Science & Tech

Next wave of Air Force drone wingmen could be cheaper, official says

The service is eyeing flying CCAs alongside the E-7 radar plane and B-21 bomber, in addition to fighters.

Science & Tech

Beyond 3D: Tech companies partner on drone-powered ‘extended reality’ to reduce plane maintenance times

Maintenance times are going up, keeping planes in hangers longer. High-resolution images from inspector drones could help change that.

Science & Tech

Defense One Radio, Ep. 178: Sea-Air-Space, in review

From drones to shipbuilding, we review what we learned at this year's Sea-Air-Space conference in Washington.

Science & Tech

The state of naval autonomy

Companies are teeming with various uncrewed and autonomous systems to meet the Navy’s ask for a hybrid fleet—obstacles and all.

Ideas

How drones, data, and AI transformed our military—and why the US must follow suit

A former Ukrainian commander-in-chief describes Ukraine’s DELTA battlefield-management system and other adaptations.

Business

A shipbuilder leans into lasers and emerging tech

HII CEO touts mission-systems business, downplays tariffs’ effects, and worries about the federal workforce.

Science & Tech

Can this GPS alternative keep a drone from crashing?

A product by Maxar uses satellite imagery to create 3D maps that help UAS fly even if GPS goes down.

Science & Tech

Military hydrogen-cell drones poised for big takeoff

A new partnership presents a moment for scaling up new, longer-range hydrogen-cell drones for warfare.

Science & Tech

The Army wants AI to take physical risk off of its soldiers

The future is robots clearing buildings and disarming bombs, says Army Futures Command boss.

Defense Systems

Drones are the next chapter in US-India’s defense partnership

Trump-Modi meeting produces an agreement to expand industry cooperation, production in the Indo-Pacific.

Threats

Ukraine’s ‘super soldiers’ bust stereotypes of what ‘lethal’ looks like

The Ukrainian battlefield has also forced a rethinking of the role of tanks, experts say

Science & Tech

L3 unveils new low-bandwidth, high-autonomy drone swarm tech

The new program could allow operators to manage hundreds—and eventually thousands—of drones.