FlightGlobal
• Greg Waldron
Boeing and Northrop Grumman demonstrated automated teaming between the manned P-8A Poseidon and unmanned MQ-4C Triton, while Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy tested a rapidly retrainable AI/ML sonar system at RIMPAC 2026. The demonstrations highlight AI’s expanding role in maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare.
UAV Development & Drone Programs
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Boeing and Northrop Grumman demonstrated automated teaming between the manned P-8A Poseidon and unmanned MQ-4C Triton, while Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy tested a rapidly retrainable AI/ML sonar system at RIMPAC 2026. The demonstrations highlight AI’s expanding role in maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare.
The Defense Department is considering an $820 million loan to help a drone company mass-produce components, potentially using the expanded authority of the Office of Strategic Capital. The OSC’s lending capacity has grown from just under $1 billion to more than $210 billion under the Trump administration.
Recent demonstrations span automated MQ-4C Triton–P-8A Poseidon mission control, AI-enabled fighter intercepts, autonomous submarine-hunting sonar and the Pentagon’s push to scale drone production. The activity comes as the Navy again reorganizes its unmanned-systems office, underscoring continued pressure to field interoperable autonomous capabilities faster.
German authorities are investigating after an armed drone, reportedly carrying Semtex, was found near a runway at Leipzig Airport close to a Ukrainian cargo aircraft. The discovery shut runways and has intensified concerns about drone threats to European aviation and critical infrastructure.
Paramount has completed integration of Aselsan’s ASELFLIR-500 electro-optical/infrared sensor onto the Mwari multi-role platform, adding a capability aimed at engaging slow-speed aerial threats. The integration reflects a shift in the platform’s mission focus toward counter-drone operations.
Kratos said its XQ-58 Valkyrie stealth autonomous drone crashed upon takeoff at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah while operating in a test configuration. The incident puts a key U.S. program for autonomous, lower-cost combat aircraft under scrutiny, though no further details were provided.
The P-8A Poseidon and MQ-4C Triton were designed to operate together, but enabling Poseidon crews to directly control Tritons in flight would add new tactical options and extend the manned maritime patrol aircraft’s operational reach.
The U.S. Army has issued a request for information on the Next Generation C-sUAS Missile, seeking an interceptor compatible with Raytheon’s Coyote launcher. The effort sets a target unit price below $150,000 as the service explores additional capabilities for countering unmanned aircraft systems.
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