Weapons Systems / Lasers
* General Atomics recently showed what it says is a rendering of an MQ-20 Avenger drone armed with a laser directed energy weapon. The laser beam is depicted projecting through a fully rotating nose cone turret fitted in place of its normal nose section. The company says this is a purely
Transport
Two large-payload unmanned aircraft have joined the fleet of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ drone industry development program. They will be used to test cargo deliveries and emergency responses. The Windracers ULTRA aircraft for the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration arrived in Fairbanks Sept. 22. The first test
Business
The CEO of Baykar, Turkey’s largest drone manufacturer and a major global producer of armed unmanned aerial vehicles, has pledged to rebuild the company’s factory in Ukraine, which was destroyed in a Russian missile strike. In an interview with Ukraine’s state news agency Ukrinform, Baykar Chief Executive
Business
* AeroVironment, Inc. has been selected to deliver the U.S. Army’s Next-Generation C-UAS Missile (NGCM). Along with this selection, AV was awarded a $95.9 million contract for the U.S. Army's Long-Range Kinetic Interceptor (LRKI) program through the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation
Business
* AeroVironment, Inc. has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that positions Korean Air as its priority partner in the Republic of Korea. This alliance will focus on integrating and adapting AV’s JUMP 20 Group 3 vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), fixed-wing uncrewed aircraft to meet the
* Shield AI has announced the unveiling of X-BAT, an AI-piloted, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fighter jet designed for expeditionary and maritime operations in contested environments. “At Shield AI, we believe the greatest victory requires no war. To make that belief real, we’re executing a simple but ambitious master
First Responders
* Seneca, the resilience technology and infrastructure company, announced its public launch and a $60 million financing round. The round, believed to be the largest venture capital round in fire technology to date, was led by Caffeinated Capital and Convective Capital, with participation from First Round Capital, Transition VC, Advance Venture
Defense technology startup Valinor is looking to improve unmanned aerial system operations with its new networked docking station designed for the remote environments of future battlefields. The company recently introduced Dispatch dock, a mobile charging station that can be integrated onto a range of military platforms and rapidly recharge different
Video
November 10, 1943, Rechlin test facility. Hauptmann Hans-Werner Lerche climbed into the cockpit of a captured P-47 Thunderbolt nicknamed "Beetle." Intelligence briefings had told him American fighters were crude, mass-produced machines built by a nation better at making refrigerators than aircraft. After ninety minutes of flying, Lerche would
Events
* Korean Air unveiled three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2025, taking place from October 17 to 24 at Seoul Airport in Seongnam and KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Seoul ADEX is one of the world’s leading defense exhibitions, featuring participation from
Business
Sensor solution provider HENSOLDT and AVILUS, a specialist in unmanned aerial systems (UAS), have announced their strategic partnership. The aim of the collaboration is the joint development and marketing of state-of-the-art sensor and ISR systems based on proven technologies and agile production capacities ‘Made in Germany’. The integration of powerful
Loitering Munitions - One Way Effector (OWE)
* Cummings Aerospace is using 3D printing technology in the continued development of the Hellhound S3 drone. With the use of 3D printing and modular open systems, Cummings can rapidly iterate the design of the product, harnessing test data and soldier feedback to inform each update. Cummings Aerospace recently completed a