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News in brief: Global

The latest defence developments around the world, as featured in the Blueprint magazine's January 2026 edition

5 min read
Updated On: Jan 10 2026 | 6:15 AM IST
Jaisal Kaur
The United States (US) Navy received the 25th Virginia-class fast-attack nuclear submarine (Photo: US Navy)

The United States (US) Navy received the 25th Virginia-class fast-attack nuclear submarine (Photo: US Navy)

US receives new nuclear attack submarine 
The United States (US) Navy received the 25th Virginia-class fast-attack nuclear submarine, the USS Massachusetts, from the US shipbuilding firm Huntington Ingalls Industries in November 2025, according to the firm’s media statement.
The new vessel, the 12th Virginia-class submarine and the fifth navy ship to be named after the state, has been developed specifically for superior operational availability and lowered maintenance downtime. The submarine underwent initial sea trials in October last year.
The Virginia-class submarines can operate in deep ocean and littoral environments alike, enabling the US Navy to obtain subsurface lethality across missions.
 
Taiwan’s ‘T-Dome’ shield against China 

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News in brief: East Europe

Taiwan recently unveiled its “T-Dome’’ multilayered air defence system in a bid to modernise its military to combat China, according to a Reuters report.
The new system has a capable and integrated “sensor-to-shooter” mechanism for lowering the time between detection and interception for a superior kill rate, the Taiwanese Defence Minister Wellington Koo was quoted saying in the report.
Based on Israel’s Iron Dome and the US’ “Golden Dome”, the T-Dome will establish a layered and reactive shield across the country. To fund this, a $40 billion defence budget package was launched. 
 
Japanese-made Patriot missiles for the US 
Japan delivered its maiden domestically developed Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) surface-to-air missile interceptors to the US in November last year, the Japanese news portal Kyodo News reported.
The PAC-3, manufactured by the Japanese firm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, possesses an active Ka-band radar seeker and hit-to-kill ability. It is purpose-produced to combat tactical ballistic missiles with high precision and enhanced range, to defeat fast, manoeuvring  threats at higher altitudes.
This delivery helps the US to restore its stretched missile inventories due to its participation in recent wars, and highlights Japan’s growing role in security issues worldwide.
It also signals a major shift from the fragmentation-based PAC-2 system. 
 
World’s maiden ‘submarine killer’ drone
  China unveiled its Wing Loong X large autonomous drone at the Dubai Airshow in November 2025, as per media reports. It is regarded as the world’s first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of independently detecting, tracking, and engaging submarines.
The drone specialises in high-altitude and long-endurance flight operations with sonobuoy dispensers, lightweight torpedoes, and maritime sensors, according to its manufacturer Aviation Industry Corporation of China. With a wingspan of over 20 metres, it is China’s biggest and heaviest armed reconnaissance-and-strike UAV to date. 
Austria procured 12 M-346FA combat aircraft (Photo: LEONARDO)
 
A $1.7 billion deal for fighter jets 
Austria procured 12 M-346FA combat aircraft worth $1.7 billion from Italian defence firm Leonardo, the country’s defence ministry stated in November last year.
The jets, slated for delivery in 2028, will assist in operational missions and pilot training, according to media reports. Each aircraft costs roughly $92.8 million.
The M-346FA boasts advanced systems for enhanced combat strength and has two Honeywell F124-GA-200 turbofan engines to reach speeds up to 1,066 kilometres per hour.
 
The Swedish defence firm Saab launched the Blekinge-class A26, the world’s first fifth-generation battle submarine (Photo: SAAB)
  First fifth-generation submarine globally 
The Swedish defence firm Saab launched the Blekinge-class A26, the world’s first fifth-generation battle submarine, in late 2025, according to their website. 
The A26 can reach seabeds, and deploy unmanned underwater vehicles, undersea weapons, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance tools. It can dive through sonar-choked maritime environments with “extremely low” acoustic signatures.  It can be operational for longer periods, securing naval chokepoints.
 
Japan tests first hypersonic missile 
Japan’s maiden hypersonic missile launcher system, the Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP), underwent trials in November 2025, the news portal TheDefensePost reported. Amid brewing threats from North Korea and China, the HVGP is now being mass produced.
After its production began in 2018, the HVGP has been tested twice and is expected to be operational by 2026. It will be deployed in successive capability blocks: the initial Block 1 version will have a range of around 900 kilometres (km), followed by Block 2A with a strike reach of about 2,000 km. The latter is scheduled for completion in 2027.
 
South Korea’s ‘final eye’ in space 
South Korea launched and fielded its fifth military reconnaissance satellite aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket into orbit in November last year, the newspaper Korea Herald reported, quoting the country’s defence ministry. This synthetic aperture radar satellite is regarded as the “final eye” of South Korea’s “Kill Chain” preemptive strike system. This launch completes the country’s decade-long space-based military programme  to ensure “independent, all-weather surveillance and reconnaissance across the Korean Peninsula”. 
Israel granted a $1.25 billion contract for Tamir surface-to-air missiles for its Iron Dome air and missile defence system to R2S (Photo: Raytheon)
 
Billion-dollar boost for Iron Dome 
Israel granted a $1.25 billion contract for Tamir surface-to-air missiles for its Iron Dome air and missile defence system to R2S, the joint venture of the US defence company Raytheon RTX and the Israeli firm Rafael. To be produced in Arkansas, the missiles can intercept threats from ranges of 4 to 70 km by using its electro-optical sensors.
 
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Written By :

Jaisal Kaur

Jaisal Kaur
First Published: Jan 10 2026 | 6:15 AM IST

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