The War Zone
• Joseph Trevithick
General Atomics is working with Spirit Defense, a Boeing subsidiary, to help increase production of its FQ-42 collaborative combat aircraft as the U.S. Air Force seeks fighter drones over the next six years. The partnership points to an effort to build manufacturing capacity around the emerging uncrewed combat-aircraft requirement.
UAV Development & Drone Programs
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General Atomics is working with Spirit Defense, a Boeing subsidiary, to help increase production of its FQ-42 collaborative combat aircraft as the U.S. Air Force seeks fighter drones over the next six years. The partnership points to an effort to build manufacturing capacity around the emerging uncrewed combat-aircraft requirement.
Barzan has presented aerial drones and unmanned surface vessels at Milipol 2026, describing the showcase as a milestone in expanding Qatar’s domestic defense and security capabilities. The company cited regional challenges but disclosed no platform specifications or procurement details in the available report.
Ukraine is weighing sovereign communications satellites from ICEYE and Nokia, while the UK seeks lightweight satellite links for beyond-line-of-sight UAV operations. Separately, BAE Systems demonstrated a TRV-150 drone firing multiple APKWS engagements without landing, and L3Harris won a U.S. Army contract worth up to $60 million to develop and flight-test a long-range drone interceptor.
Lithuania’s RSI Europe and Estonia’s Odin Defence have secured €29.5 million in European Union funding to expand production of warheads for loitering munitions. The award supports increased manufacturing capacity at two Baltic defense companies, linking EU industrial funding to production of a key component for unmanned weapons.
High activity
The FAA has issued BETA Technologies a Special Airworthiness Certificate allowing market-survey flights in its ALIA A250 electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, including flights with prospective customers onboard. BETA says it is the first authorization of this kind for an eVTOL; it is not an announcement of type certification.
UAVOS says its APX autopilot has accumulated more than 100,000 flight hours across various unmanned platforms. The milestone highlights the system’s operational use and flexibility for integrating and operating uncrewed aircraft, though the reports provide no platform breakdown or further performance data.
Army CTO Alex Miller spoke with Breaking Defense’s Carley Welch about the service’s unmanned initiatives, covering autonomy, acquisition and the future of drones. The interview brings together the technology and procurement dimensions of the Army’s plans for unmanned systems.
JOUAV has introduced an integrated UAV hangar solution designed to support wildfire management. The system is intended to enable aerial fire detection, firefighting operations and post-fire assessments, bringing multiple stages of the response within one unmanned-aircraft setup.
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