• Training

  USAF issues Bandit design contract for UAV-based red air training

  15th March 2022

  As part of the Bandit programme, Blue Force Technologies will mature a high-performance UAV design for adversary air training with US pilots.

• Land Warfare

  THOR evolves into Mjölnir to hammer drones

  1st March 2022

  Leidos is working on a new prototype C-UAS solution called Mjölnir, which harnesses a high-power microwave weapon to defeat drones.

• Digital Battlespace

  DoD to investigate further use of 5G

  6th April 2022

  In its FY2023 budget request, the DoD called for $250 million to be allocated for 5G projects with the goal to deepen the use of this technology in military applications. Providing low-latency and higher speeds communications are among the goals for the US armed forces.

• Digital Battlespace

  HawkEye 360 to provide RF analytics for AFRL

  14th January 2022

  AFRL programme focuses on developing and transitioning space capabilities for more effective and affordable missions.

• Defence Notes

  USAF contracts ViaLite Communications for SATCOM solution

  5th January 2022

  The Air Force Research Lab approached ViaLite to develop a new SATCOM solution.

• Digital Battlespace

  USAF awards contract extensions for advanced RF signal processing

  28th December 2021

  Work under the Extreme Radio Frequency Bandwidths programme aims to deliver the USAF an asymmetric advantage in A2/AD environments.

• Digital Battlespace

  DoD starts 5G dynamic spectrum sharing experiments

  3rd December 2021

  The DoD is evaluating the technical feasibility, methodologies and utility of spectrum sharing and coexistence with diverse 5G networks in a band of vital importance to commercial industry. Awards for this effort to 12 suppliers totalled $173 million.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  General Atomics climbs aboard OBSS

  29th October 2021

  GA-ASI joins Kratos in R&D effort for the Off-Board Sensing Station programme.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  USAF picks Kratos for new MUM-T programme

  27th October 2021

  Off-Board Sensing Solution programme for USAF blends sensor extension for crewed aircraft with an attritable offensive weapons capability.

• Digital Battlespace

  Joint initiative targets small UAS threat

  25th October 2021

  The Joint Counter Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office embodies a focused and targeted approach across the US armed services to develop a toolkit of solutions.

• Air Warfare

  DSEI 2021: Leonardo supports USAF and RAF collaboration

  16th September 2021

  Leonardo has supported RAF and USAF Synergia R&D programme through its integration of C-UAS technology.

• Defence Notes

  Curtain rises on ACT-IV

  31st August 2021

  DARPA, USAF and Northrop Grumman hope digital AESA will enhance operational flexibility.

• Defence Notes

  Sarcos and BAE team up to explore advanced perception and sensing capabilities

  16th August 2021

  New platform to address the issues around coordinating individual and multiple heterogeneous autonomous platforms like UASs and UGVs.

• Air Warfare

  Heaviside takes a step forward for Agility Prime

  20th July 2021

  Flight tests of US electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft are about to enter the next stage.

• Training

  USAF looks to broaden exploitation of AI for pilot training

  10th June 2021

  The core advantage of AI in training is its ability to draw correlations from different data sets, and to learn, adapt and evolve based on changes in the environment.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Bandit (US)

  Programme Background Goal As stated by Alyson Turri, the AFRL Bandit programme manager, the goal is to "develop an unmanned platform that looks like a fifth-generation ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Off Board Sensing Station (OBSS) [USA]

  Programme Background What is OBSS? The USAF envisages OBSS as an attributable, low-cost and modular manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) platform with similar capabilities to Skyborg, a programme ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  ALUAV (India)

  Programme Background  Origins The development programme has its origins in the US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative signed between the nations in 2006 and renewed in 2015. ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  ALUAV (US)

  Programme Background  Origins The development programme has its origins in the US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative signed between the nations in 2006 and renewed in 2015. ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Skyborg [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Intention Skyborg is one of three USAF Vanguard programs outlined in the Air Force Science and Technology 2030 initiative. The program intends ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Data links

  QNT

  The QUINT Networking Technology (QNT) programme is intended to develop robust, affordable, miniature networked data link technologies suitable for use on weapons and by tactical ...

• Data links

  TTNT

  The Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT) programme is intended to develop, evaluate and demonstrate reconfigurable, affordable, robust, interoperable and evolvable communications technologies to support emerging ...

• Subsystems: software

  SWARM

  CHI Systems worked with Lockheed Martin on a programme for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to build software models that imitate human behaviour, and ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  XQ-67A

  In February 2024, GA-ASI first released images of the XQ-67A, a drone developed as part of a contract to support the USAF's Off-Board Sensing Station ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Demogorgon

  In late October 2021, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) awarded Kratos Unnamed Systems Division an initial $17.68 million 12-month cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to develop an Off-Board Sensing ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  ULTRA

  The Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft (ULTRA) is a fixed-wing drone from DZYNE Technologies.  It is described as a long-endurance, GPS-harded intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform with full ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  XRQ-73

  The US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) unveiled the flying design of the XRQ-73 in June 2024. The aircraft has been developed under the  Series ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  XQ-58 Valkyrie

  The XQ-58 Valkyrie is a high-altitude, long-endurance, runway-independent, high-subsonic 'Loyal Wingman' UAS developed jointly by Kratos and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to be used in ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Gambit (Series)

  The Gambit Series are five UAV variants based around the Gambit Core, a common system containing the platform's hardware: landing gear, baseline avionics, chassis, and other essential functions. ...

• Air Force Test Center

  The Air Force Test Center at Edwards AFB, California, is Air Force Materiel Command's centre of excellence for research, development, test and evaluation of aerospace ...