuclear-armed and heavily sanctioned North Korea.“These exercises are not only costly… but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country that, as…

The U.S. Army is turning its helicopter pilot training over to civilian instructors and a private company as the military grapples with a rise in severe aviation accidents. M1 Support Services won a contract to operate the service’s new Flight School Next Program, the Army announced Thursday, shifting training and equipment to a “contractor-owned, contractor-operated” model at Fort Rucker, Alabama. The award, worth up to $10 billion for up to 26 years, comes amid growing concern about aviation catastrophes that, according to Pentagon data released in 2025, showed around a 55% jump in serious accidents during the 2024 budget year,…

Lt. Gen. (ret.) Francis Beaudette, former commanding general of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, joins Ryan to discuss how his family history, service, and books shaped his path into and time in the Army. Together, they talk through his years as a young officer during Operation Desert Storm, the wars that followed, the present and future challenges of special operations (and how they aren’t that different from the past), and the difficulty of learning the right lessons from the wars of today. Thanks to Legion Intelligence for sponsoring the event at which this episode was recorded.Image: ChatGPT

Rheinmetall will supply further mobile rescue stations to the Bundeswehr. As an extension of a previous order, the armed forces are set to receive a total of 149 additional protected and unprotected systems, with a gross value of over €500 million. This call-off under a framework contract awarded at the end of 2024 is the largest order to date that the contractor, Rheinmetall Project Solutions GmbH, has ever received. Production of the rescue stations is due to begin in the first quarter of 2027. With the order booked in July 2026, the total number of rescue stations rises to 165…