drone Archives

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.

16 hours ago 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.

2 days ago 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…

4 days ago 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

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brien Disbro, a crew chief assigned to the174th Attack Wing, performs post-flight maintenance on an MQ-9 Reaper on Mar. 10, 2025 at Springfield-Beckley Air National Guard Base in Springfield, Ohio. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Shane Hughes)

Air Force to begin concept refinement of MQ-9 replacement by end of year

The Air Force will select multiple vendors to conduct early analysis to help the service shape its requirements and cost for the Massed Modular Aircraft program.

Jul 28, 2026 By Mikayla Easley

A Boeing Defence Australia’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat, a production representative test aircraft, performs a flyover during Exercise Valiant Shield 2026 over Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, June 25, 2026. (U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Adrien Tran)

After Valiant Shield exercise, PACAF commander says he’s ‘impressed’ with Australia’s Ghost Bat drone program

The MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone recently flew with manned fighter aircraft during a recent multinational exercise in the Pacific.

Jul 27, 2026 By Jon Harper

Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral, Commanding General of the III Armored Corps and Fort Hood, recognized, awarded and visited with Soldiers in the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade on Fort Hood Texas, Sept. 23, 2025. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Hayden Epperley)

Pentagon announces Trump nominee to lead U.S. Army Europe and Africa

Army Lt. Gen. Kevin Admiral, currently commanding general of III Armored Corps, has been picked to command USAREUR-AF.

Jul 24, 2026 By Jon Harper