News

Aviation Week • Steve Trimble

USAF awards $18.5M contract to Aevex for autonomous one-way attack drones

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Aevex, a California-based supplier, an $18.5 million contract for one-way attack drones and associated engineering/support services. Aevex says it has previously supplied “thousands” of similar systems for Ukraine, positioning the company for continued rapid uncrewed strike procurement.

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

Breaking Defense

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

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

Vertical Mag

ePropelled launches integrated propulsion and power system for agricultural UAVs

2026-05-13T07:09:30.413051-07:00

Breaking Defense

Latvia tests UGV comms in dense forest where Starlink-linked systems falter

2026-05-13T01:57:09.373330-07:00

News Timeline

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 contract to Aevex for autonomous one-way attack drones The U.S. Air Force has awarded Aevex, a California-based supplier, an $18.5 million contract for one-way attack drones and associated engineering/support services. Aevex says it has previously supplied “thousands” of similar systems for Ukraine, positioning the company for continued rapid uncrewed strike procurement.

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

USAF awards $18.5M contract to Aevex for autonomous one-way attack drones

Vertical Mag

ePropelled launches integrated propulsion and power system for agricultural UAVs ePropelled has introduced an integrated propulsion and power solution for agricultural unmanned aerial vehicles, positioning the architecture as a building block for next-generation farming automation. The launch underscores how UAVs’ performance is increasingly determined by tightly coupled power and propulsion design.

2026-05-13T07:09:30.413051-07:00

ePropelled launches integrated propulsion and power system for agricultural UAVs

Breaking Defense

Latvia tests UGV comms in dense forest where Starlink-linked systems falter Latvian reports say unmanned ground vehicles encountered significant communication problems while operating in densely forested areas, with many incidents involving systems relying on Starlink. The episode highlights a practical connectivity gap for ground robotics in challenging terrain, with potential operational impacts during decentralized missions.

2026-05-13T01:57:09.373330-07:00

Latvia tests UGV comms in dense forest where Starlink-linked systems falter

FlightGlobal

❗️

USAF and GA-ASI test APKWS integration on MQ-9A Reaper, demonstrating low-cost drone-kill capability against air and ground targ General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) and the U.S. Air Force completed flight testing of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) on the MQ-9A Reaper. The demonstrations included engagement of aerial targets using inexpensive air-to-air missiles/rockets, and successful test shots against both air and ground targets as the Air Force pursues cost-effective counter-UAS options.

2026-05-11T16:19:49.721795-07:00

USAF and GA-ASI test APKWS integration on MQ-9A Reaper, demonstrating low-cost drone-kill capability against air and ground targ

DefenseNews.com

Anduril’s Dive-XL targets autonomous underwater long-haul payload delivery under Australia’s Ghost Shark program Anduril Industries is developing Dive-XL to enable autonomous transportation of large payloads underwater, linked to Australia’s Ghost Shark initiative. The concept positions Dive-XL as a defense-relevant autonomy and payload-move system intended for sustained underwater operations rather than one-off missions.

2026-05-11T09:55:44.934416-07:00

Anduril’s Dive-XL targets autonomous underwater long-haul payload delivery under Australia’s Ghost Shark program

edrmagazine.eu

EDGE and Baykar agree to integrate Al TARIQ precision-guided munitions on Baykar’s AKINCI UAV under SAHA 2026 deals EDGE and Baykar signed two agreements at SAHA 2026 to deepen their UAV munitions partnership, including integrating EDGE’s Al TARIQ series precision-guided munitions with Baykar’s AKINCI platform. Sales teams will also cross-sell the companies’ respective UAV and munition offerings, expanding the bundled export pitch for customers.

2026-05-11T03:56:52.181837-07:00

EDGE and Baykar agree to integrate Al TARIQ precision-guided munitions on Baykar’s AKINCI UAV under SAHA 2026 deals

The War Zone

DARPA explores remotely triggered containerized drone swarms for hard-to-defend contested environments DARPA is pursuing remotely triggered, containerized drone swarms designed to be rapidly employable “pretty much everywhere,” including behind enemy lines. The concept emphasizes distributed mass effects and the resulting defensive challenge of tracking and defeating swarms once dispersed.

2026-05-09T13:14:03.728301-07:00

DARPA explores remotely triggered containerized drone swarms for hard-to-defend contested environments

Menu

UAV Development & Drone Programs News

USAF awards $18.5M contract to Aevex for autonomous one-way attack drones

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

ePropelled launches integrated propulsion and power system for agricultural UAVs

Latvia tests UGV comms in dense forest where Starlink-linked systems falter

News Timeline