⚛️ DIU Seeks Nuclear Microreactors as Army Tags Nine Bases for On-Post Power

📬 In Today’s Defense Brief

🚁 Middle East Black Hawks Could Be Converted into Unmanned “UHawks,” Sikorsky Says — Read More

🤝 F-35, Tank Sales Folded Into New U.S.–Saudi Strategic Defense Agreement — Read More

⚛️ DIU Seeks Nuclear Microreactors as Army Tags Nine Bases for On-Post Power — Read More

🛰️ EDGE Unveils 42 Autonomous, Smart-Weapon, and Space Systems at Dubai Airshow — Read More

🕊️ Amid Talk of 20-Year Aid Deal, Experts Urge Israel to Recalibrate US Relationship — Read More

🎱 Plus 12 other news stories you may like

📰 Full Breakdown

🚁 Middle East Black Hawks Could Be Converted into Unmanned “UHawks,” Sikorsky Says — Read More

• At Dubai Airshow 2025, Sikorsky pitched Middle Eastern customers on converting aging UH-60 Black Hawks into pilotless “S-70 UHawks,” following its earlier prototype of a fully unmanned Black Hawk. The concept targets older Lima and Alpha models that are due for retirement, turning them into autonomous rotorcraft rather than sending them to the boneyard.

• The conversion replaces crewed cockpits with the company’s Matrix autonomy kit and fly-by-wire controls, stripping out unneeded pilot systems while retaining the airframe and powerplant. Sikorsky argues this extends aircraft life and offers a cost-efficient path to armed or logistics-capable rotorcraft drones for customers across the Gulf and wider Middle East.

• Executives say conversions would rely heavily on local industry: Sikorsky would send a small team overseas, while regional partners would handle most of the work. They stress the approach could apply to a wide “Hawk” family, including Black Hawks and Seahawks, which are already fielded by countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, the UAE, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.

🤝 F-35, Tank Sales Folded Into New U.S.–Saudi Strategic Defense Agreement — Read More

• Washington has approved sales of F-35 fighters and roughly 300 Abrams tanks to Saudi Arabia as part of a newly signed Strategic Defense Agreement, the White House announced. Officials frame the deal as locking in Riyadh’s reliance on U.S. arms, boosting Saudi self-defense capacity, and supporting American manufacturing jobs tied to the tank and fighter lines.

• The White House calls the SDA “a win for the America First agenda,” saying it eases conditions for U.S. defense firms operating in Saudi Arabia and secures additional Saudi contributions toward the burden-sharing. A senior General Atomics executive also disclosed that talks are underway to sell up to 130 MQ-9B drones and 200 Gambit collaborative combat aircraft as part of the broader defense industrial package.

• The F-35 piece will face scrutiny due to U.S. legal commitments to preserve Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge. The article notes Israel already fields its customized F-35I variant and that President Trump acknowledged questions over configuration parity, while signaling he favors both Israel and Saudi Arabia receiving “top of the line” capabilities, setting up contentious export-control debates.

⚛️ DIU Seeks Nuclear Microreactors as Army Tags Nine Bases for On-Post Power — Read More

• The Army and Defense Innovation Unit moved forward on the Janus Program, a joint effort with the Department of Energy to deploy commercial nuclear microreactors on domestic bases. DIU issued an Area of Interest solicitation for “advanced nuclear power technologies,” while the Army publicly identified nine candidate installations for initial deployment, including Fort Hood, Fort Bragg, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

• Leaders cast microreactors as a response to Indo-Pacific conflict scenarios where forward bases will need unprecedented levels of resilient power. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll argued future wars will demand access to energy in ways not seen for decades, while Janus aims to bridge commercial innovation and military basing through DIU’s Commercial Solutions Opening and OTA authorities.

• The AOI calls for microreactors using fuel enriched to 20 percent or less, legal for defense uses, producing from kilowatt levels up to 20 megawatts electric or 60 megawatts thermal. Vendors are encouraged to propose “first-of-a-kind” and “second-of-a-kind” plants, with a plan to reach 30-year lifetime generation, while the Army emphasizes extensive community engagement and no forced siting over local opposition.

🛰️ EDGE Unveils 42 Autonomous, Smart-Weapon, and Space Systems at Dubai Airshow — Read More

• UAE defense group EDGE opened the Dubai Airshow 2025 by unveiling 42 new systems spanning autonomy, smart weapons, propulsion, space platforms, radars, and secure communications. The lineup is pitched as a major boost to national capabilities, with products mapped across unmanned vehicles, weapons, sensors, and networking for land, air, sea, and space operations.

• In autonomy, EDGE highlighted the Omen hover-to-cruise air vehicle developed with Anduril under their production alliance, plus the JERNAS-M MALE UAS, the VORTEX-E counter-UAS interceptor, and STRIKE fixed-wing weapon carrier. On the weapons side, new offerings include the long-range WSM-1 cruise strike weapon, DARKWING modular autonomous strike system, and THUNDER-ER kits that convert legacy munitions into smart stand-off weapons.

• EDGE also expanded propulsion with new piston, turbine, microjet, and rocket motor families, supporting everything from UAVs and loitering munitions to suborbital missions and future launch vehicles. In space and sensing, it introduced the ZENITH data-management platform to fuse multi-source satellite feeds and the AL HARRIS X short-range AESA radar with AI-driven classification, alongside the KATIM GATEWAY X9000M pocket encryptor for secure mobile communications.

🕊️ Amid Talk of 20-Year Aid Deal, Experts Urge Israel to Recalibrate US Relationship — Read More

• An Axios report that Israeli officials are exploring a 20-year U.S. military aid commitment—double prior 10-year MOUs—sparked debate in Jerusalem over whether to seek more money or overhaul the relationship. Israel currently receives $3.8 billion annually, mostly spent on U.S. platforms from major defense primes, and the current agreement is set to expire in 2028 under the Trump administration’s second term.

• Former senior officials like Eran Lerman argue that Israel should “build a trajectory” from the existing grant-based model toward a partnership framework that emphasizes joint R&D and co-development. That approach, they say, would preserve Israel’s legally mandated Qualitative Military Edge while reducing one-way dependence on U.S. taxpayers, mirroring past shifts when economic aid was phased out by 2007.

• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly distanced himself from the 20-year aid idea, saying Israel should become more independent and self-sufficient, even referencing Sparta in a recent speech. Analysts note the debate is unfolding against President Trump’s stated dislike of foreign aid and criticism that Israel already receives substantial support, sharpening pressure to rethink how the alliance is structured and sold in Washington.

🌏 Other Important News

✈️ Air

• Boeing T-7A Red Hawk Team Targets RAF Fast-Jet Trainer Slot in New BAE/Saab — Read More

• Apache Helicopters Now Fly With Immersive Augmented Reality Tech — Read More

• Saudis Could Buy Up to 200 CCA Drones in Addition to MQ-9s, GA’s Alexander Says — Read More

• Embraer Drops Proposal for Saudi C-390 Final Assembly, Shifts to UAE — Read More

• 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade Builds the Future of Drone-Enabled Army Aviation — Read More

🛡️ Land

• India Picks BAE Hägglunds’ BvS-10 “Sindhu” as New All-Terrain Tracked Vehicle — Read More

• German Firms Build Mobile 3D Printer That Follows Soldiers Into Combat — Read More

• $100 AI Upgrade Gives Ukrainian FPV Drones Last-Meter Accuracy in Heavy Jamming — Read More

⚓ Naval & Coast Guard

• Eastern Shipbuilding Halts Work on Coast Guard Cutter Program, Citing Financial Strain and Contract Conditions — Read More

• New Navy Unmanned Acquisition Office Could Oversee Up to 66 Programs, Consolidate Six PEOs — Read More

🛰️ Space

• Rocket Lab Successfully Launches HASTE Mission for DIU and Missile Defense Agency — Read More

🧠 Networks & AI

• Pentagon Expands Partnership With Quantum Sensing Startup for GPS Alternatives — Read More

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