AUG 7, 2025
This week’s defense developments reveal a decisive shift in global strategy: US procurement diversification, European funding for Ukraine, and NATO’s new spending roadmap.
At the end of July 2025, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded Lockheed Martin and RTX a whopping $7.8 billion contract to manufacture JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile) and AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile). These systems will support U.S. and allied operations globally, reflecting shared defense strategy alignment and a sharp expansion of weapon stockpiles.
Luxembourg-based SES will supply the U.S. Army with commercial-grade SATCOM services—improving battlefield data connectivity and reliability. This contract follows SES’s acquisition of Intelsat General and signals their increasing role in defense communications.
Defense tech firm MilDef secured a strategic contract from NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency to deliver modernization systems to a Swedish defense platform. Delivery is expected by the end of 2025, reinforcing interoperability within NATO operations.
These developments underscore three key trends:
Scale and Speed in Munitions
The $7.8B missile deal ensures sustained production capacity and a shared logistics backbone among allied nations—ramping up readiness in uncertain times.
Connectivity as Capability
SES’s SATCOM contract reflects the rising importance of secure, jam-resistant communications for mobile and distributed forces.
Regional Tech Sovereignty
MilDef’s NATO win in Sweden is a sign of growing European resilience and a shift toward localized procurement.
In modern defense, seeing clearly is as vital as striking promptly. Whether missiles are guided to targets or recon systems feed strategic decision-making, optical clarity is foundational.
Optex, a NATO-accredited defense integrator, specializes in embedding high-resolution thermal sensor pods into platforms—ranging from manned vessels to unmanned drones. These systems ensure imagery clarity, reducing false positives and bolstering human-machine trust in complex environments.
Missile deliveries will ramp through 2026–30, with allied nations managing synchronized release windows.
SATCOM service activation from SES will evolve into continuous, multi-theater coverage by detailed deployment in 2026.
MilDef platform upgrades across NATO will strengthen interoperability and systems resilience in the Baltics and Nordic regions.
As defense networks densify—through missile build-outs, communication overlays, and European tech integration—the need for precise optics becomes non-negotiable. At Optex, we provide that clarity—because seeing is not just believing, it’s commanding.
Connect with Optex kkozak@optexsys.com
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SOURCES: Reuters, Axios, Defence Industry Europe