Advanced / Transformational Technology Archives - Defense Daily

DoD Opens $30 Million Prize Challenge For Autonomous Non-Tactical Vehicles

Cal Biesecker — Fri, 22 May 2026 20:22:06 +0000

The Defense Department’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) last Friday kicked-off a $30 million prize challenge that seeks to make better use of the Pentagon’s fleet of manually-operated non-tactical vehicles (NTVs) […]

Stratolaunch Announces Hypersonic Flight Test With Missile Defense Agency

Cal Biesecker — Thu, 21 May 2026 20:51:31 +0000

Stratolaunch on Thursday said that it successfully conducted a hypersonic flight test in March for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), launching its liquid engine-powered Talon-A3 reusable flight vehicle from a […]

SSC And SpaceWERX To Launch Orbital Logistics Challenge

Frank Wolfe — Wed, 20 May 2026 21:40:46 +0000

The Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) and the service’s SpaceWERX innovation arm are to launch an In-Domain Orbital Logistics Challenge to find and advance commercial technologies to sustain satellites. […]

Amca Raises $300 Million To Bolster Aerospace And Defense Supply Chain

Cal Biesecker — Wed, 20 May 2026 14:29:01 +0000

Amca, a startup founded 18 months ago to accelerate product development, qualification and delivery, and strengthen the aerospace and defense supply chain, has raised $300 million in a new funding […]

Shield AI’s AI Pilot Software Selected To Provide Collaborative Autonomy To LUCAS Drones

Cal Biesecker — Tue, 19 May 2026 19:44:35 +0000

Shield AI on Tuesday said the Defense Department has picked the company’s Hivemind artificial intelligence software to pilot Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Aircraft System (LUCAS) one-way attack drones and allow them […]

Data Center Startup Armada Raises $230 Million; Partners With Johnson Controls On Manufacturing

Cal Biesecker — Tue, 19 May 2026 11:23:32 +0000

Armada, a developer and manufacturer of modular, relocatable data centers has raised $230 million in a new funding round to boost production capacity to meet demand and strengthen its balance […]

DIU Picks Five Companies As Winners of Drone Dominance Program’s Lethality Challenge

Frank Wolfe — Mon, 18 May 2026 20:17:03 +0000

The Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has chosen five companies as winners of the Drone Dominance Program’s Lethality Prize. Northrop Grumman [NOC] was the only traditional defense company picked. The […]

Australian AI Sensor Startup Arkeus Raises $18 Million To Help Expand In U.S, Europe

Cal Biesecker — Fri, 15 May 2026 18:33:56 +0000

Australia’s Arkeus has raised $18 million in a Series A round to help developer of artificial intelligence-enabled hyperspectral sensors to expand and scale manufacturing in Australia, the U.S. and Europe. […]

Pentagon Signs Framework Deals To Rapidly Buy Low-Cost Cruise Missiles, New Hypersonic Weapon

Matthew Beinart — Wed, 13 May 2026 21:28:35 +0000

The Pentagon on Wednesday announced new framework agreements to advance on rapidly fielding thousands of low-cost cruise missiles over the next few years and a deal to move forward on […]

With Software Add, L3Harris Turns Its Tactical Radios Into Counter-Drone Sensors And Effectors

Cal Biesecker — Wed, 13 May 2026 19:11:13 +0000

L3Harris Technologies [LHX] on Wednesday introduced an upgrade to an existing waveform used in its tactical radios that transforms them into a distributed network of radio frequency sensors and effectors […]

Army Awards Leidos $2.7 Billion To Accelerate Hypersonic Work

Cal Biesecker — Tue, 12 May 2026 21:12:19 +0000

Leidos [LDOS] on Tuesday said it received a $2.7 billion Army contract to unify two hypersonic programs it is developing for the Army and Navy in an effort to accelerate […]

SPACECOM Chief: Maneuver Needed For High Value Satellites

Frank Wolfe — Tue, 12 May 2026 21:05:12 +0000

While safety in numbers is a defining trait of low Earth orbit satellites, including those in the Space Development Agency’s future Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, key geosynchronous orbit satellites, such […]

Swarmer Leads Ukrainian Team Developing Counter-Unmanned Systems Platform

Cal Biesecker — Tue, 12 May 2026 11:29:01 +0000

The drone autonomy company Swarmer [SWMR] on Tuesday said it will integrate technologies from three Ukrainian-based firms to create a containerized system that can send swarms of drones into the […]

NRO Created GPU-Based Testing Environment To Validate AI Models, Director Says

Cal Biesecker — Mon, 11 May 2026 20:43:26 +0000

To test and verify the artificial intelligence-based models that the agency is increasingly using as it applies the technology to its workflows, on-orbit checkout, satellite tasking and data fusion, the […]

USSOCOM Experimenting With Commercial GEOINT Imagery And Analytics At The Edge

Cal Biesecker — Mon, 11 May 2026 16:12:45 +0000

SkyFi is under a research and development contract with U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) to allow Special Forces to assess the startup’s commercial-based self-service Earth observation platform and analytics on […]

Space Control Budget More Than Doubles To About 30 Percent Of Space Force Request

Frank Wolfe — Fri, 08 May 2026 19:43:27 +0000

Space Control is about 30 percent of the Space Force’s fiscal 2027 budget request of $71 billion, which is to include $12 billion in a future reconciliation bill, according to […]

Pentagon Conducting Review Of Its Military Labs, Identifying ‘Barriers’ To Tech Proliferation

Matthew Beinart — Wed, 06 May 2026 21:32:56 +0000

The Pentagon is currently conducting a review of its military laboratories to assess “barriers” that can be removed to proliferate its technology development work faster, officials said Wednesday. The review […]

NGA Director Focused On AI Support for Mission, Transformation, And Workforce

Cal Biesecker — Wed, 06 May 2026 21:14:13 +0000

AURORA, Colo.—To ensure the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is postured to meet rapidly evolving threat and warfighters’ needs, is resilient, and exploits emerging technologies, the agency’s new director on Wednesday […]

Skunk Works Head Named President of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

Frank Wolfe — Wed, 06 May 2026 18:49:54 +0000

Orlando “OJ” Sanchez, Jr., the vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, is to become president of Lockheed Martin‘s [LMT] Aeronautics business on June 1, the company […]

Vast Majority Of Luno Contracts Use Artificial Intelligence, NGA’s Commercial Chief Says

Cal Biesecker — Tue, 05 May 2026 13:53:19 +0000

AURORA, Colo.—Most of the contracts the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is awarding for unclassified commercial analytics around economic monitoring and domain awareness are using artificial intelligence tools, and that will […]

Army Picks Carnegie Robotics To Be Autonomy Provider For Heavy Logistics Trucks

Matthew Beinart — Fri, 01 May 2026 21:15:06 +0000

The Army has picked Carnegie Robotics as the winner of its program to integrate autonomous driving capability on heavy logistics trucks, with an aim to issue prototypes to a unit […]

Textron Nabs DIU Award For Small USVs In Support Navy Experiment

Cal Biesecker — Fri, 01 May 2026 20:49:23 +0000

Textron’s [TXT] Textron Systems segment last Thursday said it received a contract from the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to deliver multiple TSUNAMI unmanned surface vessels (USVs) in support of a […]

Near Earth’s Unmanned Bell 505 Offering Picked For Marines’ Resupply Drone Development Effort

Matthew Beinart — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 21:42:06 +0000

Near Earth Autonomy has announced its selection for the second increment of the Marine Corps’ Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle–Expeditionary Logistics (MARV-EL) development program, with plans to work on an unmanned […]

Unmanned Warfare Frontier Model Developer Scout AI Raises $100 Million

Cal Biesecker — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 20:26:49 +0000

Scout AI, which is squarely focused on developing a frontier artificial intelligence model for unmanned warfare, on Wednesday said it has raised $100 million in an oversubscribed Series A round […]

Firestorm Labs Raises $82 Million To Transition Mobile 3D Printing Tech, Drones Into Production

Cal Biesecker — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:58:17 +0000

Firestorm Labs, which has developed additive manufacturing cells that can be forward deployed to print drones and parts, raised $82 million in a Series B funding round as it transitions […]

Marines Tap Sikorsky, Robinson’s Unmanned R66 For Medium Resupply Drone Development Effort

Matthew Beinart — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 21:47:38 +0000

The Marine Corps has selected Sikorsky [LMT] and Robinson Helicopter’s R66 Turbinetruck for the second increment of the Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle–Expeditionary Logistics (MARV-EL) development program, the companies said on […]

Army Begins Evaluating Bumble Bee Drone Interceptor With Autonomous Kill Capability

Cal Biesecker — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 19:01:44 +0000

FORT BRAGG, N.C.—Army paratroopers here last Thursday began assessing a new drone prototype designed to autonomously intercept adversary small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to inform further development of the Bumble […]

Booz Allen Invests In Autonomy Orchestration Company NODA AI

Cal Biesecker — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:00:06 +0000

Booz Allen Hamilton [BAH] last Friday said it made a strategic investment in NODA AI, a startup developing software that allows different autonomous systems to work together across air, land, […]

DoD Details Massive Drone, Industrial Base Investment In FY ‘27, Explains Reconciliation Outlook

Matthew Beinart — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 21:28:57 +0000

Senior Pentagon officials on Tuesday detailed the department’s aim to massively increase spending on drone and industrial base investment initiatives by tens of billions of dollars in fiscal year 2027, […]

AV Demonstrates Laser Weapon System Aboard Navy Aircraft Carrier Against Drones

Cal Biesecker — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 20:34:33 +0000

AeroVironment [AVAV] on Tuesday said it successfully demonstrated its LOCUST laser weapons system aboard the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) during a live fire demonstration at sea in October 2025, […]

Leidos Partners With Havoc To Enhance Autonomous Capabilities On USVs

Cal Biesecker — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 20:45:35 +0000

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.—Leidos [LDOS] and the all-domain autonomy company Havoc on Monday formally partnered to add the startup’s collaborative autonomy capabilities to Leidos’ existing autonomy stack used on its family […]

Autonomous Maritime Vessel Developer Ulysses Announces $46 Million In Funding

Cal Biesecker — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 20:03:55 +0000

Autonomous maritime vessel developer Ulysses on Thursday said it has raised $46 million in two funding rounds, a previously undisclosed seed financing last year, and new Series A investment, to […]

DIU Soliciting For Open Mission Platform Aimed At Airlift And Tanker Aircraft

Cal Biesecker — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 19:50:19 +0000

The Defense Department is seeking prototype open mission solutions to allow its high-value airlift and tanker aircraft to operate in contested environments through a common operating picture, the Defense Innovation […]

Moving Target Indication, Orbital Warfare Among Areas Needing Increased Investment, Space Force Official Says

Frank Wolfe — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 21:04:10 +0000

Space-based moving target indication, launch infrastructure, orbital warfare, and positioning navigation and timing are some segments of the defense industrial base that need more funding, a U.S. Space Force official […]

Saltzman Wants NASA’s Help For Cislunar Space Domain Awareness

Frank Wolfe — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:51:37 +0000

Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman wants to collaborate with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, a billionaire and commercial astronaut, on common mission areas, such as cislunar space domain awareness. […]

X-Bow Partners With Factory Engineering Company UNION To Boost Manufacturing

Cal Biesecker — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:37:02 +0000

Solid rocket motor and suborbital launch vehicle manufacturer X-Bow Systems on Thursday said has partnered with UNION Technologies to integrate software-defined factory capabilities into its manufacturing processes to increase capacity. […]

As DAF Considers Future Communications Architecture, SDA Stays Focused On Supplier Diversity

Frank Wolfe — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:34:59 +0000

As the Department of the Air Force (DAF) considers a future sensor-to-shooter communications architecture that may reserve a key spot for SpaceX, the Space Development Agency (SDA) intends to stick […]

AV Expects Upgraded LOCUST X3 Laser To Be ‘Forward Deployed’ In Coming Months

Matthew Beinart — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 21:29:08 +0000

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – AeroVironment [AVAV] has already received production orders for its new, upgraded LOCUST X3 laser weapon capability, according to a lead company official, who said the first systems are […]

Space Force May Need Uptick In Wallops Island Launches Due To Commercial Demand

Frank Wolfe — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 21:03:32 +0000

While the Space Force has used Wallops Island, Va., to launch niche missions, including small-satellite orbital and sounding rocket hypersonic suborbital launches, the service may need to ensure that it […]

Epirus, GD And Kodiak Unveil Autonomous Directed Energy System For Domestic C-UAS Use

Cal Biesecker — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 13:00:13 +0000

Epirus, General Dynamics [GD] and Kodiak AI on Tuesday introduced an autonomous pickup truck with a high-power microwave (HPM) for point defense against small drone threats in the United States. […]

Army Accepts First Optionally-Piloted Black Hawk, Will Inform Scaling Autonomy Across The Fleet

Matthew Beinart — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 21:09:24 +0000

The Army announced Friday it has officially accepted the first Black Hawk helicopter outfitted to fly autonomously, with the plans for the aircraft to now undergo a “rigorous testing phase.” […]

Rocket Lab Nabs $190 Million Contract For HASTE Launches In Support Of Hypersonic Testing

Cal Biesecker — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 21:12:53 +0000

Rocket Lab [RKLB] on Wednesday said it received a $190 million contract, the largest in the company’s history, to provide suborbital launch services for a Defense Department program that is […]

U.S. Space Command Forecasts On-Orbit Maneuver In Geosynchronous Orbit As Important

Frank Wolfe — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 20:14:18 +0000

U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM) explored the importance of maneuvering satellites, especially those in geosynchronous orbit, in an Apollo Griffin wargame last year, according to U.S. Space Force Maj. Gen. Samuel […]

Pentagon Discussing Second B-21 Production Line, FY 2027 Budget May Give Clues On Space Control And EA-37B Buy

Frank Wolfe — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:26:17 +0000

U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) has said it needs around 145 Northrop Grumman [NOC] B-21 Raider stealth bombers–at least 45 more than now planned, and discussions continue about opening a second […]

USAF Looks To Have Analysis On Numbers, Unit Cost Goals For CCA By Summer Or Fall

Frank Wolfe — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 21:12:32 +0000

The U.S. Air Force is in the midst of determining how many Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) it wants and unit cost goals for the drones, which are to field initially […]

Anduril Says New $20 Billion Army Enterprise Deal Is An ‘Ordering Guide’ For Its Commercial Tech

Matthew Beinart — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 21:42:34 +0000

An Anduril Industries official said Monday the company’s new 10-year, $20 billion enterprise agreement with the Army acts as an “ordering guide” for the federal government to buy any of […]

Anduril Nabs $20 Billion Army Award For Enterprise-Wide Counter-Drone Solutions

Cal Biesecker — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 22:17:25 +0000

The Army on Friday awarded Anduril Industries a $20 billion contract for hardware and software to meet the service’s “unified, mission-ready” operational and business needs for common counter-drone command-and-control (C2) […]

Army To Expand UAS Marketplace Across DoD Soon, Details CSO For Industry’s Offerings

Matthew Beinart — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 21:13:03 +0000

The Army will roll out its new UAS Marketplace across the service “in the next month or so,” with its acquisition chief confirming plans to then expand access to the […]

Air Force Flight Tests Affordable Missile Demonstrator With Ursa Major Engine

Cal Biesecker — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 18:57:10 +0000

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) on Thursday said it recently conducted a first flight test of the Affordable Rapid Missile Demonstrator (ARMD) powered by Ursa Major’s Draper liquid rocket […]

Havoc Adds Air, Land Domains To Its Collaborative Autonomy Solutions With Two Acquisitions

Cal Biesecker — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 18:42:25 +0000

Havoc, which has been focused on applying its collaborative autonomy technology to unmanned surface vessels (USVs), on Wednesday said it has acquired two companies that give it an entrée in […]