Unmanned
Apache helicopters downed drones in air-to-air combat with 30mm proximity ammo
Gunship pilots test-fired APEX munitions, designed to pulverize targets with shrapnel.
By Zita Ballinger Fletcher
Unmanned
Australia prepares for next batch of ‘Ghost Bat’ warplane buddy drones
The Royal Australian Air Force is on track to have 10 operational Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft by 2028.
China’s new maritime combat drone poised for global success: analysts
Beijing is positioning itself as a drone provider for certain countries, while the country's next-gen fighter jet faces more uncertain export prospects.
Lockheed unveils Lamprey underwater drone that can attach to ships
The Lamprey Multi‑Mission Autonomous Undersea Vehicle can attach itself to ships, launch torpedoes and deploy airborne drones from the surface.
By Zita Ballinger Fletcher
Ukraine seeks god mode with new control app for drone war
Mission Control feeds directly into Ukraine’s performance-based “gamification” model, where drone units earn points for verified kills.
By Katie Livingstone
SPECIAL FEATURES
Autonomous Data Fusion on the Modern Battlefield
A look at how data fusion is critical to maintaining information dominance, how the new prime contractors can offer agility, speed, innovation, and more.
DOD’s Cyber Workforce Challenges
This whitepaper explores how the DoD can close the cyber workforce skills gap, how ‘upskilling’ protects national security in the digital age, and more.
DOD 8140 Compliance Guide for Cyber Workforce Leaders
A break down of what 8140 requires, highlighting where teams get stuck, and how you build a plan that gets your workforce qualified.
Whitepaper: How Modular Systems Help Ensure Defense Readiness
Learn how a Modular Open Systems Approach avoids proprietary lock-in, how ease of sourcing replacement parts helps ensure readiness, and more.
Space
SpaceX and Blue Origin abruptly shift priorities amid US Golden Dome push
The largest U.S. commercial space companies recently shifted priorities toward lunar development, just as DOD pushes its next-gen missile shield plans.
Artificial Intelligence
New lab offers generative AI for defense wargaming
The hope is that AI players are realistic enough to facilitate the creation of multiple strategies during a wargaming exercise.
Unmanned
US Army lets soldiers flaunt their drone skills in first-ever competition
The event is in line with service plans to incorporate unmanned technology at every echelon of the force.
Apache helicopters downed drones in air-to-air combat with 30mm proximity ammo
Gunship pilots test-fired APEX munitions, designed to pulverize targets with shrapnel.
Australia prepares for next batch of ‘Ghost Bat’ warplane buddy drones
The Royal Australian Air Force is on track to have 10 operational Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft by 2028.
Unmanned
US Army to debut FPV Bumblebee V2 drone interceptor next month
The U.S. Army’s Global Response Force will begin assessing the Bumblebee V2 drone interceptor in March following a $5.2 million contract inked in January.
Pentagon wants counter-drone sensors to protect US infrastructure — and fast
“The urgency of the threat” is prompting the Defense Innovation Unit to solicit products in time for a spring 2026 demonstration.
China’s new maritime combat drone poised for global success: analysts
Beijing is positioning itself as a drone provider for certain countries, while the country's next-gen fighter jet faces more uncertain export prospects.
Cyber
French Navy dials up stress level in crew drills after Red Sea experience
The idea is to make people "feel like their final hour has come," said the officer in charge of training naval surface personnel.
Electronic Warfare
Pentagon’s realistic electronic warfare system to move to Navy lab
DARPA says it has built the world’s largest, most realistic electronic warfare test capability.
VIDEOS
Lifting more with lighter drones: DARPA’s challenge | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 2.17.26
To aid in logistics and resupply missions, DARPA wants to reimagine how drones lift and carry payloads. Check out the development agency’s Lift Challenge.
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Shield AI, ST Engineering join forces on fine-tuning drone swarms
The companies will use artificial intelligence to optimize the interactions of drones with drones, and drones with humans.
Opinion
Russia’s domestic drone push is a mixed bag for its war on the West
Russia’s decade-plus domestic tech push shows that Russia can excel at software development but often fails miserably at hardware, writes Justin Sherman.
By Justin Sherman
Poland picks Kongsberg-PGZ consortium to build anti-drone ‘wall’
The purchase comes in response to incursions by Russian drones that Moscow has perpetrated against Poland alongside Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine says more than 80% of enemy targets now destroyed by drones
One Ukrainian innovation has been a system to verify drone strikes that awards points to successful operators, with an online marketplace for bonus kit.
Elbit bets on UK as its European drone sales hub
Elbit’s full ownership of UTACS comes about a year after the British government decided to gradually phase its Watchkeepers out of military service.
Ukraine feeds sensitive military data to Palantir AI for training
Dubbed the Dataroom, the secure digital environment will allow Ukrainian defense companies to train and validate their algorithms.
Defense tech startups had their best funding year ever in 2025
In 2026, defense-tech startups will have to prove to investors they can turn funding into actual production at scale, one analyst said.
Hands full at home, Iran is seen slowing cyber attacks on UK
The CEO of Leonardo UK said online bot activity promoting the independence of Scotland from the UK reduced as Iranian authorities were crushing protests.
By Tom Kington
Saildrone, Lockheed to place missile launchers on naval drones
Larger Saildrone USVs are also under consideration to carry Lockheed Martin weaponry, such as the Mk 70 Vertical Launching System.
Germany expands naval-surveillance push with eight SeaGuardian drones
The SeaGuardians will focus on maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare across the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic.
By Linus Höller