BAE Systems

Endicott – November 06, 2026 -- BAE Systems (LON: BA) has completed its 1,000th repair on the U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker at its Endicott, New York, facility, marking a sustainment milestone in a program spanning more than 40 years.

BAE Systems holds sole-provider status for the KC-135 fuel management system

BAE Systems is the sole provider of the tanker's safety-critical Fuel Management System (FMS). Its employees maintain two components: the Fuel Management Advisory Computer (FMAC) and the Integrated Fuel Management Panel (IFMP).

The work covers legacy hardware maintenance to prevent obsolescence, plus modern upgrades that help the aircraft operate in contested airspaces. The KC-135 is the Air Force's primary refueling aircraft.

HERNDON, Va. – October 29, 2026 -- Akima, a federal contractor with 11,000 employees, has appointed Michael Teegardin as Vice President of Marketing & Communications, giving him enterprise-wide responsibility for brand, marketing and communications strategy.

Teegardin takes the brand mandate at an 11,000-person federal contractor

Teegardin will lead Akima's brand, marketing and communications strategy across the enterprise. Akima is a subsidiary of NANA, an Alaska Native Corporation owned by more than 15,000 Iñupiat shareholders. It ranked No. 31 on Washington Technology's 2025 Top 100 list of government contractors.

Its service lines span information technology, facilities and ground logistics, aerospace solutions, protective services, systems engineering, mission support, furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E), and construction.

China Lake – October 28, 2026 -- BAE Systems (LON: BA) has completed the first live-fire test of its Adaptable Deck Launcher (ADL), a missile launching system built for U.S. Navy and allied fleets under a U.S. Department of War contract for the NATO Seasparrow Project Office (NSPO).

ADL reuses Mk 41 VLS logistics and electronics to hold down operating costs

The launcher offers the reliability of a Vertical Launching System (VLS) while running on the existing Mk 41 VLS logistics and electronics suite. That keeps operating costs low, according to the company. BAE Systems describes the system as a way to double combat capabilities through rapid, deck-mounted deployment.

BROOMFIELD – October 22, 2026 -- BAE Systems (LON: BA) has closed on the purchase of a 130,000-square-foot production facility in Weld County, Colorado, and expects to hire more than 200 people there over the next 12 to 24 months.

The building sits on about 13 acres. BAE Systems will use it to expand manufacturing capacity for space-based hardware and sensor systems, citing customer demand and business growth.

BAE Systems targets 600 jobs at full capacity

The company estimates the site could employ approximately 600 people at full capacity. The initial hiring wave of more than 200 positions will support production ramp-up.

Retrofit starts this year, production slated for early 2028

BAE Systems plans to begin retrofitting the facility and procuring equipment through the rest of this year. It anticipates opening the site for production in early 2028.

Falls Church – – October 15, 2026 -- BAE Systems (LON: BA) has won a contract from the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command (SSC) to design and demonstrate ultra-compact radio-frequency (RF) terminals for a space-based data layer. The source does not disclose the contract value or schedule.

BAE Systems bases the terminals on its space-hardened software-defined radios

The company will adapt its existing family of space-hardened software-defined radios for the program. The radios are designed to perform reliably in contested or degraded environments, including jamming, electromagnetic interference and space radiation, from deployment into various orbits.

Terminals must pass space-characterization tests and operate from LEO to GEO

The system will carry military-grade security and pass space-characterization tests. It will support operations from low Earth orbit (LEO) to geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO).

Washington – October 13, 2026 -- BAE Systems (LON: BA) unveiled two layered counter-drone systems at AUSA 2026 for the U.S. Army: the Multi-Domain Artillery Cannon System (MDACS) and the High Power Microwave (HPM). The company says HPM is built from more than 99% commercial off-the-shelf components.

Both products target counter-unmanned aircraft (C-UAS) and counter-missile missions. They are designed to protect critical installations and maneuver forces against saturation drone attacks.

BAE Systems pairs kinetic and directed-energy layers against drone swarms

BAE Systems states that massed drone swarms have outpaced traditional, magazine-limited kinetic systems. MDACS supplies the kinetic layer, and HPM supplies the directed-energy layer. Together they combine high-velocity precision with what the company calls the near-limitless capacity of directed energy, for sustained, cost-efficient defense.

York, Pa. – October 08, 2026 -- BAE Systems has secured a $230.1 million contract from the U.S. Marine Corps to produce 32 chassis for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle Recovery variant, designated ACV-R, expanding the service's amphibious vehicle fleet.

ACV-R adds recovery capability to Marine Corps amphibious fleet

The ACV-R variant is built to recover and maintain Marine Corps vehicles in the field, keeping the broader ACV fleet mission-ready during operations. The award extends BAE Systems' existing ACV production portfolio, which already includes the ACV-30 fire-support variant, the ACV-Personnel troop transport and the ACV-Command vehicle, all built on a common modular chassis.

Greenlawn, N.Y. – September 29, 2026 -- BAE Systems has secured AIMS certification from the Department of War for its new AN/APX-127(V)1 Combined Interrogator Transponder (CIT), clearing the Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system for use on the U.S. Air Force's F-16 Fighting Falcon fleet.

Certification confirms interoperability across U.S. and NATO forces

The AIMS standard verifies the system meets joint U.S. and NATO requirements, allowing pilots to distinguish allied aircraft from potential threats in contested airspace. The AN/APX-127(V)1 is AIMS Mark XIIB IFF certified with Mode S and Mode 5 capability for encrypted data exchange, and adds receive channels for passive acquisition of Mode 5 Level 2 and Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast In signals.

Broomfield, Colo. – September 21, 2026 -- BAE Systems has completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) for the $1.2 billion U.S. Space Force Resilient Missile Warning & Tracking (RMWT) Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) Epoch 2 program, clearing the way for full-scale production.

Review clears satellite constellation for hypersonic and ballistic missile tracking

The MEO Epoch 2 program will deliver resilient, space-based missile warning and tracking against ballistic missiles and advanced threats including hypersonic glide vehicles, supporting U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command operations. The CDR confirms the design meets operational, performance and safety requirements, allowing the program to proceed to the next production phase.

Orlando, Fla. – September 20, 2026 -- BAE Systems OneArc has been awarded an Other Transaction Agreement contract by the U.S. Army to install its Embedded Collective Training (ECT) system on a platoon of combat vehicles at Fort Hood, Texas, marking the first commercially available embedded trainer fitted directly into a fielded U.S. Army combat vehicle.

Army tests embedded trainer under Force Development Innovation & Assessment program

The integration is part of the Army's Force Development Innovation & Assessment (FDIA) initiative, which will have crews train on the full range of precision gunnery progression tasks using the vehicle's own platform controls and procedures, rather than external simulators. The program covers weapon systems operation, crew-level qualification and validation of the embedded training capability on an operational combat platform.