The Srilankan Air Force (SLAF) is planning to replace its obsolete Kfir and MiG-27 fighters with eight used aircraft. Last year the SLAF had only one operational Kfir – the remaining six aircrafts are grounded. “We have seven MiG aircrafts and eight other aircrafts but none of them can be used.” Cabinet Spokesman and Parliamentary Reforms and Media Minister Gayantha Karunathilaka said. The Cabinet of Ministers in Colombo approved a procurement plan for fighter planes but the offers received so far did not provide financing for the acquisition. Offers for new built aircraft were received both from Pakistan and India. Pakistan proposed the JF-17 Thunder, produced by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex/Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (PAC/CAC). India offered the Tejas light combat aircraft produced by Hindustan Aerospace Ltd. Lacking financial arrangements for the procurement, SLAF is considering the refurbishment and modernization of five of the remaining Kfirs to bring those fighters back into service. Between 1995 and 2005 Sri Lanka acquired a total of 16 Kfir fighter jets from Israel, but seven were lost due to accidents or ground attacks on airbases during the Sri Lankan Civil War.
From Venezuela, to India, and the Rise of the Laser Era – a Weekly...
The opening week of 2026 has been defined by a singular, paradigmatic shift in modern warfare: the "catastrophic failure" of Venezuela's integrated air defense network during a U.S. special operation. The operation succeeded not through brute force, but by rendering Venezuela's Russian S-300VM and Chinese "anti-stealth" radars effectively blind, validating the supremacy of advanced electronic warfare over legacy kinetic defenses. This failure has sent shockwaves through the global defense market, underscoring why nations like Spain and Germany are rushing to modernize their air defense architectures with Western alternatives, while massive procurement programs exceeding $301 billion signal an accelerated transformation toward unmanned systems, directed energy weapons, and indigenous production capabilities.
Beyond Drones: Key Facts Defining Turkey’s Rise as a Global Arms Giant
Turkey's defense industry transformation extends far beyond its celebrated drones. Now ranking 11th globally in defense exports, Turkey is executing a comprehensive strategy to become a top-tier arms supplier. With 75% of exports flowing to Western markets and five firms in Defense News' Top 100, Turkey is methodically building a complete defense ecosystem through combat-proven systems, integrated defense diplomacy, strategic self-reliance, and real-world R&D in active conflict zones.
Skunk Works and XTEND Simplify Multi-Drone Command
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® and XTEND have achieved a major milestone in JADC2 by integrating the XOS operating system with the MDCX™ autonomy platform. This technical breakthrough enables a single operator to simultaneously command multiple drone classes, eliminating the friction of mission handoffs. From "marsupial" drone deployments to operating in GPS-denied environments, explore how this collaboration is abbreviating the data-to-decision timeline and redefining autonomous mission execution.
From Ukraine to Taiwan: The Global Race to Dominate the New Defense Tech Frontier
As traditional defense primes face mounting competition from agile “neoprimes” such as Anduril, Palantir and Helsing, the balance of innovation is shifting toward software-defined warfare and scalable, dual-use technologies, while global industry consolidation—marked by Boeing’s integration of Spirit AeroSystems and other strategic mergers—signals an intensified race to secure control over the defense technology value chain. Our Defense-Tech weekly report highlights these trends.
Europe’s “Drone Wall”
In early October 2025, a coordinated wave of unmanned aerial system (UAS) incursions—widely attributed to Russia—targeted critical infrastructure across at least ten European nations. The unprecedented campaign exposed the fragility of Europe’s air defenses...
Weekly Defense Update & Global Security Assessment
Executive Summary
The past week (September 18-25, 2025) represents an inflection point where strategic defense concepts have transitioned from doctrine to tangible reality. An analysis of global events reveals four primary, interconnected trends shaping an...
U.S. Air and Space Forces Push Next-Gen Programs at the AS&C 2025 Conference and...
At the 2025 Air, Space & Cyber Conference, U.S. Air Force and Space Force leaders unveiled major updates on next-generation fighters, bombers, unmanned systems, and space initiatives, highlighting both rapid innovation and critical readiness challenges as the services race to outpace global competitors. A short version is available here, with a more detailed version for subscribers.
