Business

2025 in review: business

Industry raced to adapt to intensifying pressure to move faster, win work on Golden Dome and other efforts.

‘Very, very strange time’: After a big 2025, what’s next for the defense industry?

A year of rising profits, rising Pentagon demands, and continued Congressional dysfunction sets the stage for another turbulent year.

USAF adds third contender for initial robot-wingman buy; picks 9 for next phase

More than a year after Anduril and General Atomics got R&D contracts, Northrop wins entry with a self-financed CCA.

Another 1,000 defense companies chosen for $151B Golden Dome competition

The number of awards doubled as more companies are selected to compete for the SHIELD contract vehicle.

Pentagon preps to enforce ban on companies with ‘indirect’ ties to China

Defense firms will be notified of potential links to blacklisted Chinese-military companies a year before the contracting ban goes into effect, the assistant defense secretary for industrial policy said.

Next presidential jet will arrive a bit earlier than projected, Air Force says

Boeing's first VC-25B Air Force One jet is now slated to enter service in mid-2028.

General Dynamics wants to turn competitors into teammates

From combat systems to IT, the company is looking at ways to bring the defense industry together to create new tech the military wants.

And just like that, the Navy’s frigate program is back on—sort of

The move comes days after Navy Secretary John Phelan canceled the yearslong delayed program.

Northrop Grumman to fly new, improved CCA offering next year

The company spent 15 months redesigning and building a robot wingman after losing its initial bid for the U.S. Air Force’s collaborative combat aircraft program.

Defense One Radio, Ep. 199: Rep. Rob Wittman

The Virginia Republican discusses the Pentagon’s acquisition reforms, the SecDef’s legislative-affairs bottleneck, and his priorities for the upcoming spending bills.

Can partner nations help solve the Navy’s shipbuilding woes?

On a trip through the Pacific, the chief of naval operations sought ways to get more warships faster.

Building maritime drones in months—not years—could be key to creating the Navy’s hybrid fleet

“That’s the kind of pace we need,” said House Armed Services Committee Vice Chair Rob Wittman.

The military's acquisition reform push means 85% ready is good enough to start

A panel of industry executives talked about what that might require, and what it might mean.