Aerospace - Defense Stocks (Page 2)

A tactical space reconnaissance satellite maneuvering in geostationary orbit high above Earth

Aerospace

Northrop and True Anomaly Win Prototype Deals to Crowd GEO With Watchdogs

DIU and Space Systems Command selected Northrop Grumman and True Anomaly to prototype maneuverable inspectors for GEO, feeding a $1.84B Space Force buy to replace an exquisite six-satellite fleet. Prototypes launch in 2028 before transitioning to operations in 2029.

Precision machining and milling of a missile structural housing component in an aerospace manufacturing plant

Partnerships

Lockheed Taps Detroit's Assembly Lines to Break the Patriot Interceptor Bottleneck

GM Defense turned the first PAC-3 MSE housing parts in 22 days, work aerospace shops often take months or years to finish. The run is the first timed test of Lockheed's bet that Detroit can unstick the Patriot interceptor line.

A concept rendering of a tailless autonomous stealth combat drone with a submerged dorsal inlet banking at high altitude.

Companies

Lockheed Is Building Five Stealth Drones to Force Its Way Back Into Fighter Teaming

Skunk Works is building a fleet of five Vectis autonomous stealth drone prototypes with internal capital, testing an 80 percent touch labor reduction to challenge Anduril and General Atomics.

An advanced defense satellite maneuvers in low Earth orbit above the Earth horizon

Policy and Budgets

Why the Pentagon Finally Admitted It Fielded Weapons in Orbit

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink revealed the Space Force operates on-orbit space control weapons as the service pushes a $71.2 billion budget against a frozen continuing resolution.

An unmanned aerial refueling drone on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier at dawn

Aerospace

Super Hornets Will Keep Flying as Tankers Until Stingray Reaches the Fleet

The Navy has put Boeing's MQ-25A Stingray into low-rate production, a $562 million Lot 1 start that leaves Super Hornets doing tanker duty until 2029 to extend the carrier air wing's strike radius.

Tactical mobile air defense launcher firing a compact interceptor missile on a military proving ground

Aerospace

Boeing, Anduril, and Lockheed Martin Advance in the Race to Unburden Patriot

The Army selected Lockheed Martin and a Boeing-Anduril team for Phase 2 of its Second Interceptor competition, aiming to fill a critical mid-tier missile gap and preserve strategic Patriot stockpiles.

A military combat helicopter in flight equipped with directional infrared countermeasure laser pods

Electronics

How Northrop Grumman Locked In a Decade of Laser Defense for U.S. Army Helicopters

The U.S. Army awarded Northrop Grumman a $4.84 billion contract for Common Infrared Countermeasure systems through 2035, cementing a sole-source transition from pyrotechnic flares to continuous laser jamming across its combat helicopter fleet.

A tactical cruise missile launching from a mobile launcher at a desert test range

Aerospace

Covenant Emerges From Stealth With $250 Million to Mass-Produce Tomahawk-Class Cruise Missiles

Covenant emerged from stealth with Anthem, a mid-six-figure cruise missile designed for serial production as Tomahawk and JASSM inventories have been burned down in Iran. The company is trying to fill the gap between affordable mass and strategic range before allied magazines define deterrence.

Aerospace

How Seven-Year Interceptor Commitments Are Breaking the Solid Rocket Motor Bottleneck

Lockheed Martin and L3Harris have locked in a seven-year propulsion deal to triple PAC-3 MSE interceptor output, pairing multiyear capital certainty with dual-source manufacturing to overcome a chronic missile bottleneck.

A military long-endurance unmanned drone aircraft with high-aspect wings on a desert airfield runway at sunset.

Drones

Why the Air Force Is Rushing a $10 Million Drone to Replace the $50 Million Reaper

After losing at least 45 MQ-9 Reapers in 2026 combat operations, the Air Force is accelerating its Massed Modular Aircraft program to field low-cost attritable drones within three years.

Aerospace

Boeing's $131 Billion F-15 Lifeline Faces a Seven-Month Delivery Slip

The Pentagon set an eye-popping $131.2 billion ceiling on Boeing's F-15 line through 2037, even as delivery delays officially breached the fighter's operational baseline and pushed full readiness to 2028.

Jet fighter engine on a maintenance stand in a hangar bay

Aerospace

The F-35's $38 Billion Cooling Dilemma Won't See a Production Fix Until 2033

A 2023 GAO report found the F-35's overtasked cooling system is adding $38 billion in engine maintenance costs. Collins Aerospace just tested a candidate fix, but the program isn't expected to pick a solution or begin production until 2033.