🎮 Boeing’s T-7A Red Hawk Simulator Links With Live Jet in Breakthrough Test

📬 In Today’s Defense Brief

✈️ Tiny Black Arrow Cruise Missile Demonstrates a Whopping 400-Mile Range Read More

🤖 Germany’s Helsing Unveils AI-Enabled CA-1 Europa UCAV, Targets 2029 Entry to Service Read More

🎮 Boeing’s T-7A Red Hawk Simulator Links With Live Jet in Breakthrough Test Read More

🛡️ Air Force General Pledges to ‘Get Sentinel Done,’ Expects Milestone B in 2027 Read More

🏛️ Hegseth Calls Military Leaders to Meet Next Week in Sudden Order Read More

🎱 Plus 10 other news stories you may like

📰 Full Breakdown

✈️ Tiny Black Arrow Cruise Missile Demonstrates a Whopping 400-Mile Range Read More

• Leidos confirmed its ~200-lb Black Arrow (Small Cruise Missile) exceeded 400 nautical miles in a late-July envelope-expansion test from a C-130 variant, also navigating thousands of feet in altitude changes. The standoff range dwarfs many compact weapons and approaches JASSM-class performance while remaining platform-agnostic and small enough for broad carriage, including drones.

• Prior shots included an AC-130J launch in November. July’s test evaluated maneuverability, climb/descent, waypoint guidance, navigation accuracy, and integration with Naval Surface Warfare Center battle-management systems—positioning Black Arrow as a low-risk, government-range-proven candidate among affordable cruise-missile concepts.

• Leidos and AFSOC leaders signaled a path to MQ-9 and OA-1K integration, with palletized/bomb-rack configurations under study. SOCOM’s program began via a 2022 CRADA; officials cite urgent needs for longer-range, scalable munitions to keep SOF platforms relevant in contested airspace while complementing larger standoff weapons.

🤖 Germany’s Helsing Unveils AI-Enabled CA-1 Europa UCAV, Targets 2029 Entry to Service Read More

• Helsing debuted the CA-1 Europa at Grob Aircraft’s Bavarian facility as a full-size design study in the 3–5-ton class, built around Centaur—its autonomous fighter-pilot AI. The jet aims for high-subsonic performance, multi-role flexibility, and “intelligent mass,” using a mass-producible airframe, affordable payloads, and advanced software.

• The UCAV can operate singly or in swarms, with design priorities on scalability and a resilient all-European supply/logistics chain. Test and development are already underway at Grob, which Helsing acquired to accelerate next-gen aerial-warfare capabilities.

• With entry to service targeted for 2029, CA-1 marks Helsing’s push into the CCA market, complementing its HX-2 loitering munition and SG-1 Fathom subsurface glider portfolios amid broader European-U.S. autonomy tie-ups (e.g., LM/BAE, Rheinmetall/Anduril).

🎮 Boeing’s T-7A Red Hawk Simulator Links With Live Jet in Breakthrough Test Read More

• Boeing and the USAF networked a T-7A ground simulator with a live Red Hawk flying over 130 miles away, enabling real-time pilot interaction in a shared synthetic-live battlespace with stable, high-fidelity data—an LVC milestone to cut costs and accelerate readiness.

• The twin-seat, GE F404-powered trainer (Mach 1.2+), built with digital engineering, open-architecture avionics, and fly-by-wire, is paired with a fully integrated simulator suite mirroring cockpit/mission systems for seamless training transitions.

• Boeing framed the demo as proof of a digital backbone for future air-combat training, evolving beyond T-38 era methods and preserving frontline aircraft while maintaining realism; T-7A is slated to enter service later this decade.

🛡️ Air Force General Pledges to ‘Get Sentinel Done,’ Expects Milestone B in 2027 Read More

• ICBM PEO Brig. Gen. William Rogers said Sentinel’s restructuring targets a new Milestone B by mid-2027 and full operational capability before 2050, despite an ~81% cost breach and a revised ~$141B cap. EMD work continues, with every missile stage tested and design maturation progressing.

• The Air Force will build new silos at existing sites—citing asbestos/lead paint remediation and concrete variability—using modular designs for faster, cheaper construction and better maintainability. USACE assumes utility-corridor/cabling duties to leverage specialized telecom expertise.

• GAO suggested re-MIRVing Minuteman III as a hedge; Rogers noted it’s technically feasible but would require policy change. The service still plans 634 Sentinel missiles plus 25 for EMD as part of the land-leg overhaul.

🏛️ Hegseth Calls Military Leaders to Meet Next Week in Sudden Order Read More

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered an unusual in-person gathering next week at Quantico, reportedly summoning hundreds of generals/admirals (brigadier and above) and senior enlisted advisers on short notice without a stated agenda—an unprecedented scale that sparked confusion and alarm.

• The move follows administration efforts to cut general/flag ranks by 10–20% and a series of senior-leader firings; critics warn of operational disruption and security risks in concentrating top leadership at one site.

• President Trump and Vice President Vance played down concerns, while watchdogs called the lack of justification troubling. Planning for such a large meeting would typically take months; it’s unclear how many must attend in person.

🌏 Other Important News

✈️ Air

• Pratt & Whitney advances XA103 next-gen fighter engine Read More

• First F-47 now being built; first flight expected in 2028 Read More

• India tests rail-based missile launch system Read More

• State Dept. approves AMRAAM FMS sale to Germany Read More

• Dutch radar firm Robin adapts bird-spotting tech for drone defense Read More

⚓ Sea

• India powers nuclear submarine fleet with new reactor tech Read More

• Navy preparing for future X-band radar competition Read More

🛡️ Land

• Coast Guard to invest $350M in robotics and autonomous systems Read More

🛰️ Space

• SPACECOM discussing expansion of joint space monitoring missions with allies Read More

🌍 Global & Policy

• Agencies told to prepare mass layoffs if government shutdown occurs Read More

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