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UK permits MBDA to disclose missile component secrets, enabling Ukraine to assemble Scalp missiles, boosting MBDA's role and potential sales.
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Trump Signs Russia-Iran Sanctions Law, Authorizing Tariffs of Up to 100%
US President Donald Trump signed into law a Russia sanctions bill on Friday, September 18. The law grants authority to expand sanctions, impose customs duties and various prohibitions against Russia, while renewing existing sanctions on Iran. The law, named the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, imposes sanctions on Russian officials, Russian banks and vessels used to transport energy from Russia, and gives Trump the authority to levy tariffs of up to 100% on goods from the five countries that import the most oil or natural gas from Russia. It also extends the Iran Sanctions Act for another five years to maintain sanctions targeting Iran's energy and weapons sectors. The US House of Representatives passed the bill on Wednesday, September 16, after the Senate approved it on August 7. The law is a major achievement carrying on the legacy of Lindsey Graham, the former senator who championed the bill and died in July after a sudden illness. However, the bill faced more division in the House than in the Senate, with three Democratic members of the House saying in a joint statement recently that the law may do more harm than good because it greatly increases Trump's power to set tariffs but does not compel him to impose sanctions on Russia.
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Lockheed Martin Signs JATM Framework Agreement With U.S. Department of War
The U.S. Department of War signed a landmark framework agreement with Lockheed Martin to rapidly scale production and delivery of the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, establishing a multi-year procurement pathway under the Trump administration's "Arsenal of Freedom" framework. The AIM-260 JATM is designed to replace the legacy AIM-120 AMRAAM with significantly extended range, advanced signal processing and superior lethality against peer and near-peer air threats. Lockheed Martin is the lead prime contractor, while Northrop Grumman supplies advanced solid rocket motors, warheads and sensor technologies and has delivered more than 1 million tactical solid rocket motors. RTX Corporation, the legacy manufacturer of AMRAAM, is working with the U.S. government and NATO allies to scale AMRAAM production to at least 1,900 units per year, and Boeing and General Dynamics also stand to benefit as suppliers of navigation, guidance, energetics and structural components. The framework is expected to benefit defense-focused exchange-traded funds, including the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF with $12.54 billion in net assets, the Invesco Aerospace & Defense ETF with a market value of $7.63 billion, and the State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF with $6.13 billion in assets under management.
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State Department Approves $5.75 Billion in Potential Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia
The State Department has approved two potential arms sales to Saudi Arabia totaling $5.75 billion, split between a $5 billion package of JDAM-ER guidance kits and bombs and a separate $750 million deal for AGT-1500 tank engines. The JDAM package consists of 5,004 KMU-572 and 5,000 KMU-556 JDAM guidance kits and 5,004 BLU-111 and 5,000 BLU-117 bombs, with Boeing identified as principal contractor for the JDAM-ERs and Honeywell handling the engines. The State Department said the sales would strengthen Saudi Arabia's airborne defense capabilities and improve interoperability with U.S. and Gulf partner forces. For Boeing, the deal is modest against its roughly $85 billion Defense, Space and Security backlog, of which international orders already account for 27%, and the segment reported a second-quarter operating loss largely on charges tied to the VC-25B Air Force One program. For Honeywell Aerospace, the smaller AGT-1500 contract fits its established defense propulsion business and adds to an international defense business that makes up about 30% of its total Defense and Space revenue. Neither potential sale is large enough to meaningfully affect either company's short-term results on its own.