The Palo Alto startup won a $13M APFIT procurement award to supply vision-based autonomy modules for military satellites, enabling GPS-denied navigation and space domain awareness without ground control.
Red Cat Holdings launched a €205 million cash bid for Austrian diesel engine maker Steyr Motors, which supplies engines for Red Cat's Variant 7 unmanned surface vessel. The offer requires 50% shareholder acceptance and regulatory approval across four countries by H1 2027.
Rheinmetall and MSC have won an auction to acquire Romania's Mangalia shipyard for €138 million to establish a dual-use civil and military naval shipbuilding hub in South-Eastern Europe.
Elbit Systems secured a $235 million contract to supply PULS rocket artillery launchers and EXTRA-MR precision-guided rockets to an undisclosed European NATO customer, expanding the system's footprint as a HIMARS competitor.
Australia is investing $5.8 billion over ten years in autonomous undersea capabilities and spending $1.7 billion to acquire a new fleet of domestically designed Ghost Shark uncrewed underwater vehicles.
Ingalls Shipbuilding received a $99 million Navy contract modification to conduct sea trials for the Zumwalt-class destroyer DDG 1002, which will be equipped with the Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic weapon system as part of a $21.5 billion program.
BAE Systems committed to increase Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System production to 25,000 units per year under a 7-year Defense Department framework agreement, with a pathway to 35,000 units annually for international customers.
FEMA awarded $250 million in counter-UAS grants for fiscal year 2027 to all 50 states, five territories, and DC to develop drone detection and tracking capabilities, expanding a prior $250 million program.
The Navy successfully controlled Boeing's unmanned refueling aircraft via Ground Control Station aboard the carrier, validating hardware and software for carrier integration and demonstrating the pathway for unmanned aircraft in future Carrier Air Wings.
US Army Pacific is deploying mobile missile launchers, radar, and air defenses across Indo-Pacific island chains and allied territories to counter Chinese geographical advantage and support logistics operations thousands of miles from home bases.
NIOA and MBDA signed a memorandum to assess Australian manufacture of Deluge, a ground-launched jet-powered munition with 500 kilometre range designed for cost-effective saturation attacks.
The 7th Infantry Division (Multi-Domain Command-Pacific) tested Ukrainian-built Magura uncrewed surface vessels as floating launch platforms for aerial drones during exercise Bayonet Quest 26 in Michigan from September 26 to October 6, 2026.
Daimler Truck Defence secured an order for 61 Mercedes-Benz Unimog vehicles for the New Zealand Defence Force fleet renewal programme, with phased delivery beginning in 2027.
Ohio Department of Transportation released a statewide digital enterprise network plan (2026-2029) to enable drone and eVTOL operations, airspace management, and beyond visual line of sight flights aligned with FAA regulations.
Belarusian-made autonomous strike drones with 450 km/h speed and 10 kg warheads have appeared with Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army. Serial number 074 suggests larger supply batches to non-state actors.
Slovenian turret maker Valhalla Turrets announced Skythunder, a mobile air defense system combining a 20mm M197 Gatling gun and 70mm laser-guided rockets mounted on an Oshkosh FMTV 6x6 truck chassis for counter-drone and critical infrastructure protection.
Latvian company NATRIX showed its unmanned ground vehicle to Finnish defense and security officials at an October demonstration in Mikkeli, building toward potential procurement discussions.
UK startup Stratonex Defence Technologies unveiled VARAN, a modular unmanned ground vehicle for ISR, logistics, force protection, electronic warfare and counter-drone missions with GPS-denied autonomous navigation and low signatures.
Guangzhou Shipyard International built a second uncrewed underwater vehicle mothership nearly identical to a Shanghai-built vessel, signaling a strategic commitment to autonomous underwater operations that outpaces U.S. Navy capabilities.
BlackSky has expanded its multi-year contract with HEO, adding higher-resolution Gen-3 satellite imagery to monitor spacecraft and objects in orbit. The seven-figure annual extension reflects growing demand for space domain awareness capabilities.
Year-old missile startup Furientis raised $25 million in seed funding and secured selection as one of four vendors for the U.S. Army's IFPC Inc 2 interceptor fly-off scheduled for end of fiscal 2027.
The British unmanned surface vessel maker raised $175 million in 2026 and is scaling production to 1,000 boats annually, with K3 Scout drones confirmed in combat strikes against Russian targets in the Black Sea.
Starfighters Space is transitioning its Starlaunch 1 suborbital air-launch vehicle from ground development to flight testing with a captive-carry test on an F-104 Starfighter scheduled for December 2026.
USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group 9 arrived in Japan with Leidos' Seahawk unmanned surface vessel, marking the first operational deployment of a large unmanned vessel alongside a U.S. carrier strike group.
L3Harris and U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command completed the first flight demonstration of Red Wolf air-launched effect from an MH-60 helicopter, bringing the Wolf Pack portfolio to 60 total demonstrations.
New Zealand signed a NZ$1.648 billion foreign military sale agreement for five Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk maritime helicopters, with deliveries starting in 2030 to replace older Super Seasprites.
Blue Origin is spending $330 million to expand its Rocket Park facility in Florida, building a 1.37 million-square-foot plant to manufacture up to 150 New Glenn upper stages annually by summer 2027.
Rheinmetall is investing approximately €20 million to expand its Albacete plant in Spain, adding capacity for 3 million medium-calibre ammunition components per year and growing the mortar production workforce from 210 to 300 employees.
The U.S. Army will use open systems architecture as a key evaluation criterion to choose between American Rheinmetall and General Dynamics Land Systems for the XM30 Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle competition, valuing rapid technology integration and counter-UAS adaptation.
Lockheed Martin is investing $300 million to expand its Grand Prairie, Texas facility supporting PAC-3 MSE, THAAD, Precision Strike Missile and AIM-260 production, adding 100,000 square feet of manufacturing space and nearly 100 high-precision machines.
The Pentagon is significantly expanding its operational footprint in Panama, including jungle training, civil affairs, and infrastructure work, reflecting a strategic shift to prioritize Western Hemisphere security and canal protection.
KNDS and its Norwegian partner RITEK opened a production facility in Levanger to build 37 Leopard 2A8NO main battle tanks for the Norwegian Army at 36 tanks per year, part of a 54-tank procurement program.
The U.S. Army created a new military occupational specialty focused on field adaptation of autonomous systems rather than piloting. Ten warrant officers graduated from the 19-week 390A program at Fort Bragg.
NORTHCOM's 100-person Joint Task Force-Gold is coordinating sensor, satellite, and interceptor integration to field Golden Dome air defense capability by 2028, with emphasis on cyber defense and operationalization.
Lockheed Martin delivered the first C-130J-30 airframe to the U.S. Navy on October 15 for conversion into the E-130J Phoenix II, a next-generation airborne nuclear communications platform to replace the E-6B Mercury for TACAMO missions.
Defense Secretary Hegseth unveiled a $50 billion investment plan to expand U.S. autonomous weapons production from thousands to millions of systems, including one-way attack drones and robotic vehicles, requiring congressional budget reconciliation.
An F-22 Raptor pilot successfully commanded a YFQ-44A Collaborative Combat Aircraft during an October 2026 airborne tactical demonstration, validating manned-unmanned teaming control. The Air Force targets 500 CCAs by 2032 and 1,000 by 2030.
The U.S. Army issued an RFP for light autonomous missile launchers on October 15, with prototype awards expected December 18, 2026, and live-fire testing at Talisman Sabre 2027 in Australia.
The FCC will vote October 29 to end recognition of all mainland Chinese test laboratories by December 1, 2028, affecting 82% of the 46,402 devices that applied for US import authorization in 2025.
The Navy deployed a medium-sized unmanned surface vessel with a carrier strike group for the first time in October 2026, accelerating integration of autonomous systems into fleet operations under a new acquisition structure.