#STRATDELA

Germany’s next steps towards building up an arsenal of long-range precision weapons are drawing attention from Russia. First things first, such an arsenal already exists. The Luftwaffe is equipped with the advanced ‘Taurus’ long-range cruise missile (jointly developed with Sweden). The prospects for expanding this arsenal, including on land and at sea, depend on a number of external factors. Germany is attempting to collaborate with the UK, to purchase Tomahawks from the US, whilst the pan-European ELSA project, which envisages a whole ‘bouquet’ of different solutions, remains on the agenda. Tests carried out from a German frigate of the Israeli ‘LORA’ ballistic missile system - a very capable missile as well - also point to a desire to diversify potential sources of missile technology and missile systems as much as possible. At the same time, there are bottlenecks in terms of production capacity, in terms of political decision-making regarding the procurement of particular systems, and in terms of the willingness to sell missile systems, as there is currently little appetite in the US for such cooperation. Still, the more long-range weapons an adversary possesses, and the more sophisticated and diverse they are, the harder the task of protecting targets on Russian territory becomes - both in terms of a layered air and missile defence system and, quite simply, in terms of the territory that must be regarded at risk. For Russia, there are four types of countermeasures here: - firstly, the further development of a layered air and space defence system; - secondly, the build-up of our own long-range weapon capabilities; - thirdly, enhancing the protection of critical civilian and military infrastructure facilities, duplicating them and even possibly relocating them further East; - and fourthly, a restart of European arms control with the aim, at the very least, of increasing the transparency and manageability of the current arms race, and, at the very most, of limiting its scale. As far as one can tell, work is already underway in all these areas. And not just because of the German situation, of course. All in all, we’ve even been rather fortunate so far.

Defeated by physics The science behind Golden Dome's space-based interceptors doesn't add up https://thebulletin.org/2026/09/defeated-by-physics-the-science-behind-golden-domes-space-based-interceptors-doesnt-add-up/

AFRL Seeks Payload-Agnostic, Cheap Hypersonic Cruise Missile https://www.airandspaceforces.com/afrl-payload-agnostic-affordable-hypersonic-cruise-missile/

U.S. Navy Containerized Launching System deploys to Norway https://www.dvidshub.net/image/9898321/us-navy-containerized-launching-system-deploys-norway https://www.dvidshub.net/image/9904954/us-navy-deploys-containerizes-launching-system

German Navy Conducts Firing with IAI's Naval LORA Ballistic Missile - Naval News https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2026/09/german-navy-iai-naval-lora-test-firing/

The MOD has also requested unpriced funding for the development of a new hypersonic underwater launched missile and funding for an ongoing separate program to acquire a long range submarine-launched missile developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industry. Research on an underwater vertical launch system, which has been ongoing, continues to be funded. Additionally, there are funding requests for ongoing long range strike missiles acquisitions such as the Joint Strike Missile (JSM), Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-Off Missile (JASSM) and the Improved Type 12 missile (air, sea and ground launched).

https://news.usni.org/2026/09/01/japan-budget-requests-record-55-6b-for-unmanned-long-range-strike-capabilities

The Space Force’s Commercial Space Office posted an award notice on Aug. 25 for “Starshield Custom Fleet Aviation Services,” covering satellite subscription services for aircraft equipped with SpaceX’s Starshield Tile and smaller Tile Mini terminals. The value of the award was redacted. The new task order was awarded July 28 and calls for worldwide Starshield service with data rates of at least 500 megabits per second downlink and 100 megabits per second uplink. The contract has a one-year base period through July 2027 and an option extending service through July 2028, according to the notice. The document shows that U.S. government organizations have already funded development and qualification of ruggedized Starshield terminals for a range of military aircraft, including cargo planes and tactical fighter jets, and that additional installations are planned. Eleven government organizations participated in development of the Tile Mini during 2024 and 2025. ... The Space Force said the government has spent about $51.9 million on development and qualification of the Tile Mini aviation-compatible terminals, including prototype fabrication, aircraft integration, interoperability assessments and testing. Acquisition officials cited that investment as one reason that moving to a competing provider would involve substantial duplicated costs. The filing also provides a glimpse into Starshield’s aviation footprint. In estimating the cost of replacing existing equipment, the Space Force separately cites groups of 140, 90 and another 140 aviation terminals, along with additional hardware used by other mission partners. Redactions obscure which aircraft or organizations those numbers correspond to, so it’s not clear how many terminals are already operational or planned.

https://spacenews.com/space-force-expands-starshield-service-for-military-aircraft/

In its regulatory filings, Gravitics describes the Orbital Carrier in explicit military terms, saying the platform is being developed to support rapid-response and counterspace operations in Earth orbit and cislunar space. The company describes the capability as central to achieving what the Space Force calls space superiority. Gravitics is separately developing Viper OTX, a maneuverable orbital-transfer vehicle that could be carried aboard the larger platform and dispatched to transport payloads to other orbits.

https://spacenews.com/gravitics-to-build-orbital-carriers-for-space-based-missile-defense/

Some thoughts on Strategic Stability for the latest Russia in Global Affairs issue: https://globalaffairs.ru/articles/strategichnost-stefanovich/ [In Russian]

Japan's First Dedicated Missile Defense Warship Is A Monster https://www.twz.com/news-features/japans-first-dedicated-missile-defense-warship-is-a-monster

🚀 Flawless trajectory: perfect launch from Plesetsk ✅ A test launch of a mobile-based intercontinental ballistic missile was carried out at the Plesetsk State Test Cosmodrome. 📍 The training warheads arrived at the assigned area at the Kura training ground (Kamchatka Peninsula). All the assigned tasks have been fully completed. ▫️ The Strategic Missile Forces units trained redeployment to the launch battery deployment area with preparation and conduct of the launch. The purpose of the launch was to confirm the tactical, technical, and flight characteristics of the missile system. 🔹 Russian Defence Ministry

▶️ An intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the Plesetsk spaceport to test the technical and flight capabilities of the system, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Video: Russian Defense Ministry/TASS

Arms Control! https://t.me/mod_russia_en/29086

"I would like to say very clearly and openly: Poland does not want to have nuclear warheads on its territory," he told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels. "We want to participate in NATO nuclear deterrence, [which] does not mean to have a nuclear warhead on our territory."

https://www.politico.eu/article/poland-rules-out-hosting-nuclear-weapons-despite-russian-threat/

Germany is in talks to invest in Britain’s nuclear deterrent, The Telegraph understands.

https://archive.li/A3e2U

Blackbeard Low-Cost Hypersonic Missile Testing On The F/A-18 Super Hornet Has Begun https://www.twz.com/air/blackbeard-low-cost-hypersonic-missile-testing-on-the-f-a-18-super-hornet-has-begun

Good short piece by a friend about "effectors": https://profile.ru/military/chto-takoe-effektory-i-kak-oni-menyajut-oblik-sovremennoj-vojny-1894352/ [In Russian]

Few thoughts on the story about Storm Shadow/SCALP. 1) It is unlikely that such production could realistically be set up on Ukrainian territory in the current situation. No need to talk about concealment of actual missiles deliveries either: in London and in Paris no one makes any secrets of the missile transfers, and they are very proud of it. The missile is, indeed, a good one. 2) It is not entirely clear how the transfer of technology to Ukraine would help to address the ‘bottlenecks’ in the production of such items. Engines, guidance systems and penetrating warheads cannot, strictly speaking, be produced ‘in a garage’. 3) Use of certain technologies in domestic Ukrainian missile and drone development is entirely possible, including at the level of general engineering solutions. That said, it is worth bearing in mind that, firstly, the Storm Shadow missile itself was developed quite some time ago, and France and the UK are currently working on a next-generation family of missiles as part of the Stratus programme. 4) Finally, this is a yet another nail in the MTCR coffin. Sad.

▶️ A military satellite launched atop a carrier rocket from the Plesetsk spaceport has been delivered into the target orbit, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported. The space vehicle has been placed under the control of ground facilities of the Aerospace Forces’ Space Troops, the ministry said. Video: Russian Defense Ministry/TASS

2026, WaPo: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/23/secret-white-house-bunker-undercuts-trumps-ballroom-lawsuit-ex-officials-say/ 2019, @vatfor: https://medium.com/@hasstef/dungeons-of-washington-d-c-the-contract-c-9568-35c117f99763