Two decades of state investment have transformed Turkey into a major exporter of drones and other military equipment, and the NATO member is now looking to build on that momentum as the West rearms and security alliances are reshaped. Turkey, once heavily reliant on foreign arms makers, now supplies nearly 40 countries mainly in the ‌Gulf, Africa, Asia and parts of Europe with weapons that many buyers see as cheaper, faster to deliver and more adaptable than alternatives. A R

Japan must “strengthen its defense capabilities,” Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has told the BBC, emphasizing the need to revisit the pacifist posture that has defined the country since World War Two. For the first time in about 50 years, Tokyo can now sell or transfer defense equipment and lethal weapons to the 17 countries with which it has signed formal agreements, including the US and the UK. Koizumi explained in a sit-down interview at his office in Tokyo: “This visi

Elbit Systems Ltd. announced that it secured an approximately $1.4 billion defense contract from an unnamed European nation to supply a comprehensive suite of military modernization systems over the next five years. The massive contract win was revealed alongside the Haifa-based company’s first-quarter 2026 financial results, which showed a 15.5% jump in quarterly revenue to $2.19 billion, pushing Elbit’s total order backlog past $30 billion for the first time. France barred

Representatives from NATO militaries and European defense companies came to a series of field demonstrations of a critical Israeli system shown by Elbit Systems Ltd’s Swedish subsidiary, Walla reported. The system is now a basic capability for a modern army, but many NATO militaries still lack it because of years of neglect in defense buildup since the end of the Cold War. Now, as several European militaries fear a possible war with Russia, that gap is even more evident. “The

Amid attempts by some in Israeli society to prevent women from serving in combat roles in the IDF, the air force is quietly establishing a special commando unit, similar to the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit, composed entirely of female soldiers. An IDF official said that its creation represents a broader shift in the mindset of the IDF, and the air force in particular, toward integrating women into significant and complex combat roles. The air force noted that after the w

Israeli defense electronics company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has unveiled Storm Shield, a compact electronic warfare system designed to protect unmanned aerial vehicles operating in highly contested airspace and anti-access/area denial environments. With electronic warfare being widespread, and so many unmanned aerial vehicles, especially tiny ones, being activated, it is difficult to find a solution in the market. Therefore, Rafael created Storm Shield, which provides

Russia test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile as part of efforts to modernize the country's nuclear forces, a launch hailed by President Vladimir Putin just days after his claim that the fighting in Ukraine is nearing an end. The Sarmat—designated “Satan II” by NATO—is meant to replace about 40 Soviet-built Voyevoda missiles. Its development began in 2011 and before now, the missile had only one known successful test and reportedly suffered a massive explosion du

The Swedish research institute SIPRI, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, published its global arms export and import report, comparing the arms exports of various countries in the years 2016–2020 to 2021–2025. Israel’s share of global arms exports in recent years (2021–2025) has climbed to 4.4%, up from 3.1% in the previous period (2016–2020). Israel is now the world’s seventh-largest arms exporter. Furthermore, even though Israel required substantial quant

The Spanish government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s is one of the most anti-Israeli in the EU, and this was demonstrated in June 2025, when the Ministry of Defense in Madrid suspended a euro285 million deal to procure Spike LR2 anti-tank missiles from Rafael Advance Defense Systems as a protest against the war in Gaza. This meant Spain needed advanced missiles from elsewhere, so it turned to EuroSpike. Rafael owns 20% of the European company, with German companies Rheinm