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Flying Magazine • Jack Daleo

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

FlightGlobal

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

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

AeroTime

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

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

Aviation Week

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

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

News Timeline

Bloomberg

Finland issues first public drone-airspace warning near Helsinki; flight curbs and heightened military posture Finland warned the public about suspected drones entering its airspace near Helsinki for the first time, triggering expanded security measures during the early hours of Friday. Finnish forces increased readiness after indications of potentially hostile unmanned aircraft, leading to flight disruptions in the region.

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

Finland issues first public drone-airspace warning near Helsinki; flight curbs and heightened military posture

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

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

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UAV Development & Drone Programs News

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

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

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

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

News Timeline