Missiles, drones and air-defense weapons galore: Images from AUSA’s final day
AUSA's Annual Meeting and Expo in Washington winds down with an appearance by the defense secretary.
With unmanned systems in the forefront, Marine Corps evolves how it operates
Marines could begin operational testing with drone wingmen in 2029, and in the future could conduct their own intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions in lieu of contractors, officials said during the Modern Day Marine conference in Washington.
From directed energy to AI and hardening, JIATF-401 is widening counter-UAS options
There is no single answer to the drone threat, pushing the Pentagon toward a broader mix of defenses.
Navy tests long-range JDAM, striking out to 200 nautical miles
The modified Joint Direct Attack Munitions were launched from Navy F/A-18E Super Hornets in back-to-back tests, according to JDAM-maker Boeing.
Rheinmetall teams with Boeing for German Ghost Bat offer
Industrial planning depends on first securing a CCA contract and beating out a number of competitors.
Air Force taps four companies to expand engine options for loyal wingman drones
Beehive Industries, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney and a teamup of GE Aerospace and Kratos will “mature engine designs” for future drone wingmen and other autonomous platforms, according to the Air Force.
DIU, Navy seek long-range drones for maritime strikes
A new solicitation from the Defense Innovation Unit asks for unmanned systems capable of carrying 1,000-pound-class munitions that can fly in a 600-nautical-mile radius.
presented by
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.
Reed: Congress ‘would have to’ codify Trump’s defense industry stock buyback mandates
The top SASC Democrat stopped short of supporting Trump's executive order, as a few defense firms said they're on board, at least publicly.
Northrop, Kratos team picked for Marine Corps drone wingmen
Northrop Grumman will serve as the prime contractor and integrate mission systems on Kratos’s XQ-58 Valkyrie for the Marine Corps’s MUX TACAIR Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.
Shield AI’s X-BAT drone to be powered by same GE engine as F-15, F-16 fighters (Exclusive)
The announcement marks the first official partnership for GE on a drone wingman platform.
Eyeing international sales, General Atomics moves to build drone wingmen in Europe
The company plans to tap its German-based affiliate General Atomics Aerotec Systems GmbH to produce and customize drone wingmen for European customers.
presented by
A leap in drone range and payloads come from a battery with different chemistry
Lithium-metal batteries are one way to break the weight and endurance limits of today’s unmanned systems.
Airbus, Kratos team to pitch German Air Force drone wingmen
An Airbus spokesperson told Breaking Defense that the partnership, featuring Kratos’s XQ-58A Valkyrie paired with Airbus-provided mission systems, is “offer[ing] our German customer something we believe they have a requirement for in the coming years.”
GE, Kratos broaden engine partnership, targeting ‘lower end’ CCA
The duo's new GEK1500 engine is set to offer 1,500 pounds of thrust and is expected to be demonstrated next year.
Rafael, Kratos team to produce solid rocket motors as Prometheus Energetics
The two firms become the latest entrant in the solid rocket motor business, which has boomed since the war in Ukraine began.
Kratos wins firm’s largest-ever $1.5 billion award for DoD hypersonic testbed
Kratos will be tasked with “systems engineering, integration, and testing (SEIT), to include integrated subscale, full-scale, and air launch services to address the need to affordably increase hypersonic flight test cadence,” according to the company.