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Launched Effects

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)

Army receives first optionally-piloted Black Hawk helicopter

“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…
Launched effects are expected to bring a critical capability to the Army with advanced teaming between crewed and uncrewed systems to detect, identify, locate, and report pacing threats in contested environments. (Photo by Shawn Nesaw)

Army issues solicitation for ‘launched effects’ autonomous drones

Army leadership has directed program officers to field the drones to every division and Multi-Domain Task Force in 2026.
U.S. Soldiers from various units across Europe launch a Switchblade 600 during Loitering Munitions Training at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Nov. 5, 2024. This was the first time U.S. Soldiers launched Switchblade 600s, a loitering munition system, in Europe. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Cody Nelson)

Army’s fiscal 2026 budget proposal aims to equip infantry brigades with more kamikaze drones

The request for additional loitering munitions comes as officials are undertaking a new Army Transformation Initiative to modernize the force for future high-tech combat.
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The Army’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Project Management Office, in collaboration with the U.S. Special Operations Command, executed a flight demonstration involving the first launch of the Air-Launched, Tube-Integrated Unmanned System (Altius) 700 air vehicle on Dec. 3, at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. (Army photo by Daniel Henke.)

SOCOM gearing up to assess air-launched kamikaze drones

U.S. Special Operations Command is looking for loitering munitions that can be dropped from a variety of aircraft in its inventory.
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