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AeroTime • Stephen Pope

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

Aviation Today

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

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

Aviation Today

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

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

Reuters

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

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

News Timeline

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

eVTOL Insights

Podcast: Aergility CEO Nick Hall on unmanned hybrid VTOL for logistics New podcast episode: Aergility CEO Nick Hall joins The Airflow to discuss unmanned hybrid VTOL for logistics. Hall outlines Aergility’s approach to vehicle design, autonomy and commercial logistics use cases, and the operational and regulatory hurdles for unmanned vertical-lift freight.

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

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

eVTOL Insights

Manna Air Delivery raises $50M Series B to scale U.S. drone delivery operations Manna Air Delivery closed a $50 million Series B to accelerate expansion of its proven drone delivery operations in the United States. The capital will fund scaling of its operational network and capabilities as the company moves from pilots toward larger commercial rollouts.

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

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

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UAV Development & Drone Programs News

Pentagon weighs anti‑drone laser deployments at US sites

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

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

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

News Timeline