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)
During the recent Operation Lethal Eagle, Northrop Grumman demonstrated its new Lumberjack drone and its ability to conduct autonomous target detection via the Maven Smart System.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Freddy Muñoz and Sgt. Kory Millsap, assigned to 3rd Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment, engage a target using an M224A1 60mm Lightweight Mortar System from a conventional setup at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, March 17, 2026. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Sgt. Addison Shinn)
Blast overpressure, as the effect is called, is the sudden, volatile expansion of air from not only explosions, but weapon systems commonly used by ground troops.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Air Force Gen. Dan Caine conduct a press briefing on Operation Epic Fury at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., March 31, 2026. (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)
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)