Germany's armed forces have issued an immediate ban on Chinese-made drones including 500 DJI Matrice M30T units contracted in November 2024, ordering replacement with German or European systems to protect military data and technological sovereignty.
The Royal Navy awarded Saab £15 million to supply Sea Giraffe 1X radars for Kraken Technology's autonomous K3 Scout surface vessels. The system enables uncrewed boats to detect, track and classify airborne threats autonomously.
European Commission announced a comprehensive overhaul of drone regulations and advanced air mobility policy, projecting a €35 billion civil and defense drone market by 2035 to close the competitive gap with the USA and China.
Amazon Prime Air secured the world's first SAIL 4 Operating Authorisation from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, expanding eligible households in Darlington from 600 to 8,000 for autonomous beyond-visual-line-of-sight delivery operations.
The Royal Navy will demonstrate Northrop Grumman's jet-powered autonomous combat aircraft from HMS Prince of Wales in 2027 under Project VANQUISH, informing requirements for a future Hybrid Air Wing combining crewed and uncrewed platforms.
The U.S. Air Force completed a classified strategic plan emphasizing autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, sensing, networking and unmanned platforms as drivers of future airpower generation and procurement.
Path Robotics secured $300M in Series E funding led by Georgian to scale AI-enabled robotic welding for defense shipbuilders and aerospace manufacturers including HII, Saronic Technologies and Lockheed Martin.
The U.S. Navy and allied navies are transitioning from crewed minesweeping vessels to unmanned remote systems paired with AI-powered classification tools to reduce personnel risk and expand coverage in strategic waterways.
Dutch deep-tech startup Optics11 closed €100M in funding including €25M venture debt from the European Investment Bank. The company is running 35 paid trials with 5 to 10 navies testing its fiber-optic underwater detection technology.
Machina received a $9 million contract to develop containerized robotic micro-factories for forward-deployed production of LUCAS low-cost attack drones, aiming to decentralize supply chains over an 18-month period.
AeroVironment won a $315M initial delivery award under a $940M ceiling indefinite-delivery contract for autonomous systems and loitering munitions through its AxS segment.
Norwegian firm pitches converted 56-meter trawlers equipped with Thales UK sonar to meet Royal Navy Type 92 unmanned vessel requirements for Arctic anti-submarine warfare.
Finland and Ukraine signed defense agreements worth €300 million, allocating €200 million for drone production through the Drone Deal initiative and €100 million for joint manufacturing partnerships under the Build with Ukraine program.
Skyways unveiled Skyreach (V3), a long-range autonomous VTOL cargo drone with 100 lbs payload and 1,300-mile range, developed as the production platform from its $37M Air Force STRATFI contract award.
Alphabet's Wing is committing $125 million over two years to build a 15,000-square-foot drone manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, Texas, with capacity to produce tens of thousands of aircraft annually.
The U.S. Army confirmed it will complete Defense Secretary Hegseth's directive to deploy unmanned systems across 12 divisions and three Multi-Domain Task Forces by end of 2026.
The Federal Communications Commission is moving forward with a proposed ban on imported and sold foreign military-grade drones including thermal, LiDAR, and spray models weighing 55 pounds or more, with a 180-day transition period after Federal Register publication.
Axon committed $1.2 billion to increase its ownership of drone maker Skydio from 15% to 37% and secured exclusive distribution rights to U.S. and Canadian public safety agencies, targeting a $13 billion addressable market.
U.S. Central Command received over 1,300 attack drones and 24,000 counter-drone systems, demonstrating defense industrial capacity to manufacture and field autonomous systems at scale for theater operations.
Zipline closed a $1.5 billion funding round at $21.5 billion valuation, nearly tripling from its $7.6 billion valuation in January 2026. Walmart and Uber will anchor a national network targeting one million daily deliveries by end of 2029.
Utah-based Vector won a 5,000-unit government order for its Warfighter's Stack integrated attack drone system after ranking fourth in the Pentagon's Drone Dominance Program competition.
Cargo drone developer Dronamics will merge with SPAC GP-Act III to list on Nasdaq at $400M pre-money valuation, raising approximately $100M net proceeds to scale Black Swan production and fund defense applications.
Saab's Advanced Programs unit flew an autonomous AI agent in a Gripen E fighter conducting beyond-visual-range air combat scenarios, marking the first real-world validation of the capability after millions of simulated flight hours.
Joby Aviation announced a planned acquisition of defense tech company Resonant Sciences and expanded its autonomy-focused Air Force contracts to approximately $37 million, signaling growing DoD confidence in autonomous aircraft capabilities.
Airbus displayed the U050 Capa-X at Euronaval for France's SDTL light tactical drone program with deliveries planned for 2027, but analysis shows the airframe closely resembles Chinese manufacturer Mugin UAV's GV500/GV600 platforms.
Shield AI unveiled X-BAT 001, the first full-scale prototype of its jet-powered vertical-takeoff fighter drone backed by the U.S. Navy, moving it to Kansas flight test facilities as the design evolves toward operational capability.
France announced a government-industry framework to accelerate unmanned maritime capability development, with initial orders for ROV Deep Sea drones, countermine robots, and combat underwater vehicles.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems unveiled the Gambit 6 uncrewed combat aircraft for European procurement, offering air-to-ground strike and electronic warfare capabilities. International airframes available 2027, European-assembled versions by 2029.
The European Commission and France's state investment bank launched a program backed by €150 million in EU guarantees to establish 30 French-Ukrainian defense partnerships over three years, targeting drones, communications and space technology.
The Army Research Laboratory finished testing VICTOR, a hybrid-electric VTOL drone with a 3D-printed rotary engine burning heavy fuel, involving 30+ universities, 13 federal labs and 20+ companies.
Oshkosh Defense will help scale production of Grid Aero's Lifter autonomous aircraft, a Group 4/5 unmanned system. The companies plan to build thousands of aircraft for the Defense Department and commercial customers.
Skydio announced a $3.5 billion five-year investment in U.S. manufacturing and supply chain expansion, part of a broader push to build domestic drone production capacity alongside Pentagon orders for thousands of systems.
Thales subsidiary Advanced Acoustic Concepts received a $53.9M Navy contract to produce two integrated Remote Mine Hunting modules, with options potentially raising total value to $196.2M.
Naval Group unveiled a 37-meter autonomous surface vessel with containerized combat systems and 10-day mission autonomy. French Navy confirmed armed versions are on roadmap as later increments while accelerating smaller drone programs.
U.S. Navy will host a demonstration for the Marine Corps' second-generation tactical resupply drone in Huntsville from Jan. 25 to Feb. 5, 2027. Entrants must carry 100 pounds over a 40-nautical-mile round trip without refueling.
The RAF's General Atomics MQ-9B SkyGuardian flew its first operational missions in UK airspace, providing more than 10 hours of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance coverage while Royal Navy vessels tracked a Russian frigate through the English Channel.
Australia committed A$600 million to provide Fiji with solar-powered Bluebottle uncrewed surface vessels for maritime drug trafficking detection across Pacific routes, with first deployments scheduled for early 2027.
NATO successfully linked its Maven targeting system to a national military system using agentic AI and conducted a cross-border counter-drone engagement during a two-week experiment in Latvia, with over 60 technology companies participating.
China's PLA Navy confirmed the GJ-21 stealth UCAV completed electromagnetic catapult launch and arrested landing aboard the Type 076 Sichuan during October sea trials, marking the first heavy fixed-wing stealth drone deployment from an amphibious assault ship.
France is expanding dedicated drone-combat squadrons modeled on the 1st Hunter-Drone Squadron, which proved in exercises that a small drone team can inflict outsized casualties on conventional forces.