Defense News

What Defense News does

Defense News is a defense industry media publication founded in 1986 and operated as a division of Sightline Media Group, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The publication covers the politics, business, and technology of defense across dedicated content domains including Air Warfare, Land, Naval, Space, Cyber, C4ISR, Pentagon, Congress, and Global affairs. Its audience comprises defense industry professionals, military officers, government decision-makers, and defense contractors who require authoritative coverage of defense programs, budgets, policy, and industry developments.

The product portfolio is multi-format and digital-first. Core offerings include the defensenews.com website with section-specific editorial coverage, 14 topic-specific email newsletters (including the Early Bird Brief daily newsletter, Daily News Roundup, Asia Brief, Europe Brief, Missile Defense, Military Space Report, and Unmanned Report), a monthly print and digital magazine, and video programming through Defense News Weekly (DNTV) and Money Minute. The company also publishes annual editorial features including the Top 100 Companies ranking of global defense firms by defense revenue, the Strategic Architects list, and the Tech Disruptors list. Distribution extends across social platforms (Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Telegram, Threads, Mastodon, Bluesky) and on-site coverage of major defense trade shows including Eurosatory, AUSA, Paris Air Show, Singapore Airshow, and Modern Day Marine. Underlying technology is a standard digital publishing platform with multimedia content delivery; no proprietary AI, API, or SDK capabilities are disclosed.

Revenue is generated through four streams: subscription revenue from newsletters and magazine access (recurring), display advertising and sponsored content across the digital and print properties, events and webcasts including trade show coverage, and market intelligence products such as sponsored whitepapers and special reports. The company employs 51-100 staff and operates without disclosed external funding, with corporate infrastructure shared across Sightline Media Group's portfolio of defense and military publications including Military Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times, Marine Corps Times, and C4ISRNET.

Name

Defense News

Legal name

Defense News, a division of Sightline Media Group

Website

http://www.defensenews.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Defense News, a division of Sightline Media Group, is a 40-year-old defense industry media publication covering defense politics, business, and technology for military, government, and defense industry professionals through newsletters, a magazine, digital coverage, video, and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Industry News Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Intelligence (Strategic, Tactical & Technical) (BPAIAHAD), Defense R&D, Test, Evaluation & Innovation (BPAIAHAC)

Keywords

• Defense industry news
• Military journalism
• Defense market intelligence
• Military trade publishing
• Defense media coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Revenue generated from newsletter subscriptions, magazine subscriptions, and digital content access for defense industry professionals.
2. Advertising: Display advertising, sponsored content, and promotional placements across the digital platform and print magazine.
3. Events and Webcasts: Revenue from virtual and in-person events, conferences, and webcasts including special coverage from defense trade shows.
4. Market Intelligence: Sponsored whitepapers, special reports, and market intelligence content for defense industry stakeholders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Defense News is a digital-first defense media platform that produces and distributes news, analysis, video, newsletters, and a print magazine covering the politics, business, and technology of global defense. It serves defense industry professionals, military officials, and government decision-makers through its website (defensenews.com), topic-specific email newsletters, a monthly magazine, weekly video programming, special trade show coverage, and sponsored whitepapers and market intelligence reports.

Product overview

Defense News is a unified digital-first media platform offering comprehensive defense news coverage organized by domain (Air, Land, Naval, Space, Cyber, Pentagon, Congress, Global) along with video programming (Defense News Weekly, Money Minute), email newsletters, and special annual features (Top 100 Companies, Strategic Architects, Tech Disruptors). The portfolio includes digital show daily coverage of major defense trade shows, special multimedia reports on defense technology topics, and a print/digital magazine subscription.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Defense News Weekly (DNTV): Weekly video wrap-up from Defense News TV show covering the latest news in defense programs, policy, business and technology
• Early Bird Brief
• Digital Show Daily
• Top 100 Companies

Products and services

• Defense News Magazine Monthly print and digital magazine subscription delivering quality, unbiased reporting on defense politics, business, and technology to defense decision-makers.
• Newsletter Suite Subscription email newsletters covering defense industry topics including Missile Defense, Early Bird Brief, News Alerts, Daily News Roundup, Market Intelligence, Asia Brief, Europe Brief, Defense Views, Training & Sim Report, Military Space Report, and Unmanned Report.
• Defense News Weekly (DNTV) Weekly video show providing a wrap-up of the latest news in defense programs, policy, business, and technology for defense professionals.
• Money Minute Short-form video series covering defense industry financial and business news, including retirement planning and military personal finance topics.
• Top 100 Companies

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Sightline Media GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDefense News is a division of Sightline Media Group, which also publishes Military Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times, and Marine Corps Times. Sightline Media Group provides corporate oversight and shared services including advertising, subscriptions, and events infrastructure.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Defense Daily: Defense Daily is a subscription defense business news publication covering U.S. and international defense programs, contracts, and industry. It targets the same defense contractor and government decision-maker audience with a similar mix of news, analysis, and market intelligence, making it a close substitute for Defense News's industry and Pentagon coverage.
• Defense One: Defense One is a digital publication covering defense policy, technology, and business, owned by Government Executive Media Group (Atlantic Media). It targets the same defense and national security decision-maker audience with comparable news, analysis, and events, making it a direct editorial and advertising competitor.
• Military Times: Military Times is a sister publication under Sightline Media Group that covers the U.S. military community (active duty, veterans, families). It directly competes for defense and military professional readership and shares advertising, subscription, and events infrastructure with Defense News, making it the most analogous peer in the same corporate portfolio.
• Breaking Defense: Breaking Defense is a digital-first defense news outlet focused on policy, programs, and industry, with newsletters and events. It targets the same defense decision-maker and contractor audience as Defense News and competes directly for advertising dollars, event sponsorships, and subscription revenue.
• Jane's Defence Weekly: Jane's Defence Weekly, published by Janes (part of S&P Global), is a long-established subscription-based defense intelligence publication covering military equipment, procurement, and threat assessment. It competes head-to-head with Defense News for institutional and defense industry subscribers and is the closest direct competitor in the paid defense journalism category.
• National Defense Magazine: National Defense Magazine is published by the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) and covers defense programs, policy, and industry with a slightly more association/contractor tilt. It competes directly for defense industry readership and sponsored content in the same vertical.

Broad incumbents

• C4ISRNET: C4ISRNET is another Sightline Media Group publication focused on networks, cyber, electronic warfare, and C4ISR programs. It overlaps heavily with Defense News's Cyber and C4ISR sections and shares the same corporate infrastructure, functioning as a vertical-focused extension of the same audience reach.
• Politico Defense & Aerospace: Politico's Defense vertical covers U.S. defense policy, budget, and procurement with strong reach among congressional and Pentagon staff. While broader in scope than Defense News, it competes for the same policy decision-maker audience and high-end defense advertising.
• Aviation Week Network: Aviation Week Network covers commercial and military aerospace, defense technology, and MRO. It overlaps with Defense News's air warfare and space coverage and competes for defense prime advertising spend, though it is broader in scope and not exclusively defense-focused.

Emerging players

• The War Zone: The War Zone, a vertical of The Drive, covers military aircraft, weapons systems, and defense technology with strong engagement from defense professionals and enthusiasts. It is a meaningful emerging competitor for technical defense readership and advertising, particularly among younger defense technology audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/defense_news
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@MilitaryTimesOnline/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/DefenseNews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/Defense-News-4543682

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Defense News