drone Archives

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman John Ives, 90th Ground Combat Training Squadron defender, pilots a drone during an X4 and SMASH 2000L Systems Firing Qualification at Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center’s North Training Area, Wyoming, May 15, 2026. The drone carried balloon targets to help operators practice acquiring, tracking and engaging simulated aerial threats. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Michael A. Richmond)

One year in, America’s counter-drone task force still has ‘a ton of work to do’

JIATF-401 leaders met to discuss inroads made and what’s next as pressure mounts to mitigate domestic UAS threats.

4 days ago By Brandi Vincent Lindsey Wilkinson

U.S. Air Force Airmen attach balloons to a drone during at Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center’s North Training Area, Wyoming, May 15, 2026. The balloons served as aerial targets, allowing defenders to simulate engagements against small unmanned aircraft systems. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Michael A. Richmond)

U.S. military to host directed energy ‘shoot-off’ amid governmentwide counter-drone push

Officials leading the Joint Interagency Task Force 401 shared new details about that pilot program and other updates on recent progress.

Aug 21, 2026 By Brandi Vincent

Army Pfc. Eric Searcy, an electronic warfare specialist assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division, searches for electronic signals using a Terrestrial Layered System Manpack (TLS Manpack) during a field training exercise at Fort Stewart, Georgia, April 19, 2026. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Rakeem Carter)

Back from Ukraine support mission, Army signal officers say service still needs to shed old GWOT spectrum mindset

The officers recently served in advisory roles for the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine, a Germany-based, U.S.-led organization founded after Russia’s invasion in 2022 that oversees support for Kyiv.

Aug 19, 2026 By Drew F. Lawrence

U.S. Army Green Berets assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), survey the terrain during military mountaineering training as part of Exercise Diesel 26 at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, Feb. 24, 2026. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Rhianna Ballenger)

SOCOM planning to test new mission autonomy software for unmanned systems program

The command plans to hold multiple events to assess industry solutions in the coming months, according to a special notice.

Aug 18, 2026 By Jon Harper

Members of the Air Force and Ohio Air National Guard look at laptops during field prototype testing evaluation for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) Portable Command and Control Enclave (C2E). (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Shane Hughes).

Air Force conducts tests of CCA ground control system prototypes

The Command and Control Enclave (C2E) program is another new effort under development for the Air Force's robotic wingman platforms.

Aug 17, 2026 By Mikayla Easley

Army Staff Sgt. Kristopher Runyon, assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border, aims a Dronebuster Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft System (C-sUAS) during a patrol along the Rio Grande River near Eagle Pass, Texas, June 14, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by Pvt. Adrianna Douglas)

Top Northcom general adds to drumbeat of warnings about weak drone defenses in the homeland

“We’re seeing it used on a daily basis around the world, and we’ve got to figure out how to mitigate that threat,” Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Jarrard…

Aug 14, 2026 By Drew F. Lawrence

Scouts with the 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, fly a Rogue 1 drone by Teledyne FLIR Defense during Project Convergence Capstone 6 at Fort Irwin, California, July 22, 2026. (DefenseScoop photo by Drew F. Lawrence).

More reach, more to carry, more to learn: How soldiers wrestled with drones in the Mojave Desert

Project Convergence Capstone 6 produced lessons that soldiers measured in capability, reliability, weight and the oppressive desert conditions that pervaded all of it.

Aug 11, 2026 By Drew F. Lawrence

U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (Jan. 26, 2026) A mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicle equipped with a mobile-low, slow, small-unmanned aircraft integrated defeat system (M-LIDS) launcher fires a counter-unmanned aerial system at a fixed wing target during a training exercise in Bahrain. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Iain Page)

Army seeks next-gen missile that could shoot down small drones for less than $150K a pop

The service issued an RFI on Aug. 4 to support the initiative.

Aug 4, 2026 By Jon Harper

U.S. service members and civilian contractors with CACI work at the operations center during the SkyValor Operational Demonstration at Cannon Air Defense Complex in Yuma, Arizona, May 13, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Sarah E. Foster)

Pentagon’s counter-drone task force inks $500M contract for SkyValor ‘detect and defeat’ system after border testing

The system will be deployed to “critical,” but unspecified sites, including as part of an initial task order for the Pentagon’s Domestic Shield initiative.

Jul 31, 2026 By Drew F. Lawrence

Illustration of Mayhem 10 drones. (Image courtesy of AV)

AV and Applied Intuition team up to bring collaborative autonomy to new Mayhem 10 drone

“Our Acuity ISR/Strike software brings collaborative autonomy to Mayhem 10, rapidly delivering next-generation capabilities through platform-agnostic software with operator oversight,” said Jason Brown, general manager of Applied…

Jul 29, 2026 By Drew F. Lawrence