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5 days ago | 
businessinsider.com | Ryan Pickrell |Chris Panella |Jake Epstein |Rebecca Rommen
The US's "massive precision strikes" on three Iranian nuclear facilities reportedly saw its forces unleash the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker-buster bomb. Fox News host Sean Hannity said President Donald Trump had told him US forces used six bunker busters in strikes on Iran's Fordow site and 30 Tomahawk missiles in attacks on facilities at Natanz and Esfahan.
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1 week ago | 
businessinsider.com | Ryan Pickrell |Chris Panella |Henry Blodget
Israel's unique version of the F-35 stealth fighter is showing the jet's readiness for a higher level of combat in its fights with Iran, a difficult adversary that until recently fielded a challenging arsenal of air defense weapons. Over 200 Israeli fighter jets took part in the opening strikes last Friday, and Israeli Air Force photos from the operation confirm the involvement of the F-35I "Adir." Additional strikes have since followed.
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1 week ago | 
businessinsider.com | Ryan Pickrell |Chris Panella |Henry Blodget
Drones are in high demand at the Petagon, but insiders say the market is already jammed with too many lookalike quadcopters and startups chasing the same investments and military dollars. "We're seeing a lot of companies in the space," one defense industry investor, who requested anonymity to speak freely on the topic, told Business Insider, noting that in many cases, there may not be significant differences in capability between the products that these companies are delivering.
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2 weeks ago | 
businessinsider.com | Ryan Pickrell |Chris Panella |Henry Blodget
Selling to the US military is complicated. For defense companies and investors, sorting out what the massive Department of Defense behemoth is doing and where its billions of dollars are going can feel like navigating a maze. The US military's vast portfolio of weapons, capabilities, and technologies — both the ones it already has and the ones it wants — is widespread and not easily sourced. Details about those budgets, too, can be confusing and taxing to sort through.
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2 weeks ago | 
businessinsider.com | Ryan Pickrell |Chris Panella |Henry Blodget
The drone war in Ukraine remains largely human-operated for now. We're seeing glimpses of the future, but we're not there yet. Ukraine and Russia are experimenting with artificial intelligence-enabled drones, but total autonomy and full-scale deployment remain limited in combat, researchers say.
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3 weeks ago | 
businessinsider.com | Ryan Pickrell |Chris Panella |Henry Blodget
The costs of modifying a luxury jet gifted by Qatar to the Trump administration to serve as an interim Air Force One for the president could be less than expected, the US Air Force secretary said this week. Some lawmakers and outside experts have said the expected costs could be as high as $1 billion, as the aircraft would require substantial security and communications reworks before it could be used for presidential air travel.
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3 weeks ago | 
businessinsider.com | Ryan Pickrell |Chris Panella |Henry Blodget
In a future war, the US military might not be able to rely on traditional supply chains. Instead of flying or sailing in replacement parts, it may be forced to build them on the spot, wherever its forces happen to be — on land, at sea, or on remote islands. Enter FLEETWERX, a project rethinking how the US military sustains its forces. Backed by DEFENSEWERX and the Naval Postgraduate School, it's working with industry partners and the US military on new ways to test and build critical parts.
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3 weeks ago | 
businessinsider.com | Ryan Pickrell |Chris Panella |Henry Blodget
Out in the islands of the western Pacific, the US Army and a strategic ally are landing aircraft in places they don't know, testing new drones and sensors, and trying to keep soldiers hidden in the electromagnetic spectrum. The training is focused on adapting to the quickening pace of innovation on the battlefield, a general told Business Insider.
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3 weeks ago | 
businessinsider.com | Ryan Pickrell |Chris Panella |Sinéad Baker |Henry Blodget
Ukraine's shocking drone attack on the Russian bomber fleet and other strategic aircraft shows just how vulnerable US bases and planes, especially those in the Pacific, could be to a similar kind of attack by an adversary.
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3 weeks ago | 
businessinsider.com | Ryan Pickrell |Chris Panella |Henry Blodget
The hot and rainy weather in the Western Pacific is presenting some challenges for the US Army's drone arsenal, a top officer told Business Insider. In training, American drone operators have been working with allies to find solutions and adapt their uncrewed aerial systems to the operating environment.
