The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is asking for concepts for drones with a high degree of autonomous operation, as well as remotely-operated containerized systems to launch, recover, and otherwise support them. Continue reading
Decoy UAS: Smart Air Defence
Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) have emerged as essential tools not only for surveillance and reconnaissance, but also for territorial defense, thanks to their ability to serve as countermeasures by shooting down other UAS or acting as decoys capable of protecting manned aircraft and other surveillance UAS. Continue reading
Pentagon Announces Site Selections for Directed-Energy Counter-Drone Program
On behalf of the War Department, Joint Interagency Task Force 401 selected five installations to participate in the directed-energy counter-unmanned aircraft systems pilot program included in the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. Continue reading
FCC U-Turn Allows Software Updates for Foreign Drones and Routers until 2029
The Federal Communications Commission announced on Friday, May 8, through its Office of Engineering and Technology (OET), that it was extending temporary waivers allowing certain foreign-produced drones, drone components, and consumer routers to continue receiving software and firmware updates in the United States. Continue reading
Russia Reveals Jet-Powered Geran-5 Drone Resembling Ukraine’s Peklo System
Russia has publicly displayed its new jet-powered strike drone, the Geran-5, for the first time during the Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9, according to footage broadcast by the Russian YouTube channel OTS LIVE. Continue reading
Turkish Firm to Export 100,000 Kamikaze Drones
Turkish technology company Pasifik Teknoloji announced a major agreement to sell tens of thousands of its FPV kamikaze drones to an unnamed foreign country, marking its first defense export deal. Continue reading
Spanish Consortium’s Flight Demonstration Validates Manned-Unmanned Teaming and Formation Flight
In March, the Spanish consortium SATNUS successfully completed the fourth flight demonstration campaign under Pillar 3 of the Next Generation Weapon System / Future Combat Air System (NGWS/FCAS) program, held at the INTA-CEDEA facilities. Continue reading
First Flight for DARPA’s XRQ-73 Hybrid-Electric Flying Wing Drone
DARPA, in collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory and Northrop Grumman, flew the XRQ-73, a hybrid-electric, unmanned experimental aircraft.