Seahawk, a Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) prototype, departs Naval Base Point Loma, California, Aug. 6, 2025. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn)
An Anvil drone interceptor launches from its platform in response to a drone threat during an exercise at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., Oct. 24, 2025. The Anvil is an autonomous drone that, when prompted by an operated, can detect, track and classify a threat, and, if required, mitigate the threat with a non-kinetic, low-collateral defeat option. The fly-away kit, shown here, includes the Anvil launch box, mobile sentry trailer; two Wisp wide-area infrared systems; two Pulsar electromagnetic warfare systems; and command-and-control software called Lattice. (Department of Defense photo by John Ingle)
A soldier assigned to 1st Cavalry Division uses a drone on the Hunter/Killer lane during the U.S. Army Best Drone Warfighter Competition on Feb. 18, 2026, in Huntsville, Alabama. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michelle Lessard-Terry)
A U.S. Sailor, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 31, serves as a medical safety observer on the flight deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while underway, March 17, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo)
Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll and Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Randy A. George join “Fox and Friends” to discuss the new Department of Defense memorandum on Army transformation and acquisition reform, at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., May 1, 2025. (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)
The U.S. Army officially received a groundbreaking H-60Mx Black Hawk helicopter, extensively modified to fly with or without a pilot at the controls. (Photo courtesy Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company)
“After years of successful demonstrations on both commercial and military aircraft, the technology has matured. It is now a reliable system, ready for formal military evaluation,” the…
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle conducts an all hands call with Sailors across the waterfront aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8), Feb. 10, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joshua Martinez)
A quadcopter drone hovers in an indoor training area on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Jan 28, 2026. Many small, commercially availabe drones come equipped with high-definition camers and can be programmed to automatically transmit data to adversaries. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Theodore Gowdy)
Drone incursions over stateside military bases and other restricted areas have been widespread in recent years as commercially available systems proliferate.
A B-52 Stratofortress from the 5th Bomb Wing taxis at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., Oct. 26. 2025. The U.S. Northern Command Counter-small Unmanned Aerial System fly-away kit, seen in the foreground, and operators were rapidly deployed to the North Dakota base as part of an exercise to demonstrate the command’s ability to quickly support installation commander experiencing a drone incursion. (Department of Defense photo by John Ingle)