Mike Stone

Exclusive: Germany seeks more F-35 jets as European fighter program falters, sources say Germany is considering ordering more U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets, two sources told Reuters, a move that would deepen Berlin's reliance on American military technology as its joint next-generation figh...

Big scoop from @sasilink.bsky.social and @michaelstone.bsky.social:

Germany is considering ordering more U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets - a move that would deepen Berlin's reliance on American military technology as its joint next-generation fighter program with France falters.

I stopped by the #Pentagon this week.

Ethiopia revokes accreditation of Reuters journalists The Ethiopian Media Authority has declined to renew the accreditation for three Addis Ababa-based journalists from Reuters, the news agency said.

Ethiopia revokes accreditation of Reuters journalists reut.rs/3ZExkRv

Exclusive: AeroVironment's LOCUST counter-drone laser used by US Army near El Paso airport, sources say The U.S. Army deployed AeroVironment Inc's LOCUST laser counter-drone weapon system near El Paso International Airport on Wednesday, leading to a seven-hour airspace shutdown, two people briefed on th...

Scoop: AeroVironment's LOCUST counter-drone laser used by US Army near El Paso airport, sources say www.reuters.com/business/aer... w @davidjeans.bsky.social

Trump administration has filed a brief urging Supreme Court to block California's redrawn congressional districts:
www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25...

Overheard in the newsroom: "The word lockup has a new meaning." (This is a joke only Fed reporters will understand.)

File under confusing for everyone: There is a #Baseball Spring Training exhibition game between the Venezuelan National Team and the Washington Nationals on March 4th.

Exclusive: L3Harris nears space propulsion asset stake sale to AE Industrial, sources say L3Harris Technologies is nearing a deal to sell a 60% stake in a portfolio of space and propulsion businesses to private equity firm AE Industrial Partners as the large defense company sheds some NASA...

Exclusive: L3Harris nears space propulsion asset stake sale to AE Industrial, sources say $LHX www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Pentagon says it fails eighth audit, targets 2028 to pass For the eighth year in a row, the Pentagon has failed an annual audit, the Department of Defense said on Friday, continuing a pattern of financial accountability problems that have drawn bipartisan cr...

Pentagon fails audit...again
Auditors identified 26 material weaknesses and 2 significant deficiencies in the Department of Defense's (DoD) internal controls over financial reporting for fiscal 2025.
www.reuters.com/world/us/pen...

Space Force awarded the first group of Golden Dome contracts.

The awards went to several companies including Northrop Grumman, True Anomaly, Lockheed Martin and Anduril, the sources said.

www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Lots of details on this story.

Delays, setbacks loom over Trump's Golden Dome missile shield www.reuters.com/business/aer...

NEW- Saudi Arabia made a direct appeal to U.S. President Donald Trump and has long been interested in Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet, one of the people and a U.S. official said. The Pentagon is now weighing a potential sale of 48 of the advanced aircraft. www.reuters.com/business/aer...

This might be the reason why they can’t put guns on warships manufactured in the Great Lakes. They put the guns on them once they get out of the St Laurence.

Navy Begins Evacuating Families From Guantánamo Bay Ahead of Hurricane Melissa

Today's report: U.S. citizen dependents, and other non-essential American residents being evacuated from the base at Guantanamo Bay ahead of Hurricane Melissa. Their pets too.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/u...

Ask the building. Lol

A #hypersonic startup I've been following got small integration contracts that could lead to big things. "The company aims to produce thousands of the weapons annually at full rate production, with a target cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per unit." www.reuters.com/world/us-mil...

News on F/A-XX: Oct 7 (Reuters) - After months of delay, the Pentagon will select as soon as this week the defense company to design and build the Navy's next stealth fighter, a U.S. official and two people familiar with the decision said
www.reuters.com/business/aer...

The decision to move ahead with a selection was made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday, the U.S. official and one of the people said.

www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Exclusive: Trump to reinterpret 1987 missile treaty to sell heavy attack drones abroad President Donald Trump is expected to unilaterally reinterpret a 38-year-old arms control treaty to sell sophisticated "Reaper" style and other advanced military drones abroad, according to a U.S. official and four people familiar with the plan.

Exclusive: Trump to reinterpret 1987 missile treaty to sell heavy attack drones abroad www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Exclusive: Pentagon Golden Dome to have 4-layer defense system, slides show The Trump administration's flagship Golden Dome missile defense system will include four layers -- one satellite-based and three on land -- with 11 short-range batteries located across the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii, according to a U.S. government slide presentation on the project first reported by Reuters.

More on Golden Dome.

The last lines of defense dubbed the "under layer" and "Limited Area Defense" will include new radars and current systems like the Patriot missile defense system and a new "common" launcher that will launch current and future interceptors...
www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Exclusive: Pentagon Golden Dome to have 4-layer defense system, slides show The Trump administration's flagship Golden Dome missile defense system will include four layers -- one satellite-based and three on land -- with 11 short-range batteries located across the continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii, according to a U.S. government slide presentation on the project first reported by Reuters.

One surprise was a new large missile field - seemingly in the Midwest according to a map contained in the presentation - for Next Generation Interceptors (NGI) which are made by Lockheed Martin

www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Exclusive: Trump's Golden Dome looks for alternatives to Musk's SpaceX The Trump administration is expanding its search for partners to build the Golden Dome missile defense system, courting Amazon.com's Project Kuiper and big defense contractors as tensions with Elon Musk threaten SpaceX's dominance in the program, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

Golden Dome seeks alternatives to SpaceX: Kuiper, which has launched just 78 of a planned constellation of 3,000 low-earth orbit satellites, has been approached by the Pentagon to join the effort, signaling the administration's openness to integrating commercial tech www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Ukraine celebrates Trump's weapons reversal, but the 'devil's in the details' President Donald Trump has finally found a way to like arming Ukraine: ask European allies to donate their weapons, and sell them American replacements. Now comes the hard part — agreeing on who will actually give up their prized systems.

It has become clear Trump presented a framework - not a fleshed-out plan. How sizeable any support ends up being for Ukraine will depend on coming negotiations about who provides which equipment, according to 10 officials...
www.reuters.com/world/europe... w/ @gramslattery.bsky.social

Thank you for writing this up Phillips. Hope all is well!

Trump to use presidential authority to send weapons to Ukraine, sources say President Donald Trump for the first time since returning to office will send weapons to Kyiv under a presidential power frequently used by his predecessor, two sources familiar with the decision said on Thursday, a move suggesting new interest by the president in defending Ukraine.

Susan, lovely column. FYSA. This is a fresh draw from the remaining 3.8 in PDA. www.reuters.com/world/europe...

Mark, these are fresh ones. Not the Biden gear.

Trump to use presidential authority to send weapons to Ukraine, sources say President Donald Trump for the first time since returning to office will send weapons to Kyiv under a presidential power frequently used by his predecessor, two sources familiar with the decision said on Thursday, a move suggesting new interest by the president in defending Ukraine.

Scoop- President Donald Trump for the first time since returning to office will send weapons to Kyiv under a presidential power frequently used by his predecessor, two sources familiar with the decision said

www.reuters.com/world/europe...

After today’s relatively quiet stage, tomorrow has the potential to explode into fireworks 🔥

@poetina.bsky.social has broken down the route of 🇫🇷 #TDF2025 Stage 4 in full detail - every key moment, every tactical twist that could shape the race.

📰 www.domestiquecycling.com/en/features/...

📷 ASO

Turkey sandwiches and stealth: Preparing for B-2 bomber missions Before strapping into the cockpit of the U.S. Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bomber for missions that can stretch beyond 40 hours, pilots undergo weeks of preparation that focuses not only on flight plans, but what to eat.

Here’s mine. It got great readership when I put it out a couple days ago.

www.reuters.com/business/aer...

Turkey sandwiches and stealth: Preparing for B-2 bomber missions Before strapping into the cockpit of the U.S. Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bomber for missions that can stretch beyond 40 hours, pilots undergo weeks of preparation that focuses not only on flight plans, but what to eat.

Refueling is done blind - pilots can't see the boom extending from a tanker full of gas attaching to the B-2 16 feet behind their heads. www.reuters.com/business/aer...