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FlightGlobal • Ryan Finnerty

Shield AI selected Hivemind to pilot LUCAS one-way attack drones with collaborative swarm autonomy

Shield AI says the Defense Department selected its Hivemind agentic AI software to serve as the autonomy “pilot” for LUCAS Kamikaze one-way drones. The test demonstration later this year targets swarming 10 or more munitions operating collaboratively under the LUCAS program.

2026-05-20T08:54:31.817627-07:00

Defense Scoop

Space Force confirms Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo as SDA director and names him PAE for missile warning/tracking

2026-05-19T13:25:44.979344-07:00

FlightGlobal

Indonesia inducts Rafale fighters, A400M MRTT airlifter and Falcon 8X in Jakarta

2026-05-18T22:24:06.519735-07:00

AeroTime

Destinus and Rheinmetall accelerate RUTA Block 3 for 2,000-km European deep-strike cruise missile trials

2026-05-18T04:24:56.842056-07:00

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FlightGlobal

Shield AI selected Hivemind to pilot LUCAS one-way attack drones with collaborative swarm autonomy Shield AI says the Defense Department selected its Hivemind agentic AI software to serve as the autonomy “pilot” for LUCAS Kamikaze one-way drones. The test demonstration later this year targets swarming 10 or more munitions operating collaboratively under the LUCAS program.

2026-05-20T08:54:31.817627-07:00

Shield AI selected Hivemind to pilot LUCAS one-way attack drones with collaborative swarm autonomy

Defense Scoop

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Space Force confirms Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo as SDA director and names him PAE for missile warning/tracking The Space Development Agency has named Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo its permanent director, effective May 11, ending his acting role that began last September. In parallel, Space Force designated him as the Portfolio Acquisition Executive overseeing missile warning and tracking programs under the new acquisition structure.

2026-05-19T13:25:44.979344-07:00

Space Force confirms Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo as SDA director and names him PAE for missile warning/tracking

FlightGlobal

Indonesia inducts Rafale fighters, A400M MRTT airlifter and Falcon 8X in Jakarta On May 18, Indonesia’s Air Force (TNI-AU) formally accepted and inducted a new batch of aircraft at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, including six Dassault Rafale (four two-seat and two single-seat) plus an Airbus A400M MRTT and four Falcon 8X jets. The handover also showcased integration-ready combat capability with Meteor and AASM Hammer weapons.

2026-05-18T22:24:06.519735-07:00

Indonesia inducts Rafale fighters, A400M MRTT airlifter and Falcon 8X in Jakarta

AeroTime

Destinus and Rheinmetall accelerate RUTA Block 3 for 2,000-km European deep-strike cruise missile trials Destinus says it is starting faster development of the RUTA Block 3 program with Rheinmetall, targeting next year for deep-strike missile trials. The 2,000-kilometer-class, Europe-produced precision strike system extends the operationally validated RUTA family and is positioned for scaled long-range production.

2026-05-18T04:24:56.842056-07:00

Destinus and Rheinmetall accelerate RUTA Block 3 for 2,000-km European deep-strike cruise missile trials

Aviation Week

RAF puts APKWS on frontline Typhoon jets for counter-UAS in the Middle East The Royal Air Force has begun operational use of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) on Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon fighters deployed in the Middle East, moving from testing to frontline service in under two months. The low-cost guided-rocket option is intended to improve engagement of one-way attack drones.

2026-05-16T16:10:48.963293-07:00

RAF puts APKWS on frontline Typhoon jets for counter-UAS in the Middle East

DefenseNews.com

Anduril to supply 3,000 Barracuda-500M containerized cruise missiles to the U.S. Army starting in 2027; DoD selects firms to fie The U.S. Army has lined up Anduril to deliver at least 3,000 surface-launched Barracuda-500M cruise missiles beginning in 2027, tied to DoD’s Low-Cost Containerized Missiles initiative. Separately, the Department of Defense selected five companies to field thousands of containerized cruise missiles and Blackbeard hypersonic weapons between 2027 and 2029.

2026-05-15T12:38:49.643415-07:00

Anduril to supply 3,000 Barracuda-500M containerized cruise missiles to the U.S. Army starting in 2027; DoD selects firms to fie

The War Zone

Photos confirm AIM-260A JATM air-to-air missile in flight-test configuration on U.S. Navy F/A-18F AIM-260A—Lockheed’s longer-range successor to the AIM-120 AMRAAM—has surfaced in the first publicly captured imagery. The missile was photographed during a test flight from Eglin Air Force Base, carried by a U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet, showing an AIM-260A in a flight-test configuration.

2026-05-15T11:01:11.571863-07:00

Photos confirm AIM-260A JATM air-to-air missile in flight-test configuration on U.S. Navy F/A-18F

FlightGlobal

UK greenlights F-35B StormBreaker/SDB-II interim stand-off strike as corrosion, spare-parts gaps cut mission capability The UK MoD approved StormBreaker for the F-35B and is equipping the fleet with Boeing Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB-II) as an interim stand-off capability while SPEAR 3 integration slips into the early 2030s. Officials also detailed corrosion issues and spare-parts shortfalls that are reducing UK F-35 mission rates and carry deployment-support limitations.

2026-05-15T04:12:16.071143-07:00

UK greenlights F-35B StormBreaker/SDB-II interim stand-off strike as corrosion, spare-parts gaps cut mission capability

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Missile Systems & Strategic Weapons News

Shield AI selected Hivemind to pilot LUCAS one-way attack drones with collaborative swarm autonomy

Space Force confirms Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo as SDA director and names him PAE for missile warning/tracking

Indonesia inducts Rafale fighters, A400M MRTT airlifter and Falcon 8X in Jakarta

Destinus and Rheinmetall accelerate RUTA Block 3 for 2,000-km European deep-strike cruise missile trials

News Timeline