unmanned aircraft Archives - Defense Daily

MQ-25 Okayed For Production With Milestone C Approval

Rich Abott — Tue, 19 May 2026 20:38:30 +0000

The Navy on Tuesday announced the Boeing [BA] MQ-25A Stingray carrier-based unmanned tanker aircraft officially received its Milestone C approval, setting it up for Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) later this […]

First MQ-25 Flight Test Pushed To Early 2026

Rich Abott — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 22:18:28 +0000

The Navy and Boeing [BA] have pushed back the initial flight test of the first MQ-25A Stingray aircraft carrier-based tanker aircraft into early 2026. The government-industry team insisted they are […]

Quantum Tech Firm IonQ Invests In, Partners With, Drone Company Heven

Cal Biesecker — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 16:34:53 +0000

IonQ [ONQ] this week said it has made a financial investment in hydrogen-powered drone developer Heven AeroTech, part of a new strategic partnership between the companies to bring quantum technology […]

F-22 Controls Unmanned General Atomics MQ-20 Drone In Industry Demo

Rich Abott — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 22:38:12 +0000

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) on Monday announced the successful test of an F-22 Raptor fighter controlling an MQ-20 Avenger unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) for the first time […]

MQ-4C Approved For Initial Use Despite Deficiencies That Could Prevent Mission Success, Says Pentagon Auditor

Rich Abott — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 21:37:18 +0000

The Navy “failed to effectively manage the operational capabilities” of the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft program, declaring Initial Operation Capability (IOC) before undergoing an initial testing phase despite having several […]

Navy Air Boss Confirms MQ-25 Will Still Test Fly This Year, Followed By Carrier Integration In ‘26

Rich Abott — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 21:18:42 +0000

The Navy Air Boss this week confirmed the new MQ-25 carrier-based unmanned tanker aircraft will test fly this year, followed by aircraft carrier integration in 2026. “The key to that […]

Australia Test Teams Up Ghost Bat Drones With E-7A Wedgetail Aircraft

Rich Abott — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 20:26:18 +0000

Australia on Monday said that it demonstrated pairing two MQ-28A Ghost Bat drones controlled from an E-7A Wedgetail aircraft. The Australian Ministry of Defense explained that during the test out […]

Navy Seeks Industry Help For Foreign Partner Long Range UAV

Rich Abott — Thu, 08 May 2025 21:23:43 +0000

The Navy is seeking industry input on potential solutions for a long-range unmanned aircraft to be used by an unspecified partner country. The Request For Information (RFI), published Wednesday, specifically […]

NAVAIR Head Warns First MQ-25 Flight This Year Still Requires “A Ton Of Work”

Rich Abott — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 21:29:59 +0000

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – The commander of Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) this week warned a lot of work is still required with the new MQ-25 Stingray unmanned carrier-based tanker […]

Air Boss: Unmanned MQ-25 Will Fly This Year, Opens Way To 6th Gen Collaborative Combat Aircraft

Rich Abott — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 22:17:12 +0000

SAN DIEGO – The Navy Air Boss Tuesday confirmed the first MQ-25A Stingray aircraft carrier-based unmanned tanker aircraft will start test flying later this year, a necessary step to getting […]

Navy Picks SNC To Develop More Prototype Logistics Drones

Rich Abott — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 21:44:57 +0000

Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) on Dec. 5 said the Navy awarded it a prototype other transaction (OT) agreement to develop the technology to support autonomous unmanned air transport capability for […]

Textron To Deploy Aerosonde UAS On More Ships

Rich Abott — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 20:47:17 +0000

Textron Systems [TXT] this week announced it recently won two contracts to deploy and provide services to operate its Aerosonde UAS to four more U.S. Navy ships. On Nov. 18 […]

Honeywell Partners with Near Earth Autonomy In Autonomous Rotorcraft Competitions

Rich Abott — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 20:47:28 +0000

Avionics supplier Honeywell [HON] on Monday announced the start of an investment and collaboration agreement with autonomy provider Near Earth Autonomy to bid on for autonomous rotorcraft. Honeywell said the […]

Northrop Grumman Demonstrates MQ-4C Navigation In Arctic Circle

Rich Abott — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 19:10:26 +0000

Northrop Grumman [NOC] on Thursday announced it demonstrated the ability of a navigation system used by a MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicle to operate at high latitudes within the Arctic […]

MARV-ELous: Navy/Marine Corps Test Prototype Resupply Drones

Rich Abott — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 20:58:27 +0000

The Navy and Marine Corps said they recently completed performance evaluation of two unmanned aerial system options to perform medium aerial resupply for the Marine Corps, a project called the […]

Navy Installs First MQ-25 Control Room On Aircraft Carrier

Rich Abott — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 21:20:42 +0000

The Navy said on Aug. 15 it recently installed the first new control room on an aircraft carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), where the operators will control the […]

Marine Corps Commandant Says MQ-9 Has Cloaking Pod

Rich Abott — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 20:31:13 +0000

The commandant of the Marine Corps Tuesday said the service’s MQ-9 Reaper drones have an electronic warfare pod that makes it “mostly undetectable” to opponent radars. “What they bring with […]

Navy Starts Market Research On More Sub-Launched Air Drones

Rich Abott — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 18:22:27 +0000

The Navy issued a sources sought notice last week to find potential vendors to build and support more Submarine Launch Unmanned Aerial System (SLUAS) All-Up-Rounds (AUR). The SLUAS UAR program, […]

Navy Awards Boeing $657 Million Mod For Two More MQ-25s

Rich Abott — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 19:09:29 +0000

The Navy awarded Boeing [BA] a $657 million modification to the MQ-25 contract on March 29 to add production and delivery of two more system demonstration test aircraft (SDTA). This […]

BAE Nabs Boeing Contract To Upgrade MQ-25 Computer

Rich Abott — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 20:50:17 +0000

BAE Systems said Monday it won a Boeing [BA] contract to upgrade and modernize the vehicle management system computer (VMSC) for the carrier-based MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aircraft refueler. The upgraded […]

Navy Pushes Back MQ-25A Stingray Unmanned Tanker Timeline After Inspector General Warnings

Rich Abott — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 19:25:14 +0000

The Navy pushed back its timeline for the Boeing [BA] MQ-25A Stingray carrier-based unmanned tanker aircraft after the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DOD OIG) warned the current […]

Navy’s MQ-4C Triton UAV Achieves IOC, Back For Second Deployment

Rich Abott — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 18:45:59 +0000

The Northrop Grumman [NOC] MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicle reached a Navy declaration of initial operating capability (IOC) on Aug. 3 and the aircraft are back in Guam for another […]

Navy Plans Industry Event To Explain Unmanned Aircraft Needs

Rich Abott — Thu, 10 Aug 2023 17:34:41 +0000

The Navy said its Program Executive Officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons (PEO(U&W)) will hold an industry event in late September to help industry learn about the service’s unmanned […]

MQ-25 IOC Pushed Back To 2026 Due To Production Maturity Challenges

Rich Abott — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 21:29:12 +0000

Production challenges have pushed the initial operational capability (IOC) of the Navy’s MQ-25A Stingray unmanned carrier-based tanker back a year to 2026, a program executive said last week. Speaking during […]

Northrop Grumman Wins $248 Million Contract For Two More MQ-4C Tritons

Rich Abott — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 20:52:32 +0000

The Navy awarded Northrop Grumman [NOC] a $248 million modification to procure two more low-rate initial production (LRIP) Lot 5 MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The Navy is procuring […]

First Textron UAS Flying With Navy Destroyer Now, Second Later This Year

Rich Abott — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 21:50:51 +0000

Textron [TXT] said on Monday its Aerosonde small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) conducted its first flight and maritime integration with a Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) guided missile destroyer last month. […]

Navy Developing New MQ-8C Mine Countermeasure Systems, Demo This Spring

Rich Abott — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 22:15:08 +0000

The Navy is developing a new mine countermeasure system sensor suite to be used on the Northrop Grumman [NOC] MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter, with a prototype test set for […]

Northrop Grumman Delivers First MQ-4C With IFC-4 Configuration

Rich Abott — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 18:55:22 +0000

Northrop Grumman [NOC] delivered the first MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to the Navy in the Integrated Functional Capability (IFC)-4 configuration on Feb. 1, the company said. The aircraft […]

Navy May Integrate Link-16 Into MQ-8C Late

Rich Abott — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 22:20:37 +0000

The Navy is not certain if it will stay on target to integrate Link-16 into the Northrop Grumman [NOC] MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter fleet by fiscal year 2023 due […]

First MQ-8C Deploys With Navy

Rich Abott — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 22:17:38 +0000

The latest version of the Northrop Grumman [NOC] Fire Scout unmanned helicopter, the MQ-8C, deployed for the first time aboard the Littoral Combat Ship USS Milwaukee (LCS-5) last month, the […]

MQ-25 Finishes Non-Flight Carrier Demo Tests

Rich Abott — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 21:33:03 +0000

The Navy successfully controlled the unmanned MQ-25A Stingray tanker aircraft on an aircraft carrier for the first time in non-flight deck handling demonstration tests aboard the aircraft carrier USS George […]

MQ-25 Boards CVN-77 For Non-Flight Tests

Rich Abott — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 21:06:41 +0000

The Boeing [BA] MQ-25A Stingray test asset arrived on the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) aircraft carrier for non-flight handling tests on Nov. 30, the Navy said last week. The […]

Navy Extending Textron UAS Contract On ESB-4

Rich Abott — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 21:01:56 +0000

The Navy on Nov. 5 announced its intention to issue a sole source contract to Textron [TXT] to extend Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services aboard […]

MQ-25 Test Aircraft Conducts First F-35C Refueling

Rich Abott — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 20:41:26 +0000

Boeing’s [BA] MQ-25A Stingray unmanned carrier-based tanker test asset, called T1, conducted the first unmanned aerial refueling with a Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35C Joint Strike Fighter for the Navy on […]

Navy Picks Martin UAV V-BAT In Prototype Effort

Rich Abott — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 19:49:40 +0000

The Navy selected Martin UAV and its V-BAT for a vertical take-off and landing unmanned aircraft system (UAS) prototyping effort as a result of the Mi2 Challenge concluding this month. […]

MQ-8B Crashes Into Littoral Combat Ship After Launch

Rich Abott — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 16:54:05 +0000

An MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter crashed into the side of the littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Charleston (LCS-18) after taking off from the ship on April 26, the U.S. […]

Triton Operating Better Than Expected, Navy Official Says

Rich Abott — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 21:49:05 +0000

The Navy’s top officer in charge of developing unmanned vehicles this week said the Northrop Grumman [NOC] MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based in Guam is doing better than […]

Navy Procuring Aerovironment Blackwings For Sub-launched UAV Program

Rich Abott — Wed, 10 Mar 2021 19:36:12 +0000

Naval Sea Systems Command intends to issue a sole source request for proposals for a two-year contract to Aerovironment, Inc. to procure up to 120 Blackwing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for […]

Raytheon Wins $33 Million For Coyote Block 3 Unmanned Vessel Work

Rich Abott — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 22:27:40 +0000

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) last week awarded Raytheon Technologies [RTX] a $33 million contract for work to launch the Coyote Block 3 unmanned aircraft from unmanned vessels. The […]

DARPA’s UAV LongShot Project Begins To Use Air-To-Air Weapons

Rich Abott — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 22:15:30 +0000

The Pentagon is launching a new unmanned air vehicle (UAV) to engage opponents in air-to-air combat with the LongShot program. On Feb. 8, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) […]

Navy Developing UAS For Ship Cargo Resupply

Rich Abott — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 22:01:32 +0000

The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) acquired a logistics Unmanned Air System (UAS) prototype in October to demonstrate long-range naval ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore cargo transport and it is […]

Navy Establishing First MQ-25A Stingray UAV Squadron In 2021

Rich Abott — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 21:40:25 +0000

The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) directed the establishment of the first MQ-25A carrier aerial refueling unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) squadron to occur next year, ahead of initial vehicle deliveries. […]

Marine Corps Partners with Air Force Agility Prime on eVTOL Aircraft for Logistics

Brian Garrett-Glaser — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:30:04 +0000

The Pentagon’s interest in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft continues to grow, with the Marine Corps’ Warfighting Lab now partnering with the Air Force’s Agility Prime program to […]

Report: No Data Leakage from DJI Drones ‘At a Glance’

Brian Garrett-Glaser — Wed, 20 Nov 2019 22:09:28 +0000

A DHS-funded report examining information security risks associated with drones found no evidence of data leakage, or the ability for data to be covertly retrieved, from two DJI models that […]