FlightGlobal
• Lizzie Rix
As the Pentagon accelerates autonomous warfare, the formation of AUTOWARCOM could reshape who controls the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft effort. The available reporting identifies uncertainty over CCA authority but does not specify how responsibilities or program decisions would change.
UAV Development & Drone Programs
Latest source-backed stories
As the Pentagon accelerates autonomous warfare, the formation of AUTOWARCOM could reshape who controls the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft effort. The available reporting identifies uncertainty over CCA authority but does not specify how responsibilities or program decisions would change.
China claims its Hongdu GJ-11 unmanned combat air vehicle has taken off and landed aboard a new amphibious assault ship, demonstrating a shipborne operating capability. The report offers no further details on the test, including when it occurred or the aircraft’s operational status.
Jersey Airport reported further drone activity near the airfield on Saturday, Oct. 31, after disruption the previous evening. Four flights could not land as scheduled, with cancellations and diversions affecting passengers. The incidents highlight the operational vulnerability of smaller airports to suspected drone activity.
At a manufacturing plant near Salt Lake City, drone maker Vector Defense is expanding production as the United States seeks to build capacity for inexpensive military drones. The company’s growth highlights the industrial challenge implied by a starting point described as “basically zero.”
AN/TWQ-1 Avenger systems armed with FIM-92 Stinger missiles have been deployed to protect President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. U.S. Northern Command has also supplied counter-drone fly-away sensor and jammer kits, adding detection and electronic-warfare capabilities to the site’s defenses.
Pyongyang displayed a range of reconnaissance, attack and loitering drones, alongside an aspirational stealthy unmanned combat aircraft concept. The showcase offers a public view of the breadth of North Korea’s drone ambitions, though the available report does not detail the systems’ capabilities or operational status.
General Atomics is developing NextGen, a flying-wing aircraft for strike and reconnaissance missions that uses hybrid-electric propulsion. The company also aims to conduct live-fire tests next year of an air-to-ground derivative of its FQ-42 Vengeance collaborative combat aircraft.
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