Passive radar just entered Germany's air-defence kill chain under NATO network protocols.
Top story
US Army picks Hanwha’s wheeled K9 for Mobile Tactical Cannon prototypes. The US Army has awarded Hanwha Defense USA its first major contract to supply prototype K9 Mobile Howitzers for the Mobile Tactical Cannon programme. The decision follows decades of failed attempts to field a new wheeled self-propelled 155mm howitzer, including the cancelled Crusader, NLOS-C and ERCA programmes. The K9MH is intended to replace towed M777s with a system offering increased range and mobility. Why it matters: South Korea just captured an American artillery programme Europeans never seriously contested — another reminder that the Transatlantic industrial ‘partnership’ applies unevenly across domains. (Corroborated) Breaking Defense → · Army Technology → · The War Zone →
The rundown
INDUSTRY — Castelion, the Torrance-based hypersonic missile developer founded by former SpaceX executives, has raised $1 billion in a Series C round valuing the company at $13 billion. The round includes $800 million in equity and $250 million in committed credit. JPMorgan Chase, Andreessen Horowitz and others participated. The company aims to produce low-cost hypersonic weapons and expand into longer-range strike and missile defence systems. (Corroborated) Defence Blog → · SpaceNews →
PROCUREMENT — During the German Air Force exercise Timber Express 2026 at Manching, Rheinmetall Air Defence and Hensoldt successfully integrated the Twinvis passive radar’s air picture into the Skymaster command-and-control system. Skymaster directed a Skynex air-defence battery in the scenario. The integration was conducted under realistic NATO networking conditions. (Corroborated) EDR Magazine → · European Security & Defence → · Soldat & Technik →
EW — The US Air Force’s new EA-37B Compass Call electronic warfare jet flew along the border of Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave as part of a larger NATO reconnaissance and EW flight package. The mission underscores increased NATO electronic surveillance of Russia’s strategic Baltic outpost. (Single source) The War Zone →
PROCUREMENT — Bulgaria will not receive its final eight F-16 Viper fighters before 2030, according to Opex360. The Bulgarian Air Force has struggled to maintain its legacy MiG-29 fleet, especially since the Ukraine war complicated spare parts. Sofia ordered 16 F-16s in two batches from Lockheed Martin, but deliveries continue to slip. (Single source) Opex360 →
PROCUREMENT — Thales and Danish software firm Systematic have formed a strategic partnership to offer a layered air-defence command-and-control solution to Denmark. The announcement was made at the DALO Industry Days. A multi-layer air defence requires robust C2 architecture to integrate different missile and radar types. (Single source) Opex360 →
PROCUREMENT — Elbit Systems Sweden introduced its Tactical High Mobility Shelter (THMS) at the DALO Industry Days 2026 defence exhibition in Denmark. THMS is a rapidly deployable mobile battlefield networking platform. The company specialises in digitalisation, communications and radio technologies for land forces. (Corroborated) Hartpunkt → · Army Technology → · Defence Blog →
NAVAL — ZeroUSV named its first Oceanus17-class unmanned surface vessel The Lady of the Lake at a Plymouth ceremony on 18 August. The vessel will deploy to Portugal next week for NATO’s Exercise REPMUS. The name draws on Arthurian legend. (Single source) Defence Blog →
Signals
SPACE — Germany’s Responsive Space project, designed to rapidly launch replacement satellites for the Bundeswehr and other security agencies, is behind schedule, according to Hartpunkt. The programme aims to deliver resilient space services by quickly replacing degraded or destroyed satellites. (Single source) Hartpunkt →
By the numbers
9 events in this issue · 4/9 corroborated · 6/9 European · busiest beat: procurement
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