When Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Professor Nitin Sanket watches birds weave through forests or bats fly effortlessly in the dark, he sees more than nature’s marvels—he sees the future of robotics. That vision has now earned him a major milestone: his first National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, awarded
Business
* BAE Systems and Turkish Aerospace have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a strategic alliance to explore opportunities to collaborate on the development of unmanned air systems (UAS). The agreement will see experts from Turkish Aerospace, Türkiye’s leading aerospace and defence company work together with BAE Systems’ combat
The U.S. Army aims to buy at least a million drones in the next two to three years and could acquire anywhere from a half million drones to millions of them annually in the years that follow, U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said. Driscoll detailed the major ramp-up
Propulsion
* GE Aerospace and Shield AI have agreed to collaborate on propulsion technologies for Shield AI’s new X-BAT vehicle program. Through the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the F110-GE-129 engine, featuring the advanced Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle (AVEN), has been selected to power the X-BAT. GE Aerospace will provide propulsion and
C-UAS
Poland and Romania are deploying a new weapons system to defend against Russian drones, following a spate of incursions into NATO airspace in recent months that exposed the alliance’s vulnerabilities and put Europe on edge. The American Merops system, which is small enough to fit in the back of
Business
The Budget Committee of the German Bundestag approved approximately €490 million (USD 565) in its meeting on November 5 for the development and procurement of DefendAir anti-drone missiles from MBDA Germany, as confirmed to hartpunkt by well-informed sources. The Defence Committee had already approved the corresponding €25 million proposals earlier
Business
* Larsen & Toubro in India and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) have entered into a strategic partnership to manufacture Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in India, for the Indian armed forces. GA-ASI, a global leader in advanced unmanned aerial systems, brings decades of operational
Events
At the recent Seoul exhibition, Korean Air presented a wide array of unmanned systems, significantly broadening its military aviation offerings. Among the noteworthy innovations revealed were the Low Observable Wingman UAV System (LOWUS), the KUS-FX, and two variants of Loitering Munitions. Korean Air is the largest airline of the Republic
Testing
The US Army is testing Allen Control Systems’ Bullfrog counter-drone weapon station on Abrams tanks and Bradley IFVs. The move reflects an urgent push to give frontline armor its own defence against the fast-evolving drone threat seen in Ukraine and the Middle East. On 30 October 2025, Allen Control Systems
Business
* Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., a technology company in defence, national security, and global markets, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100 percent of the ordinary shares of Orbit Technologies Ltd (ORBI.TA) for $356.3 million, which is expected to be funded via cash
Electronic Sub-Systems
Kazu Gomi, president and CEO of NTT Research, told EE Times that the chip’s standout feature is its ability to perform real-time object detection on full-resolution 4K video streams at under 20W—a very attractive proposition for battery-powered aerial platforms. By contrast, conventional systems trade accuracy for efficiency. Even
Video
September 19th, 1942. Oberleutnant Wilhelm Johnen pushes his Messerschmitt Bf 109G to its absolute limit, engine screaming at maximum power, trying desperately to catch the British bomber ahead. But the wooden aircraft just pulls away, effortlessly maintaining a speed that shouldn't be possible. This is the moment German