Proliferation News October 27, 2026
IN THIS ISSUE: Netanyahu reportedly pressured military to attack Iran in run-up to election, France, UK carry out joint airborne nuclear-strike exercise for first time, Air Force Launches ARRW, Its First Hypersonic Weapon, into Production, Pentagon announces first US submarine joining Submarine Rotational Force-West, New UK nuclear rules pave way for US reactor developers, The Putin whisperers
Netanyahu reportedly pressured military to attack Iran in run-up to election
Emma Graham-Harrison and Julian Borger | The Guardian
Benjamin Netanyahu has resorted to increasingly alarmist rhetoric and reportedly put pressure on Israel’s military to take action against Iran as his far-right coalition narrowly trails in the polls ahead of Tuesday’s close-run elections. The Israeli prime minister posted an AI-generated image of a nuclear mushroom cloud destroying Tel Aviv, telling Israeli voters to choose him or risk nuclear annihilation.
France, UK carry out joint airborne nuclear-strike exercise for first time
Rudy Ruitenberg | Defense News
France and the United Kingdom carried out a joint airborne nuclear strike exercise for the first time, with Eurofighter Typhoon jets from the Royal Air Force escorting French Rafale jets on a simulated nuclear-strike mission. The French and British fighter jets flew a joint mission on Tuesday during the exercise Rummy, the French Armed Forces Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
Air Force Launches ARRW, Its First Hypersonic Weapon, into Production
Greg Hadley | Air and Space Forces Magazine
The Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a $694 million contract to produce its first-ever hypersonic missile, the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon, the service announced Oct. 26. The decision advances ARRW from testing into production, a major milestone for a long-sought capability. The Air Force, citing operational security concerns, withheld details on how many it ordered or when they must be delivered.
Pentagon announces first US submarine joining Submarine Rotational Force-West
Riley Ceder | Military Times
The Pentagon on Monday announced the first submarine to be assigned to an Australian rotational force comprising four U.S. fast-attack submarines and one UK fast-attack submarine. The USS Colorado will be the first U.S. Navy Virginia-class fast-attack submarine assigned to Submarine Rotational Force-West, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in conjunction with representatives from the United Kingdom and Australia.
New UK nuclear rules pave way for US reactor developers
Neil Ford | Reuters
Great Britain is overhauling nuclear regulation just as U.S. developers step up plans for projects in the UK. Electricity demand in Britain is forecast to rise by 40% by 2035, according to the National Energy System Operator. The British government aims to conclude an overhaul of its nuclear regulations by the end of 2027, as part of efforts to quadruple nuclear output to 24 GW by 2050.
Max Seddon | Financial Times
In the early hours of March 3 2022, Richard Conn, a lawyer in Weston, Connecticut, took a call from Moscow warning that the world was on the brink of nuclear war. Conn had only spoken to the person at the end of the phone once since leaving Russia 15 years earlier. But these, the man yelled down the encrypted line, were desperate times. It was a week since Vladimir Putin had ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the Russian president’s war was not going according to plan.
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