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FlightGlobal • Dominic Perry

UK MoD selects Anduril, BAE Systems, Tekever and Thales for Project NYX Apache “loyal wingman” autonomous drones

The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded £310 million ($13.3 million) across four industry partners to develop autonomous drone wingmen for Army Apache helicopters under Project NYX. Anduril, BAE Systems, Tekever and Thales will share the work, targeting a step-change in helicopter teaming with uncrewed platforms.

2026-05-15T04:38:12.321145-07:00

FlightGlobal

Vertical Aerospace seeks dismissal of Archer Aviation US patent-infringement suit, calling claims “threadbare allegations”

2026-05-15T03:43:13.554174-07:00

Bloomberg

Finland grounds Helsinki-Vantaa for ~3 hours after a “mystery drone” alert; F/A-18 intercepts, diversions and disruption

2026-05-15T00:10:45.245203-07:00

Flying Magazine

Merlin rolls out “Condor” autonomy product line for large cargo aircraft, pairing civil rollout with ongoing C-130J military cer

2026-05-14T10:50:57.055655-07:00

News Timeline

FlightGlobal

UK MoD selects Anduril, BAE Systems, Tekever and Thales for Project NYX Apache “loyal wingman” autonomous drones The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded £310 million ($13.3 million) across four industry partners to develop autonomous drone wingmen for Army Apache helicopters under Project NYX. Anduril, BAE Systems, Tekever and Thales will share the work, targeting a step-change in helicopter teaming with uncrewed platforms.

2026-05-15T04:38:12.321145-07:00

UK MoD selects Anduril, BAE Systems, Tekever and Thales for Project NYX Apache “loyal wingman” autonomous drones

FlightGlobal

Vertical Aerospace seeks dismissal of Archer Aviation US patent-infringement suit, calling claims “threadbare allegations” Vertical Aerospace has asked a US court to throw out Archer Aviation’s patent-infringement lawsuit, characterizing Archer’s allegations as “threadbare.” The filing responds to Archer’s claims that Vertical’s Valo eVTOL copies patented elements of Archer’s Midnight, escalating a fast-moving legal fight between the two eVTOL developers.

2026-05-15T03:43:13.554174-07:00

Vertical Aerospace seeks dismissal of Archer Aviation US patent-infringement suit, calling claims “threadbare allegations”

Bloomberg

Finland grounds Helsinki-Vantaa for ~3 hours after a “mystery drone” alert; F/A-18 intercepts, diversions and disruption Helsinki authorities issued a drone warning that shut down operations at Helsinki-Vantaa between 04:00 and 07:00 on May 15, prompting scrambled F/A-18s and early diversions of inbound long-haul flights. The airport resumed normal activity after a temporary airspace suspension and threat assessment.

2026-05-15T00:10:45.245203-07:00

Finland grounds Helsinki-Vantaa for ~3 hours after a “mystery drone” alert; F/A-18 intercepts, diversions and disruption

FlightGlobal

US Air Force awards $18m contract to Aevex for production of Group 3 one-way attack drones The US Air Force has signed an $18 million contract with Aevex for the production of an undisclosed number and type of Group 3-sized one-way attack drones. The award expands USAF inventory into the rapidly growing one-way attack drone category as procurement shifts further toward expendable UAS.

2026-05-14T13:23:50.008346-07:00

US Air Force awards $18m contract to Aevex for production of Group 3 one-way attack drones

Flying Magazine

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Merlin rolls out “Condor” autonomy product line for large cargo aircraft, pairing civil rollout with ongoing C-130J military cer Merlin says it is extending its aircraft-agnostic, AI-powered autonomy core into commercial cargo with a new “Condor” family, starting with large, multi-crew airframes. The company also continues certification work for military transports, including a development path tied to a Lockheed Martin C-130J.

2026-05-14T10:50:57.055655-07:00

Merlin rolls out “Condor” autonomy product line for large cargo aircraft, pairing civil rollout with ongoing C-130J military cer

AeroTime

Balikatan 2026 showcases Australia–Philippines–Japan–U.S. air surveillance and IAMD training with mobile radar, drones, Black Ha During Exercise Balikatan’s 41st iteration, Australia provided subject-matter expert exchanges for mobile radar systems to bolster Philippine air surveillance, alongside UH-60 Black Hawk crews deploying maritime sensing buoys in the Luzon Strait. The exercise also emphasized multinational integrated air and missile defense training, including drone-enabled tactics.

2026-05-14T04:41:07.466600-07:00

Balikatan 2026 showcases Australia–Philippines–Japan–U.S. air surveillance and IAMD training with mobile radar, drones, Black Ha

Breaking Defense

L3Harris’ Wraith Shield update repurposes existing antennas to detect and jam hostile drone control signals L3Harris says its forthcoming Wraith Shield software update will use existing antennas to scan for drone command-and-control signals, identify enemy ones, and jam them. Executives characterized the upgrade as a software-driven enhancement to counter-drone electronic warfare capability without new hardware changes.

2026-05-13T12:55:41.545022-07:00

L3Harris’ Wraith Shield update repurposes existing antennas to detect and jam hostile drone control signals

Aviation Week

USAF awards $18.5M Aevex contract for autonomous one-way attack drones and engineering support The U.S. Air Force has awarded Aevex an $18.5 million contract for autonomous one-way attack drones and associated support services. Aevex, which has supplied thousands of similar systems to Ukraine, is positioned to deliver expendable strike capability as the USAF scales uncrewed autonomy and engineering support.

2026-05-13T11:36:11.175536-07:00

USAF awards $18.5M Aevex contract for autonomous one-way attack drones and engineering support

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UAV Development & Drone Programs News

UK MoD selects Anduril, BAE Systems, Tekever and Thales for Project NYX Apache “loyal wingman” autonomous drones

Vertical Aerospace seeks dismissal of Archer Aviation US patent-infringement suit, calling claims “threadbare allegations”

Finland grounds Helsinki-Vantaa for ~3 hours after a “mystery drone” alert; F/A-18 intercepts, diversions and disruption

Merlin rolls out “Condor” autonomy product line for large cargo aircraft, pairing civil rollout with ongoing C-130J military cer

News Timeline