Business
The United States Department of Defense has announced a contract with Northrop Grumman for the purchase of two additional MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicles. The agreement, valued at USD 267.2 million, will see the aircraft delivered to the US Navy's maritime aviation fleet by October 2028. The
Propulsion
Combustion engines, the engines in gas-powered cars, only use a quarter of the fuel’s potential energy while the rest is lost as heat through exhaust. Now, a study published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces demonstrates how to convert exhaust heat into electricity. The researchers present a prototype thermoelectric
Testing
* General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. conducted its first flight test series of the Gray Eagle Extended Range (GE-ER) Unmanned Aircraft System using a Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) satellite constellation for aircraft communications. Contracted by the U.S. Army, the flight tests began in January 2025 and mark a significant
Events
* Japan Drone 2025 / International Advanced air Mobility (IAAM) EXPO 2025, hosted by the Japan UAS Industrial Development Association (JUIDA), will be held from June 4 (Wednesday) to June 6 (Friday), 2025, in the Tokyo area. This exhibition, under the theme of "Contributing to the Creation of New Industries and
Business
* Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., a Technology Company in the Defense, National Security and Global Markets, and industry-leading provider of high-performance, jet-powered unmanned aerial systems, announced that Kratos has received $59,338,010 for an additional 70 BQM-177A Subsonic Aerial Target (SSAT) aircraft through the exercise of the contract
Swarms
With a more efficient method for artificial pollination, farmers in the future could grow fruits and vegetables inside multilevel warehouses, boosting yields while mitigating some of agriculture’s harmful impacts on the environment. To help make this idea a reality, MIT researchers are developing robotic insects that could someday swarm
Propulsion
— ZeroAvia has announced that its SuperStack Flex highly-customizable LTPEM fuel cell architecture has achieved over 1.0kW/kg specific net power at a full system level, including thermal management system, and has been successfully demonstrated in a 150kW net power configuration for a major customer. The industry leading testing results
Video
Ukraine has received Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets from France – but how will they impact the war? These aircraft bring new air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities, forcing Russia to rethink its strategy. While Mirage 2000-5 is not the newest fighter, it offers advanced radar, modern avionics, and upgraded weapons that make it
Weapons Systems
A Ukrainian Presidential Brigade has begun using FPV drones equipped with a double-barreled shotgun to intercept Russian Mavic drones. According to the brigade, the technical innovation was introduced by engineers of the 4th Mechanized Battalion. It allows it to effectively intercept enemy drones over the contact line. The commander of
VTOL
* Ascent AeroSystems has introduced HELIUS, the company’s first entry into the sub-250g UAV sector. Debuted at VERTICON (formerly HAI Heli-Expo), in Dallas, Texas, HELIUS is designed to be an affordable AI-enabled, American-Made, NDAA-compliant option for law enforcement, emergency response, government, and industrial enterprise operators looking to upgrade or replace
AI
The testing was part of the AIRTuB-ROMI (Automated Inspection and Repair of Wind Turbine Blades – Resident Offshore Monitoring & Inspection) initiative in the Netherlands, supported by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. The project focuses on developing automated and “resident” systems for monitoring and inspecting wind turbine blades. As part
Business
In 2025, the supply of unmanned systems to Ukraine’s Defense Forces reached approximately 200,000 units per month, with a significant increase in the delivery of FPV drones, according to First Deputy Minister of Defense Ivan Havryliuk. “If we look at unmanned systems, especially FPV drones used in combat,