Colton Jones

Colton Jones serves as Deputy Editor of Defence Blog, with a specialization in the U.S. defense industrial base. A former member of the United States Air Force, Colton brings firsthand military experience to his analysis of procurement, defense manufacturing, and Pentagon policy. He is one of the blog’s lead writers and most respected defense experts.
Aviation

U.S. Air Force gives KC-135 a 6-year connectivity deadline

The U.S. Air Force expects to have its entire fleet of KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft fully networked within six years. That promise came from Lt. Gen. David Tabor, the service's deputy chief of staff for plans...
Aviation

U.S. Air Force awards Ansys $82M for simulation software

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Ansys Government Initiatives an $82.1 million contract to supply advanced modeling and simulation software at Edwards Air Force Base, the service's primary flight test center, locking in a five-year software relationship...
Army

BAE Systems wins $535M U.S. Army contract for self-propelled howitzers

BAE Systems has secured a $535.6 million U.S. Army contract for self-propelled howitzer systems, vehicles, and total package fielding kits, according to a Department of War contract announcement dated May 14, 2026. The award, issued by Army...
Aviation

Pentagon orders mass missile production from five companies

The U.S. Department of War has signed framework agreements with five defense companies to produce more than 10,000 low-cost cruise missiles and 12,000 hypersonic missiles over the next several years, in the most aggressive American missile mass-production...
Maritime Security

U.S. contractor to deliver command and cybersecurity systems to Taiwan

The U.S. Navy has awarded a San Diego defense contractor a contract to deliver command, control, communications, and cybersecurity capabilities to Taiwan, with the work conducted both on the island and in the continental United States under...
Maritime Security

U.S. Navy to commission final Freedom-variant LCS in Cleveland

The U.S. Navy is set to commission a warship in Ohio for the first time in the nation's 250-year history, with USS Cleveland scheduled to formally enter active service on May 16 during a ceremony at North...
Aviation

Pentagon funds drone microfactories that print UAVs in the field

San Diego drone startup Firestorm Labs has secured a $30 million contract under the Pentagon's Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies program to deploy its 3D-printed Tempest Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and the containerized microfactories...
Aviation

U.S. Air Force pushes hypersonic structures research with $9M grant

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded a $9 million contract to Ohio-based ARCTOS Technology Solutions to develop next-generation aerothermoelastic structures technologies for high-speed airbreathing vehicles, a research program that addresses one of the most demanding...
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