• Naval Warfare

  DARPA awards contracts for Phase 2 of Manta Ray programme

  27th December 2021

  Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation and Martin Defense Group were selected to build and test Manta Ray unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). The companies are each developing unique full-scale demonstration systems.

• Air Warfare

  DARPA strives for the future helicopter pilot

  2nd February 2022

  US DARPA has contracted Northrop Grumman to develop a rotorcraft pilot AI assistant.

• Digital Battlespace

  DARPA orders support for JADC2 enabling programme

  4th January 2022

  Peraton is supporting the MINC programme, which would help to enable JADC2.

• Naval Warfare

  Anduril acquisition reflects growing interest in AUVs

  3rd February 2022

  The AUV space is seen as a growing sector with deterring and defeating near-peer competitors requiring undersea capabilities.

• Digital Battlespace

  DARPA deals out Blackjack ground centre contract

  14th December 2021

  Parsons is to complete a ground operations centre by mid-2024 for the DARPA Blackjack satellite programme.

• Defence Notes

  HAWC makes strides with further flight tests planned

  27th December 2021

  Northrop Grumman continues to work on optimising the performance of US hypersonic missiles.

• Defence Notes

  EDA members look beyond traditional research partners

  9th December 2021

  EDA member countries are ramping up efforts to involve universities, academic institutions, start-ups, SMEs and non-defence related companies in their programmes to develop innovative solutions.

• Defence Notes

  Electric Sky to test long-distance power transmission for UAVs

  8th December 2021

  DARPA persists in funding research into extending the power range and mission endurance of UAVs.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy contracts RE2 Robotics to join project CLAMS

  16th November 2021

  RE2 Robotics joins US Navy effort to develop a control system to improve UUV manipulation capabilities.

• Digital Battlespace

  Raytheon demonstrates SDR for DARPA

  23rd November 2021

  Raytheon Intelligence & Space has successfully demonstrated the integration of Intel’s System-on-a-Chip into Raytheon’s E-Alpha module.

• Training

  Military Training magazine: Maintenance training; Laser-based TES and more

  23rd November 2021

  Read the latest edition of Military Training for free in our app or on your desktop.

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2021: Military must address AI disconnect from lab to frontline

  30th November 2021

  A roadmap, including a plan to address training requirements, is needed to ensure that US military AI programmes are not lost in translation from theory into practice.

• Naval Warfare

  Improved KraitAway passes trials

  20th October 2021

  ASW towed array proved its ‘exceptional sensing performance in small vessels’, SEA claims.

• Defence Notes

  Senate mark-up of US FY2022 budget focuses on China

  28th October 2021

  The US Senate Appropriations Committee is proposing a significant top-up of the Biden administration's defence budget proposal for FY2022.

• Defence Notes

  Lockheed Martin opens hypersonics facility in Alabama

  8th October 2021

  The new site is dedicated to the company’s hypersonic strike programmes.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  LongShot [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement According to DARPA, the objective of the LongShot programme is "to disrupt the paradigm of air combat operations by demonstrating an unmanned ...

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

  AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY) [US]

  Programme Background Aims & Timeline As stated by DARPA, the ANCILLARY programme aims to develop and fly an X-plane that will provide a "leap-ahead" in long-endurance, ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement Originally conceived as a replacement for the F-22, the PCA was designed to counter various air threats, including integrated air defence systems ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military - UUVs

  Manta Ray

  Manta Ray is an uncrewed underwater vessel (UUV) developed by Northrop Grumman.

• Military - UUVs

  Bluefin-Knifefish

  The Bluefin-Knifefish UUV was initially developed for the Surface Mine Countermeasure UUV (SMCM UUV) programme for the USN’s Littoral Combat Ships. It is manufactured by General Dynamics ...

• Sea: procedural training

  UUV Training Simulator

  The Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) Training Simulator teaches users how to operate and control a UUV, specifically with reference to mine hunting. The UUV is ...

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

  LongShot

  The LongShot is a developmental air-launched platform intended to increase the survivability of friendly crewed aircraft. In February 2021, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) ...

• 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 ...

• Sea: procedural training

  2 Sigma Digital Tutor

  A Digital Tutor that is designed to outperform schoolhouse instructors, bringing CTC training to a broad spectrum of sailors. Specifications include improving student outcomes for ...

• Military - USVs

  NOMARS

  The No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) is a US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) effort to develop a first-of-its-kind large uncrewed surface vessel.

• Major networking projects

  CHAIN

  The Compartmented High Assurance Information Network (CHAIN) is described as a robust architecture that improves interoperability of IT systems among the military services and security ...

• Riptide Mk II

  At Oceanology International 2018, Riptide Autonomous Solutions presented its second-generation micro-UUV – the Mk II. The Riptide Mk II UUV has a maximum speed of ...

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

  XV-24A LightningStrike

  The XV-24A LightningStrike, developed by Aurora Flight Sciences and its partners Rolls-Royce and Honeywell, was a project for a tilt-wing UAV powered by an electric-distributed ...

• Sea: sonar systems

  UUV-3500

  The Klein UUV-3500 side-scan sonar family is composed of the mid-depth (3000m) high-resolution, low-power, dual-frequency and the deep (6000m) variant which is a higher power ...

• Military - UUVs

  BlueWhale

  BlueWhale is an autonomous uncrewed underwater vessel (UUV) developed by Israel's Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

• Military - UUVs

  Iver4 580

  The Iver4 580 is a UUV designed by L3Harris for commercial and defence survey operations.

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Shrike

  The Shrike was a micro, portable, rugged VTOL-capable UAV designed for frontline day/night ISR.  Development of the Shrike began in 2008 under a $4.6-million contract from ...

• Military - UUVs

  D19 UUV

  Naval Group's family of D19 drones are AUVs designated for varying taskings such as identification, surveillance, EW, mobile target, minelaying and MCM operations.