Northrop logs first flight for self-funded drone wingman
The YFQ-48A performed fully autonomous “taxi, takeoff, in-flight maneuvers and landing” over the Mojave Desert in California, according to Northrop Grumman.
EXCLUSIVE: Air Force halts F-16 ejection seat competition
The 90-day suspension tees up a final decision on whether to compete a deal for new ejection seats on the F-16, despite a previous move by the Air Force to reopen the Next Generation Ejection Seat program.
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Why Bigger Fences Aren’t Enough in the Age of Drones
Traditional thinking about how to protect facilities must adapt to new threats such as drones or downstream attacks.
Air Force picks General Atomics, Anduril to build first CCA drone wingmen
Anduril, Shield AI and Collins have been tapped to develop the autonomy system for the collaborative combat aircraft.
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Navigation warfare is about the battle to assure positioning, navigation, and timing
The U.S. Army’s MAPS Gen II program of record for assured PNT provides an authoritative and reliable source of truth for combat vehicles in a highly contested battlespace.
The F-35’s future: The power and cooling competition that could change everything [Video]
In part two of our F-35 roundtable video series, Breaking Defense takes a look at why the PTMU is so important and gets into how the competition looks going forward.
Lockheed eyes two-year timeline to pick new F-35 cooling system
The company is examining “all offers that’re out on the market today to make that decision, so it’s not going to be a quick choice,” Lockheed’s F-35 program manager Chauncey McIntosh told Breaking Defense.
The Army’s Digital Transformation
AI is reshaping the Army’s approach to cyber, electronic warfare and command and control. At TechNet Augusta 2026, leaders outlined how they’re turning emerging technology into capabilities for the battlefield.
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The F-22 is having a modernization moment
How RTX is helping the Raptor stay ready to dominate the skies.
Air Force reopens F-16 ejection seat deal, setting up contest between Collins, Martin-Baker
While the Air Force will originally focus on a competition to place new ejection seats in the service's F-16 fleet, “decisions following the competition could extend to other platforms, including the F-22 and B-1," the Air Force said.
As Air Force reviews ejection seat deal, Collins, Martin-Baker gear up for a fight
The Air Force is nearing a decision on whether to recompete an ejection seat contract held by Collins. If the service changes course, it will send shockwaves through the duopoly that fights over every potential ejection seat sale.
EXCLUSIVE: Lockheed launching competition to replace F-35 cooling system
The competition sets up a showdown between incumbent supplier Honeywell Aerospace and competitor Collins Aerospace.
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Biodefense is force protection: Ready today, prepared for tomorrow
A decorated combat aviator and biotech CEO advocates preparing for novel viral threats before the next crisis.
ACC chief expects NGAD down select this year, ‘hopeful’ F-35 deliveries will resume this month
Breaking with service leadership, Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach said he opposes divesting certain F-22 Raptors, whose retirements have been repeatedly blocked by Congress.
South By Southwest festival bars Army, defense industry from ‘sponsoring’ 2025 event
However, an Army spokesperson tells Breaking Defense the service does not believe it is fully banned from all future events, and did not rule out the possibly of attending SXSW in some capacity next year.
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Military innovation and savings: Go commercial
DoD uses FAR Part 12 acquisitions to save hundreds of millions of dollars in “of a type” systems like civil landing systems with applicability to military aircraft.
Honeywell unveils new F-35 thermal management fix as Pentagon hunts for better cooling
“Now that we understand that 80 kilowatts is a must-have, it was the mission of: how do we get there, with the lowest impact to the overall airframe?” Honeywell Aerospace’s Matt Milas told Breaking Defense in an exclusive interview.