Opinion
NATO is not ready for drone warfare in the Arctic
Russia is moving faster in fielding uncrewed systems suitable for operations in the region, argue analysts from the Center for European Policy Analysis.
By Federico Borsari and Gordon B. “Skip” Davis Jr
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
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.
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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
F-22 Raptor, MQ-20 drone complete manned-unmanned flight exercise
The exercise featured a human-piloted F-22 Raptor issuing real-time commands to the MQ-20 drone, which responded by carrying out a range of mission tasks.
Rapid scaling, soldier-led market key to US drone ambitions, Army secretary says
U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said the service will soon launch a soldier-led marketplace to market drone innovations alongside private industry.
Could MQ-9B drones draw Canada and Denmark closer in Arctic surveillance?
Both countries have ordered MQ-9B drones from General Dynamics, a hardware choice that some experts believe offers cooperation prospects in the High North.
Opinion
NATO is not ready for drone warfare in the Arctic
Russia is moving faster in fielding uncrewed systems suitable for operations in the region, argue analysts from the Center for European Policy Analysis.
Drones ‘change everything’ about combined arms combat, US Army aviation chief says
The commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence discusses the impact of unmanned systems on U.S. Army aviation and combined arms.
National Guard team clinches award for clawed drone at Army competition
Soldiers of the Army National Guard’s 28th Infantry Division snagged the award for Best Innovation at the inaugural Best Drone Warfighter Competition.
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
Leaders look to new methods to retain Navy talent | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 2.24.26
Updated promotion avenues, flexibility in duty station choices and less time at sea are all on the table as the Navy looks to keep good sailors in uniform.
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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
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