MISSILE DEFENCE
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MBDA plans 40% output rise as Europe races to rebuild missile stocks
Europe’s largest missile maker says it will raise production by 40% in 2026, with Aster output set to double, as demand from Ukraine, the Middle East and NATO rearmament continues to strain Western stockpiles. MBDA, Europe’s largest missile manufacturer, plans…
Iranian missiles hit Arad and Dimona, injuring more than 160 near Israel’s nuclear research centre
More than 160 people were injured after Iranian ballistic missiles struck the southern Israeli towns of Arad and Dimona on Saturday evening, in one of the most sensitive episodes of the war so far because of the proximity of the…
Strike on KuibyshevAzot highlights vulnerability of Russia’s defence-industrial rear
A fire at the KuibyshevAzot chemical plant in Tolyatti following an overnight drone strike on 11 March has drawn attention not simply because another Russian industrial site was hit, but because of what the target represents inside Russia’s wider defence-supporting…
NATO intercepts second Iranian ballistic missile in Turkish airspace
Turkey said on Monday, 9 March, that NATO air and missile defence systems intercepted a second Iranian ballistic missile after it entered Turkish airspace, in the latest sign that the widening regional conflict is beginning to test the security of…
Ukraine’s Novorossiysk strike raises new questions over Russia’s Black Sea defences
Ukraine’s large-scale strike on Novorossiysk on the night of 1–2 March appears to have inflicted damage well beyond the immediate disruption to Russian oil exports. While the attack is already known to have halted loadings at the Sheskharis oil terminal,…
Can Europe’s nuclear deterrent remain credible without US certainty?
Europe’s nuclear deterrence debate has sharpened as officials and analysts examine whether Britain and France can continue to provide a credible nuclear backstop in a less certain security environment. The immediate trigger has been a broader reassessment of deterrence in…
“Sunray” prototype: Ukraine’s laser option for cheaper drone interception
Ukraine has tested a low-cost laser air-defence system designed to destroy small drones at close range, according to a report published by The Atlantic on 10 February 2026. In the article, staff writer Simon Shuster describes a field demonstration of…
From Treaties to Tensions: How the Nuclear Order Is Unravelling
When Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov says Moscow is ready for a world without nuclear limits, he is not threatening apocalypse. He is doing something more unsettling: calmly acknowledging that the era of negotiated restraint between great powers is…
Missiles Are Too Expensive, Prototypes Too Slow — Europe Needs Lasers Now
Europe’s defence industry is often accused of being cautious to the point of paralysis. In the race to deploy next-generation laser weapons, that instinct may now prove actively dangerous. The decision by Australia’s Electro Optic Systems (EOS) to pivot decisively…
Estonia Poised to Strengthen NATO’s Eastern Flank with Major Missile Buy
Estonia is poised to select a long-range missile defence system by the end of March 2026, a move that marks a major enhancement of its deterrent posture amid rising regional tensions. The decision, which follows years of sustained investment in…