Aerospace & Defense

Providence, R.I. – September 18, 2026 -- Meller Optics, Inc. has introduced custom fabricated sapphire optics engineered to withstand temperatures up to 1,600°C, targeting missile seeker windows, furnace inspection ports, semiconductor processing equipment, pyrometers, vacuum chambers, and aerospace instrumentation.

Sapphire optics resist fluorine exposure and extreme thermal swings

The optics operate across a range of -200°C to +1,600°C depending on configuration and remain impervious to fast-moving fluids, particles, and most chemicals, including fluorine at temperatures up to 300°C. This chemical and thermal resilience makes them suitable for harsh industrial environments where standard optical materials degrade.

Paris – September 17, 2026 -- HawkEye 360, Inc. (NYSE: HAWK) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Leonardo S.p.A. to integrate radio-frequency sensing data into a sovereign, multi-sensor intelligence solution for European customers.

Leonardo takes data integration lead while HawkEye 360 supplies dedicated RF capacity

Under the MoU, Leonardo will manage overall data integration and institutional engagement across Europe through its geospatial solutions arm, while HawkEye 360 provides RF data capacity tailored to European operational requirements. The first phase integrates a customized RF layer into Leonardo's global Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) service offering, including reserved capacity for defined European areas of interest.

Paris – September 17, 2026 -- HawkEye 360 (NYSE: HAWK) has signed a collaboration agreement with ERA a.s. to make the Czech surveillance specialist an international processing partner for automated terrestrial and maritime radar products derived from HawkEye 360's radio frequency (RF) data.

ERA becomes processing hub for HawkEye 360's space-based RF data

Under the agreement, ERA will integrate HawkEye 360's space-based signals intelligence and automated geolocation with its own multistatic passive surveillance and mission-workflow systems. The combined offering targets defense and security customers seeking faster access to operationally actionable RF insights.

Paris – September 17, 2026 -- HawkEye 360, Inc. (NYSE: HAWK) has established its first European subsidiary, HawkEye 360 Luxembourg, S.à r.l., marking the company's initial legal entry into the European Union's defense and space industrial base.

HawkEye 360 CEO meets US envoy to Luxembourg during Paris space summit

The announcement coincided with a meeting between HawkEye 360 Chief Executive Officer John Serafini and U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg Stacey Feinberg during World Space Business Week in Paris. Serafini said establishing the Luxembourg entity strengthens the company's ability to work alongside European governments and industry, support sovereign national requirements, and move its space-based radio frequency (RF) capabilities closer to regional customers.

Huntsville – September 17, 2026 -- Titomic Limited's U.S. subsidiary, Titomic USA, Inc., has secured a US$5.0 million (AU$6.9 million) contract from the U.S. Air Force to supply, integrate and commission a Next Generation Titomic Kinetic Fusion (TKF)TM High Pressure Cold Spray System at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

USAF selects Titomic to equip the nation's largest MRO facility

The turnkey system, built around Titomic's TKFTM 1000 high-pressure cold spray platform, will integrate industrial robotic automation, powder and gas management, process monitoring, safety systems and real-time quality verification. Tinker Air Force Base operates the largest U.S. Air Force maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in the country.

Torrance, Calif. – September 17, 2026 -- Castelion has secured a U.S. Navy production delivery order worth up to $200 million to manufacture, assemble, test and deliver an initial lot of Blackbeard hypersonic weapons to the fleet.

Navy shifts Blackbeard from prototypes to a production line under SBIR Phase III

The order was awarded by Portfolio Acquisition Executive Aviation (PAE(A)) through its Future Capability Development and Integration Aviation Rapid Capabilities Cell, marking the program's transition from early operational capability testing to full production rounds. It follows a June 2026 order for 50 Early Operational Capability weapons, extending the Navy's commitment to the air-launched hypersonic strike system.

Dallas – September 17, 2026 -- ATI Inc. (NYSE: ATI) Board Chair, President and CEO Kim Fields will participate in a fireside chat at the Morgan Stanley 14th Annual Laguna Conference in Dana Point, California, on September 17, 2026, at 4:05 p.m. ET.

Fields will field questions on aerospace demand and ATI's specialty materials portfolio

The session will be hosted by Kristine Liwag, Morgan Stanley's Senior Aerospace & Defense equity analyst, giving institutional investors direct access to ATI's leadership on growth opportunities within the aerospace and defense supply chain.

Orlando, Fla. – September 17, 2026 -- Mach Industries doubled its valuation to $3.7 billion in three months, up from $470 million a year earlier, as defense startup funding heads for a record 2026 even while exits remain scarce, according to Backswing Ventures.

Crunchbase data shows 2026 funding at record levels with few exits in sight

Crunchbase News reported this month that 2026 is on pace to be the largest year on record for defense startup funding. Backswing Ventures founder Kyle Asman said that surge is not matched by liquidity, since government sales cycles and dual-use commercial traction can take years to materialize into a sale or IPO.

"Raising money has never been faster in this sector," Asman said. "Turning that money into an exit is a separate problem, and a much slower one."

Plano, Texas – September 17, 2026 -- Boeing and American Airlines have completed the first landing gear exchange for a 737 MAX aircraft, extending a decades-old spare-parts program to Boeing's newest single-aisle platform.

Boeing validates end-to-end gear swap process for the 737 MAX fleet

The exchange delivered a fully overhauled, Boeing-certified main and nose landing gear assembly with installation kits, excluding wheels, tires and brakes. The transaction tested the complete cycle -- technical overhaul, certification paperwork and delivery -- confirming the process can be applied consistently across the MAX fleet.

Charlotte, N.C. – – September 17, 2026 -- TAT Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: TATT) has agreed to supply its Universal Cooling System (UCS) to Beyond Aero, a French aerospace startup building what it calls the world's first hydrogen-electric business aircraft.

Beyond Aero targets 800 nautical miles on hydrogen-electric propulsion

Beyond Aero's clean-sheet aircraft, named ONE, is designed to carry six passengers up to 800 nautical miles (1,500 km) — roughly five times the range of comparable battery-powered aircraft. The Toulouse-based company, founded in 2020, employs more than 80 aerospace engineers across operations in Toulouse, Paris and Los Angeles.