Defense Secretary Hegseth ordered creation of a four-star functional combatant command for autonomous systems to stand up October 1, 2027, building on Drone Dominance playbook that has delivered 13,440 drones.
U.S. Navy evaluated the MQ-9B SeaGuardian maritime unmanned aircraft at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island as part of capability assessment for 7th Fleet under a Company-Owned, Company-Operated contract.
Indra Group acquired Dares Technology to integrate synthetic-aperture radar and image-processing software into its Tarsis uncrewed aircraft systems for all-weather ISR missions.
The 2d Cavalry Regiment conducted its first operational strike with Purpose-Built Attritable Systems at Grafenwoehr on September 30, moving FPV drones from simulation to live-fire employment.
DHS National Urban Security Technology Laboratory tested DJI drones against approved Blue UAS alternatives in New York City and withheld performance scores from the public report, revealing the Chinese-made Matrice 4T outperformed domestic competitors.
The Florida drone startup listed on Nasdaq after merging with Aureus Greenway, bringing a $90M Air Force IDIQ for its Guardian interceptor and a $22.3M commercial counter-drone deal with a Middle East oil and gas client.
The Air Force formally launched the Massed Modular Aircraft program to develop a lower-cost, modular drone successor to the MQ-9A Reaper, selecting seven companies including Otto Aerospace, Anduril, and General Atomics, with a target of 500+ aircraft by 2032.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memorandum to remove administrative bottlenecks in counter-UAS technology deployments, targeting approval timelines of days or weeks instead of months.
The Army created the Futures and Autonomous Systems Command and designated a Program Acquisition Executive for Autonomy to accelerate fielding of autonomous fires, combat vehicles and collaborative teaming platforms by fiscal 2028.
France's Air Force, DGA and defense AI agency announced Hypairion, a sovereign autonomous combat aviation program designed to fly crewed-unmanned teams in 2028 and integrate into Rafale F5 by 2033.
Echodyne secured an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a $250M ceiling from JIATF-401 to supply MESA radars for counter-UAS operations domestically and overseas.
The Army created Army Futures and Autonomous Systems Command to develop and field autonomous fires, combat vehicles and manned-unmanned teaming by fiscal year 2028, acting on Pentagon guidance.
Powerus, a US drone company founded in 2025 with Ukrainian technology, completed a reverse merger to become publicly traded. The company holds a $90M Air Force IDIQ contract for Guardian-2 counter-drone systems and a $2.5M DoD purchase order.
Echodyne secured a $250 million ceiling IDIQ contract from Joint Interagency Task Force 401 to supply MESA counter-UAS radar systems for domestic counter-drone operations through the Domestic Shield program.
The Navy is procuring more than 30 medium unmanned surface vessels through Other Transaction Authority agreements with Galliano Marine Services, HII, and Saronic Technologies at roughly $40 million per vessel.
The Air Force will award software licenses to a single vendor for Collaborative Combat Aircraft increment one mission autonomy, with the procurement occurring one year ahead of the program's initial operational capability.
Neros Technologies and Perennial Autonomy won the top rankings in the Pentagon's Drone Dominance competition, securing orders for 14,000 and 8,000 drones respectively as the Defense Department invests $1 billion to scale domestic drone production.
The U.S. Air Force is nearing critical milestones for its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, including the first live-fire test of the FQ-42 Vengeance missile, deployment of both CCA designs at Emerald Flag 2026, and selection of a mission-autonomy software supplier.
Saronic secured a $400M production Other Transaction Agreement from the U.S. Navy to deliver 10 Marauder autonomous surface vessels following successful 140+ scenario testing without failure.
DroneShield secured a three-year, $500 million indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract from JIATF-401 to supply counter-unmanned aircraft systems capabilities for U.S. homeland defense.
Saronic Technologies won a Firm-Fixed Price production contract from the U.S. Navy for its 180-foot Marauder autonomous surface vessel after completing rigorous at-sea testing without failure across 140 test scenarios.
Amprius Technologies received a $75 million Department of War grant to retrofit a U.S. production line for high-energy density battery cells powering Group 1-3 drones, targeting 12 million annual cells by early 2028.
Defense Secretary Hegseth convened a 120-day strategic study co-led by Elon Musk and Anduril's Palmer Luckey to recommend technologies for future warfare. Pentagon simultaneously established Autonomous Warfare Command to accelerate autonomous systems deployment.
Defense Secretary Hegseth announced creation of Autonomous Warfare Command with service-like authorities and a target establishment date of October 1, 2027 to accelerate adoption of drones and robotic assets across the joint force.
Defense Secretary Hegseth announced creation of AUTOWARCOM, a new four-star command to scale drone and autonomous systems across the joint force. Project Agincourt will serve as interim step before full standup in October 2027.
Secretary Hegseth announced creation of a four-star Autonomous Warfare Command and Project Meridian, a panel led by Palmer Luckey and Elon Musk to study the future of warfare.
Huntington Ingalls Industries won a U.S. Navy contract to build 10 ROMULUS uncrewed surface vessels for the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel program, leveraging its Odyssey Autonomous Control Solutions autonomy suite.
Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced a wartime initiative to develop humanoid and ground robots, aiming for first combat results within six months and autonomous assault operations within a year.
The U.S. Army issued 10 indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts worth $4.15 billion for counterdrone systems to 10 companies. The awards are part of a planned $7 billion program using the Pentagon's drone marketplace.
The Navy awarded 30 medium unmanned surface vessels at roughly $40 million per unit across three contractors following successful at-sea testing, establishing a recurrent procurement model.
The U.S. Army awarded up to $7 billion in indefinite delivery contracts to 10 companies for counter-drone sensors, effectors and command-and-control systems supporting the Domestic Shield program.
The Council of the EU designated the Drone and Counter-Drone European Resolve project as one of five European Defence Projects of Common Interest eligible for EU funding through the European Defence Industry Programme.
Redwire has delivered over 300 Penguin reconnaissance drones to Ukraine since 2022, with an undisclosed NATO country ordering the next-generation Penguin Mk3 under a multi-year contract valued in the high eight figures.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memorandum lowering barriers to counter-unmanned aircraft system deployment and expanding JIATF-401 authority to coordinate safety and legal reviews, reducing approval delays.
STARK revealed the Vanta-12, a 12-meter unmanned surface vessel armed with MBDA's Sea Venom anti-ship missiles, after completing capability testing in Portugal.
Vectus Air Defense Systems announced firm orders for 40 Swarmer-built air defense systems in year one and 80 in year two, priced at $5M-$6M per unit, with manufacturing at a new Poland facility.
Elroy Air raised $175M through expanded PIPE financing ahead of a business combination with Inflection Point Acquisition Corp. VII to scale production of its Chaparral autonomous cargo VTOL aircraft.
The U.S. Department of War awarded Amprius Technologies up to $75 million to convert an existing EV battery production line into high-energy-density cell manufacturing for small and medium drones, targeting 12 million cells per year by early 2028.
Elroy Air expanded its PIPE commitments to $175 million, with $75 million already funded.
Swarm Defense Technologies received a $25 million prototype delivery order for 4,000 Kiwi one-way attack quadcopters under the U.S. Department of War's Drone Dominance Program.