https://www.miningweekly.com

Receive our free daily newsletter:

Defence

Defence is the industry sector encompassing the design, manufacture, procurement and maintenance of military equipment, weapons systems, platforms and technologies for national security and armed forces operations. The sector includes aerospace and aviation (fighter jets, helicopters, drones), naval systems (warships, submarines), land systems (armoured vehicles, artillery), munitions, missile systems, cybersecurity, intelligence and surveillance technologies, and command-and-control infrastructure. Defence is a strategically sensitive industry characterised by high barriers to entry, long development cycles, substantial government funding and close collaboration between state agencies and private contractors. Major defence-producing nations include the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, South Korea and Japan, with companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Airbus Defence and Space, and Northrop Grumman among the global leaders. The sector is a significant consumer of advanced materials and rare-earth elements, particularly for precision-guided munitions, radar systems, jet engines, electronic warfare equipment and permanent magnets in motors and actuators. Defence spending is driven by geopolitical tensions, modernisation programmes, technological competition and national sovereignty considerations. The industry is subject to stringent export controls, international arms treaties and domestic procurement regulations. Technological convergence with semiconductors, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and hypersonics is reshaping the defence landscape, while supply-chain security and critical-mineral access have become strategic priorities for defence planners worldwide.

Defence News


Piles of critical mineral ore
Nordic business alliance weighs expanding into critical minerals
2nd October 2026 By: Bloomberg

Nordic Compass, a competitiveness-focused business alliance, is considering branching out into critical raw materials to build up the region’s capacity to process minerals needed by European... 


Nel Hydrogen electrolyser
Hydrogen giant Nel secures $12m PEM order for US submarine life-support systems
29th September 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

Norwegian hydrogen company Nel Hydrogen's US subsidiary has secured a $12-million purchase order for proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser stacks from Collins Aerospace. The aviation and... 


head and shoulder shot of Desmond
Demand rising for specialised product
25th September 2026 By: Devina Haripersad

Demand for specialised stainless steel grades is showing signs of growth in several South African industries, although challenging economic conditions are making customers increasingly... 


Image of lump of graphite
Porto Marghera graphite processing hub, Italy
25th September 2026 By: Sheila Barradas

International Graphite and Alkeemia plan to build a graphite processing facility to supply processed graphite products to Europe’s industrial, energy storage, advanced manufacturing and defence... 


tungsten
Tungsten West inks eight-year offtake agreement with US manufacturer Elmet
23rd September 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

Aim-listed Tungsten West has secured a binding eight-year offtake agreement with a US vertically integrated producer of tungsten products and advanced materials called Elmet Technologies. Tungsten... 


Tungsten ore
Vietnamese miner Masan commits to stronger tungsten value chain building
14th September 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

A Vietnamese strategic materials company called Masan High-Tech Materials is expanding beyond its mining roots to connect resources, processing capabilities and international partnerships across... 


Armscor image
ARMSCOR – A strategic partner of choice for defence and security solutions
11th September 2026

State-owned company the Armaments Corporation of South Africa (Armscor) is an acquisition agency for the South African Department of Defence (DOD) and other organs of state and entities. Armscor’s... 


DOMESTIC DEFENCE: Paramount Group chairperson Mathews Phosa believes South Africa’s defence industry is poised to benefit from the pressing need to modernise the country’s military equipment. However, he says this benefit will flow only if orders are placed with local companies. Phosa was speaking during a showcase of the company’s portfolio at the Gerotek Test Facility, in Gauteng. Including the Paramount Mbombe 6, seen here embarking on a 31osteep descent to showcase its rough-terrain capabilities. Photograph:Creamer Media Chief Photographer Donna Slater
DOMESTIC DEFENCE
11th September 2026

DOMESTIC DEFENCE: Paramount Group chairperson Mathews Phosa believes South Africa’s defence industry is poised to benefit from the pressing need to modernise the country’s military equipment.... 


Image of rare earths
Freedom rare-earth separation and metallisation project, US
4th September 2026 By: Sheila Barradas

The project forms part of a wider initiative that also includes the significant expansion of Phoenix Tailings’ existing US processing facilities. 


Graphite
Blencowe Resources’ Orom-Cross graphite used in successful US hypersonic rocket testing
1st September 2026 By: Lumkile Nkomfe

LSE-listed Blencowe Resources has reported further successful testing of its Orom-Cross graphite products within advanced aerospace and defence applications. On August 18, Blencowe COO Iain Wearing... 


Hemerdon mine
UK gov makes strategic £71m investment to fully fund Tungsten West's Hemerdon mine restart
25th August 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

The UK Government has committed up to £71-million through the National Wealth Fund to support the restart of Aim-listed Tungsten West's historic Hemerdon mine in Devon, securing access to one of... 


Hertha Metals plant in Texas
US-based Hertha achieves magnet-quality iron purity ahead of commercial plant build
18th August 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

The developer of the world's first single-step process for producing steel and high-purity iron at lower cost, Hertha Metals, has successfully achieved iron production at 99.95% (3N5) purity, which... 


Fine antimony
Nova Minerals endorses US executive order on defence, critical minerals supply chain consolidation
27th July 2026 By: Lumkile Nkomfe

NYSE- and ASX-listed Nova Minerals has welcomed an executive order by US President Donald Trump on July 20 to secure the US’s defence supply chains and ensure the domestic acquisition of critical... 


Image of components for Booyco Engineering’s third generation military HVAC system
Local company producing third generation military HVAC system
10th July 2026

South African heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) specialist Booyco Engineering says that full production of its third generation HVAC system for an 8 X 8 amphibious infantry vehicle... 


USA Rare Earth Round Top project site
USA Rare Earth to invest $1.2bn in South Carolina facility to boost domestic supply
3rd June 2026 By: Reuters

USA Rare Earth said on Tuesday it will invest $1.2-billion to build a magnet manufacturing and rare earth metals facility in South Carolina, as it expands domestic production capacity. Shares of... 


Components for Booyco Engineering’s third generation military HVAC system move through production as the company ramps up full-scale manufacturing for advanced 8x8 amphibious infantry vehicle applications
Booyco Engineering Advances Military HVAC With Third Generation System Now in Full Production
29th May 2026

Booyco Engineering has moved into full production of its third generation heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system for a customer’s latest 8x8 amphibious infantry vehicles. This... 


US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping
Trump, Xi to weigh rare earth truce extension, but China's curbs still bite
13th May 2026 By: Reuters

China and the US are considering extending a truce on Chinese rare earth export curbs at a leaders' summit this week, but Chinese customs data shows Beijing is still throttling shipments of the... 


Piles of critical minerals
Need for hedging could spur new derivatives for niche critical minerals, Traxys CEO says
23rd April 2026 By: Reuters

Derivative contracts for niche critical minerals including rhenium could emerge over time as supply concerns and price volatility push industrial users to seek better hedging tools, said Mark... 


Autonomous drone
Adisyn granted use of ‘breakthrough’ stealth drone IP
22nd April 2026 By: Marleny Arnoldi

ASX-listed Adisyn has been granted worldwide exclusive rights to commercialise graphene-based radar signature reduction technology, marking a transition from research to a structured commercial... 


Image of a technician assembling a HVAC unit
S Africa-based company expands global presence in defence sector
17th April 2026

South Africa-based Booyco Engineering is supplying specialised heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to global defence-industry customers. The company’s recent projects include... 


1
2

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

➕

➕

➕

➕

➕

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

➕

➕

➕

➕

➕

➕

➕

➕

➕

➕

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION

➕

➕







pqt: 0.08s - ct: 0.127s - 275pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now