Breaking Defense
• Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
The Pentagon is formally coordinating with In-Q-Tel, the CIA-funded investment firm that has backed startups including Anduril and Palantir, to identify and support emerging technologies. The partnership expands the defense establishment’s connection to a venture-investment network focused on technology with national-security applications.
AI
Latest source-backed stories
Satellite software company Satlyt secured $8 million in seed financing led by non sibi ventures to develop virtual AI data centers in space. The funding will support engineering and customer-delivery hiring while scaling software deployments across spacecraft operated by other companies.
The Pentagon is formally coordinating with In-Q-Tel, the CIA-funded investment firm that has backed startups including Anduril and Palantir, to identify and support emerging technologies. The partnership expands the defense establishment’s connection to a venture-investment network focused on technology with national-security applications.
Shield AI has announced new test-flight and production sites for its X-Bat jet, including Forge 3, the program’s main production site. Forge 3 is scheduled to open in spring 2027, establishing a defined milestone for the aircraft’s manufacturing infrastructure.
France plans to demonstrate crewed fighter jets operating alongside AI-powered combat drones in 2028 through Project Hypairion. The effort reflects the French Air Force’s push to develop sovereign artificial-intelligence capabilities for coordinated crewed-uncrewed combat operations.
High activity
SpaceX’s reported public offering has drawn exceptional investor attention, while NorthStar Earth & Space has also begun trading after a SPAC merger. The cluster spans commercial orbital infrastructure, including an AI data-center test, alongside the Space Development Agency’s continued deployment of data-transport satellites.
Virgin Atlantic CEO Corneel Koster discusses the pressures facing the airline, including fuel economics, artificial intelligence and air traffic control meltdowns, in an interview with Gordon Smith at Skift Global Forum in New York.
Google has launched a satellite carrying several of the company’s AI chips, beginning an effort to determine whether advanced computing can operate in orbit. The mission will test the performance and practicality of running AI hardware in the space environment.
Certo Aerospace has raised £35 million to accelerate development of an autonomous coaxial heavy-lift helicopter. The funding will support the company’s efforts to advance the aircraft, although the announcement provides no further details on its intended market, technical milestones or deployment timeline.
Create a free account to see more recent AI stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
