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Wall Street Journal • Marcus Weisgerber

US Air Force selects two industry partners for autonomous “drone jet fighter” program aimed at deep-strike support

The US Air Force has agreed to deals with two companies for a new generation of autonomous drone jet fighters designed to help manned warplanes strike targets deep in enemy territory. The initiative signals a move to accelerate uncrewed, mission-led capabilities to augment contested penetrations.

2026-06-18T15:51:43.409866-07:00

AeroTime

UK commits $1B Ukraine package with 150,000 drones plus air-defense missiles and radar

2026-06-18T11:33:32.737733-07:00

The War Zone

Senators urge MQ-9 Reaper fleet buildup by 2028 as the platform expands persistent airborne early warning

2026-06-18T10:20:33.956584-07:00

FlightGlobal

Shield AI nears X-Bat first flight with three initial test assets complete, targeting an end-2026 maiden sortie

2026-06-18T09:01:10.923519-07:00

News Timeline

Wall Street Journal

US Air Force selects two industry partners for autonomous “drone jet fighter” program aimed at deep-strike support The US Air Force has agreed to deals with two companies for a new generation of autonomous drone jet fighters designed to help manned warplanes strike targets deep in enemy territory. The initiative signals a move to accelerate uncrewed, mission-led capabilities to augment contested penetrations.

2026-06-18T15:51:43.409866-07:00

US Air Force selects two industry partners for autonomous “drone jet fighter” program aimed at deep-strike support

AeroTime

UK commits $1B Ukraine package with 150,000 drones plus air-defense missiles and radar The UK says it will provide a $1 billion support package to Ukraine including 150,000 drones alongside air-defense missiles and radar systems. The scale-and-sustain mix underscores a counter-UAS posture focused on rapidly replenishing drones while pairing them with sensing and intercept capability.

2026-06-18T11:33:32.737733-07:00

UK commits $1B Ukraine package with 150,000 drones plus air-defense missiles and radar

The War Zone

Senators urge MQ-9 Reaper fleet buildup by 2028 as the platform expands persistent airborne early warning U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee members want the Air Force to grow its MQ-9 Reaper fleet by 2028, citing the drone’s value in Operation Epic Fury. The push follows renewed emphasis on Reaper’s economical, radar-enabled persistent airborne early warning role.

2026-06-18T10:20:33.956584-07:00

Senators urge MQ-9 Reaper fleet buildup by 2028 as the platform expands persistent airborne early warning

FlightGlobal

Shield AI nears X-Bat first flight with three initial test assets complete, targeting an end-2026 maiden sortie Shield AI says it has nearly completed the first three test assets for its X-Bat collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) programme. The company is building toward a first flight later this year, with a maiden sortie toward the end of 2026.

2026-06-18T09:01:10.923519-07:00

Shield AI nears X-Bat first flight with three initial test assets complete, targeting an end-2026 maiden sortie

FlightGlobal

Atlas UAV’s Kerveros upgrade targets operational armed-drone evaluation by year-end Atlas UAV says development of its Kerveros capability will enable the first delivery of an armed drone to an undisclosed customer for operational evaluation, expected by year-end. The milestone underscores how quickly the company is translating new mission payload/arming capability into customer-facing testing.

2026-06-18T02:32:49.701337-07:00

Atlas UAV’s Kerveros upgrade targets operational armed-drone evaluation by year-end

Associated Press

Ukraine’s June 18 drone wave hits Moscow energy targets; ~200 drones intercepted and commercial flights disrupted Ukraine launched long-range drone strikes against energy infrastructure around Moscow on 18 June, including a major oil refinery that was hit and set ablaze. Russian officials said nearly 200 drones were intercepted, but the attack still disrupted commercial flights at Moscow-area airports.

2026-06-18T00:33:37.308869-07:00

Ukraine’s June 18 drone wave hits Moscow energy targets; ~200 drones intercepted and commercial flights disrupted

Aviation Today

US Air Force says 20+ eligible contenders remain for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) Increment 2 The U.S. Air Force says that while it selected nine companies for CCA Increment 2 in February, more than 20 companies remain eligible for the program. The expanded eligibility pool signals a competitive, multi-vendor path for next-phase loyal-wingman development and autonomy integration.

2026-06-17T22:48:51.726705-07:00

US Air Force says 20+ eligible contenders remain for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) Increment 2

Aviation Today

Mach Industries named DIU aircraft integrator for Navy runway-independent long-range drone program Mach Industries says it won a Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) contract to serve as aircraft integrator for a U.S. Navy effort aimed at developing runway-independent, long-range drones. The award positions the startup to coordinate the platform integration work required to field an uncrewed capability designed to operate without conventional runways.

2026-06-17T22:48:51.608908-07:00

Mach Industries named DIU aircraft integrator for Navy runway-independent long-range drone program

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UAV Development & Drone Programs News

US Air Force selects two industry partners for autonomous “drone jet fighter” program aimed at deep-strike support

UK commits $1B Ukraine package with 150,000 drones plus air-defense missiles and radar

Senators urge MQ-9 Reaper fleet buildup by 2028 as the platform expands persistent airborne early warning

Shield AI nears X-Bat first flight with three initial test assets complete, targeting an end-2026 maiden sortie

News Timeline