U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Lilly Sharma, a small unmanned aircraft system operator, with 12th Littoral Combat Team, 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, operates a Skydio X2D during a small unmanned aerial systems training (sUAS) on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Nov. 6, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Robert Blanks)
While the military boosts already-established UAS roles and inter-service job transfers, multiple services have begun to put drones into the hands or on the minds of its…
A YFQ-44A, part of the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, undergoes an undated captive carry test at a California test location. This test phase uses inert munitions to methodically validate weapons integration, structural performance and safety, ensuring the platform can safely carry external stores. (Courtesy Air Force photo)
YFQ-42 aircraft sit on the flightline at a California test location as part of the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft flight test campaign. (Courtesy Air Force photo)
General Atomics and Anduril are working with Collins Aerospace and Shield AI, respectively, to integrate mission autonomy software onto their CCA prototypes and conduct semi-autonomous flights.
In this photo illustration, the OpenAI “ChatGPT” AI-generated answer to the question “What can AI offer to humanity?” is seen on a laptop screen on February 03, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
A pair of Ray-Ban Meta 2nd generation smart glasses is seen on display during the Meta Connect Developer Conference at Meta’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California on September 27, 2023. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
The Extended Range Attack Munition program aims to deliver an inexpensive air-launched cruise missile that can be quickly manufactured in large numbers.
A poster at the Pentagon, Dec. 12, 2025, lets employees know that a new artificial intelligence tool is available to use at the War Department, and that employees are highly encouraged to use it. (Credit: C. Todd Lopez, DOW)
Maj. Gen. Luke Cropsey speaks about the future of the DAF BATTLE NETWORK during the Accelerating Decision Superiority: Harnessing Data and AI for Mission Readiness panel as part of the Air, Space and Cyber Conference, here, Sept. 23, 2025. (Air Force Photo by Richard Blumenstein).
Maj. Gen. Luke Cropsey is being promoted to three-star general and will serve as military deputy for the Air Force's acquisition, technology and logistics directorate.
Chad Sherod, 319th Security Forces Squadron lead sUAS instructor, extends his hand to catch a descending drone April 7, 2023, on Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota. The 319th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron plans to implement the use of drones within their disaster recovery team in the event of an aircraft crash or natural disaster. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Colin Perkins)
