Defense deals dominate Farnborough get-together

LONDON — It was national-security concerns, not commercial aircraft buys, driving the conversation at the Farnborough International Airshow this year.

Why it matters: It's a sign of the (increasingly prickly) times.

• Russia continues to bombard Ukraine. The U.S. and Iran are exchanging deadly salvos. NATO has pledged more spending and more munitions. And industrial players are elbows out on some of the flashiest contracts.

Driving the news: Several people Axios chatted with said this year's defense-contractor presence and announcement cadence were the most they had experienced at the airshow.

• "Based on the world right now and where the money's being spent, it's no surprise," Doug Martens with Honeywell Aerospace said.
• "The defense sector is booming right now."

Zoom in: Even the commute — by train or by car or by foot — was cluttered with defense-tech ads: drones at the train station, satellites at the bus stop, radars in the roundabout.

Follow the money: Here are some of the latest deals and technologies that have people talking:

BAE Systems revealed Brontanax, a loyal-wingman drone that's roughly the same size as the company's Hawk trainer aircraft. It's a product of FalconWorks and is expected to fly for the first time next year.

General Atomics and MBDA will work together to outfit the former's unmanned aircraft, like MQ-9B and Gambit 6, with the latter's miniature cruise missile, Spear.

Beta debuted its MV250, a hybrid-electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft. Others involved in the project include GE Aerospace (propulsion) and Sikorsky (autonomy).

QinetiQ said it's investing £20 million, or nearly $27 million, into the development of laser weapons and associated products. The company is part of the U.K.'s DragonFire consortium, alongside MBDA and Leonardo.

Venus Aerospace and Lockheed Martin are teaming up on rotating detonation rocket engines. The two are interested in applying RDREs to long-range precision fires.

Rolls-Royce, Avio Aero and IHI Corporation said they are one step closer to ground-testing an engine for the Global Combat Air Program, which Canada recently joined as an observer.

Tekever unveiled AR6, a line of heavy-lift drones. Both military and civilian markets are being targeted, the company said.

What's next: Many more defense bazaars and summits, including Paris Air Show in 2027.

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