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AeroTime • Miquel Ros

France to ramp drone production 400% and boost guided-weapons output, POLITICO reports

France plans to increase drone production by 400%, guided-bomb output by 240%, and Aster and MICA missile production by 30%, POLITICO reports. The measures aim to rapidly replenish munitions stocks and expand offensive and air‑defence capacity amid ongoing European security pressures.

2026-04-05T23:06:37.437930-07:00

FlightGlobal

RMAF conducts first test flight of TAI Anka‑S MALE UAV

2026-04-05T22:01:11.491000-07:00

eVTOL Insights

Podcast: Aergility CEO Nick Hall on unmanned hybrid VTOL for logistics

2026-04-02T01:30:52.600364-07:00

eVTOL Insights

Manna Air Delivery raises $50M Series B to scale U.S. drone delivery operations

2026-04-02T01:30:52.410163-07:00

News Timeline

AeroTime

France to ramp drone production 400% and boost guided-weapons output, POLITICO reports France plans to increase drone production by 400%, guided-bomb output by 240%, and Aster and MICA missile production by 30%, POLITICO reports. The measures aim to rapidly replenish munitions stocks and expand offensive and air‑defence capacity amid ongoing European security pressures.

2026-04-05T23:06:37.437930-07:00

France to ramp drone production 400% and boost guided-weapons output, POLITICO reports

FlightGlobal

RMAF conducts first test flight of TAI Anka‑S MALE UAV The Royal Malaysian Air Force completed the first test flight of its newly acquired Turkish Aerospace Industries Anka‑S medium‑altitude, long‑endurance unmanned system — a three‑hour maiden sortie from Labuan on 3 April — conducting initial airworthiness and ISR trials ahead of delivery and service entry.

2026-04-05T22:01:11.491000-07:00

RMAF conducts first test flight of TAI Anka‑S MALE UAV

AeroTime

Pentagon weighs anti‑drone laser deployments at US sites The Pentagon is considering broader deployment of laser‑based counter‑drone systems at select U.S. locations after a series of drone incursions near military bases and other sensitive sites. The deliberation signals an effort to accelerate fielding of directed‑energy tools to detect and defeat small UAS on domestic soil.

2026-04-02T13:25:58.058091-07:00

Pentagon weighs anti‑drone laser deployments at US sites

Aviation Today

Army Accepts First Optionally‑Piloted Black Hawk; Will Test Autonomy to Inform Fleet Scaling The U.S. Army has formally accepted its first optionally‑piloted Black Hawk helicopter and will subject the aircraft to a rigorous test campaign. Data from the evaluations will be used to inform decisions on scaling autonomous and optionally‑piloted capabilities across the UH‑60 fleet.

2026-04-02T09:38:59.528988-07:00

Army Accepts First Optionally‑Piloted Black Hawk; Will Test Autonomy to Inform Fleet Scaling

Aviation Today

Army scales SkyFoundry, brings in commercial partners to hit one‑million drones by 2028 The U.S. Army's SkyFoundry drone initiative has "evolved" to bring in commercial partners and scale U.S. production toward a goal of one million low‑cost systems by 2028. The shift signals a move from experimental buys to monthly mass manufacture and expanded counter‑drone capability.

2026-04-02T09:38:58.208150-07:00

Army scales SkyFoundry, brings in commercial partners to hit one‑million drones by 2028

Aviation Today

Scaled Composites' Talon IQ Model 437 flies Prism and Shield AI Hivemind mission-autonomy test ahead of CCA Increment 2 Northrop Grumman’s Scaled Composites flew a Talon IQ Model 437 on a mission-autonomy test that integrated Northrop’s Prism autonomy software with Shield AI’s Hivemind. The sortie demonstrates multi-vendor autonomy interoperability on the Talon IQ platform as work ramps toward the Collaborative Combat Aircraft Increment 2 effort.

2026-04-02T09:38:57.955217-07:00

Scaled Composites' Talon IQ Model 437 flies Prism and Shield AI Hivemind mission-autonomy test ahead of CCA Increment 2

Reuters

Ukrainian drone strikes destroyed ~40% of storage at Russia's Primorsk oil terminal, satellite images show U.S. commercial satellite imagery reviewed by Reuters shows Ukrainian drone attacks last month destroyed at least 40% of storage capacity at Primorsk, one of Russia's largest Baltic Sea oil export terminals. The damage highlights Kyiv's ability to strike high‑value energy infrastructure well beyond frontline areas.

2026-04-02T07:10:36.791248-07:00

Ukrainian drone strikes destroyed ~40% of storage at Russia's Primorsk oil terminal, satellite images show

Vertical Mag

Hydroplane wins Phase 2 SBIR to develop hydrogen fuel-cell electric propulsion for Army helicopters and cargo drones Hydroplane has been awarded a Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research contract by the U.S. Army to advance development of a hydrogen fuel-cell electric propulsion system for helicopters and cargo drones. The award supports maturation of fuel-cell powertrain hardware and integration for military rotorcraft and unmanned logistics platforms.

2026-04-02T05:41:56.482655-07:00

Hydroplane wins Phase 2 SBIR to develop hydrogen fuel-cell electric propulsion for Army helicopters and cargo drones

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UAV Development & Drone Programs News

France to ramp drone production 400% and boost guided-weapons output, POLITICO reports

RMAF conducts first test flight of TAI Anka‑S MALE UAV

Podcast: Aergility CEO Nick Hall on unmanned hybrid VTOL for logistics

Manna Air Delivery raises $50M Series B to scale U.S. drone delivery operations

News Timeline