AeroTime
• Clement Charpentreau
Lockheed Martin, Verizon, NVIDIA and other technology partners have demonstrated NetSense, a system that uses radio-frequency signals from existing 5G cellular networks and artificial intelligence to detect and track low-altitude unmanned aircraft. The effort comes as the Pentagon expands counter-drone defenses across 46 U.S. sites.
UAV Development & Drone Programs
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Kratos has paused flight testing of its XQ-58 Valkyrie uncrewed aircraft after one vehicle crashed shortly after takeoff during a test in Utah. The incident puts the program’s near-term flight-test activity on hold as Kratos assesses the crash and its implications for ongoing development.
DARPA’s Lift Challenge sought new approaches to small-drone design, offering millions of dollars in prize funding for innovation. The winning entry demonstrated the ability to carry a payload four times its own weight, highlighting a significant lift-to-weight target for compact unmanned aircraft.
Boeing is divesting its electric aircraft and defense drone units in exchange for a 20% stake in Archer Aviation, valuing the air-taxi company at $5 billion. The transaction shifts Boeing’s exposure to advanced air mobility from direct development to an equity position in Archer.
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Lockheed Martin, Verizon, NVIDIA and other technology partners have demonstrated NetSense, a system that uses radio-frequency signals from existing 5G cellular networks and artificial intelligence to detect and track low-altitude unmanned aircraft. The effort comes as the Pentagon expands counter-drone defenses across 46 U.S. sites.
Latvia is assessing Embraer’s A-29 Super Tucano as a light combat aircraft for intercepting incoming unmanned aerial vehicles. The evaluation would give the Latvian Air Force a national armed fixed-wing capability, with the turboprop considered primarily for short-range counter-drone missions rather than its traditional light-attack role.
General Atomics AeroTec Systems is partnering with Sweden’s Trakka Systems to offer an integrated surveillance sensor package for the upgraded Do228 NXT. Separately, BAE Systems’ FalconWorks and Turkey’s TUALCOM signed an MoU to explore resilient autonomy technologies spanning anti-jam communications, assured navigation and electronic warfare.
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DNA recovered from an explosive drone that struck an Antonov An-124 at Leipzig/Halle reportedly matches evidence from the 2024 DHL incendiary parcel plot. The finding could connect an attack on an aircraft at a major European cargo hub with a broader suspected GRU-linked campaign.
Boeing is promoting an off-the-shelf radar seeker designed to reduce the cost of guided missiles, while Northrop Grumman has introduced Raid Hunter, a 50mm gun-based air defense system for countering drones, cruise missiles and other aerial threats in layered, short-range defense.
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