Then-U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Joseph Kunkel, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing commander, stands in an F-15E Strike Eagle July 9, 2021, in an undisclosed location somewhere in Southwest Asia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Cameron Otte)
A target is hit by a first-person view small unmanned aircraft system strike during an FPV sUAS live fire demonstration at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 29, 2026. I Marine Expeditionary Force, in partnership with Defense Innovation Unit, evaluated fiber-optic drones for use in signal-degraded environments. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joshua Bustamante)
In an exclusive interview with DefenseScoop, Owen West shared new details about his vision to reshape DIU’s operational structure to fit its modern mission.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosts a drone demonstration at the Pentagon, July 10, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alondra Y. Lopez Gonzalez)
An AH-64E Apache assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, prepares to land in a forward arming and refueling point in order to receive refuel before conducting operations for Operation Epic Fury in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 2, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)
A U.S. Navy Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) maneuvers in the Atlantic Ocean during UNITAS 2025, the 66th iteration of the world’s longest-running multinational maritime exercise. (Official U.S. Navy photo)
A U.S. Air Force XQ-58A Valkyrie, an autonomous, low-cost tactical unmanned air vehicle, flies over Eglin Air Force Base’s Gulf Test and Training Range. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ilka Cole)
A Soldier assigned to 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment employs lethal small unmanned aerial systems during a visit with Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth at Fort Benning, Georgia on Sept. 4, 2025. (DVIDS — Photo by Spc. Luke Sullivan)
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Carlos Perez-armenta, a logistics specialist with 1st Distribution Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, operates an Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel during testing on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 22, 2026. The ALPV is an autonomous logistics delivery system the Marine Corps is experimenting with to deliver supplies and equipment in a timely manner throughout the littorals. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Mary Torres)
The Hypersonix DART AE vehicle aboard Rocket Lab’s HASTE launch vehicle at the Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia. (Photo credit: Hypersonix)
The Cassowary Vex mission marked the first deployment of a commercial-built hypersonic testbed developed under the Hypersonic High-Cadence Advanced Testing program.
