🚀 Space and Defense #10

Happy Monday 👋

In a significant trilateral partnership, the UK, the US, and Canada are collaborating to enhance AI and cybersecurity systems for national defense. Meanwhile, the US Navy awarded HII contracts worth $9.4B for four amphibious warships. Roketsan is developing a hypersonic missile, while Kalashnikov is set to launch the RPL-20 light machine gun. Axiom Space and Burjeel Holdings will collaborate on medical research in space, and Astranis secured a $13.2M contract to enhance satellite communications for the U.S. military. Additionally, Sateliot raised $11.2M in Series B funding. 

🪖 Defense AI & Mobility

🤝 The UK, the US, and Canada formalized a trilateral collaboration. MoD, DARPA, and DRDC lead the partnership to advance AI and cybersecurity systems for national defense, share technologies, enhance security, and develop autonomous AI defenses.

🔍 Xtract One Technologies announced the launch of its AI-driven weapons detection system, Xtract One Gateway. Designed for cluttered environments, it enhances security efficiency with bi-directional screening, seamless passage, and precise threat identification, reducing screening times.

🚢 The Navy awarded HII contracts for four amphibious warships worth $9.4B. The purchase includes three San Antonio-class amphibious transport ships and one amphibious assault ship to support US Marines' amphibious assault, special operations, and expeditionary warfare, deploying Marines into combat and providing immediate support.

⚔️ Weapon Systems

🚀 Roketsan announced the development of a hypersonic variant of its Tayfun Short-Range Ballistic Missile (SRBM). This advancement boosts Turkey’s missile capabilities, placing it among elite nations with hypersonic technology capable of Mach 5.5 speeds, enhancing its strategic deterrence.

🔫 Kalashnikov Concern plans to debut its new RPL-20 belt-fed light machine gun at ADEX 2024. This 5.45 mm gun offers high firing density with 100-200 round belts, modularity, and a Picatinny rail for sights. Two versions are available, prioritizing sustained fire and modern combat adaptability.

💣 Milkor launched its Milkor 380 tactical drone at AAD 2024, showcasing its versatility in reconnaissance and strike missions. With a 30-hour endurance, 4000 km range, five hardpoints, and advanced optical and radar systems, it excels in surveillance, combat, and disaster response operations.

📡 Space Operations

🩺 Axiom Space and Burjeel Holdings signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on medical research in space. Their first initiative involves sending medical technologies to space for testing on Axiom Mission 4 by utilizing microgravity to explore human health advancements and is planned to launch next spring.

🛰️ Astranis won a $13.2M U.S. Space Force contract to add military Ka-band compatibility to its Omega satellite. Omega, set to launch in 2026, will enhance tactical satellite communications, providing anti-jam capabilities and increased resiliency for the U.S. military.

🛸 NASA awarded Firefly Aerospace a contract to launch NOAA's QuickSounder satellite in February 2026. QuickSounder is part of NOAA's NEON network, supporting weather forecasting, disaster management, and climate monitoring with small to medium-sized satellites in low Earth orbit.

💰 Space Deals

🛰️ Sateliot, a company operating a low-Earth orbit nanosatellite constellation, secured $11.2M Series B funding from Global Portfolio Investments to advance its in-house technologies and launching a network of over 100 5G IoT satellites to deliver real-time, worldwide coverage by 2028.

Thank you for reading. Have a great week ahead!
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