Reuters
• Cassell Bryan-Low
Reuters reports: As the United States embarks on clearing mines from the Strait of Hormuz, it could draw on an arsenal of drones, explosive‑laden robots and helicopters to reduce risks, though de‑mining crews could still be vulnerable to Iranian attacks.
Vertical Mag
• AIR Press Release; April
By Vertical Mag: With a payload capacity of approximately 550 pounds, and over 25 units ordered and paid for, the aircraft is purpose-built for demanding logistics missions.
AeroTime
• Clement Charpentreau
By AeroTime: First images show a French Rafale fitted with 24 Thales laser-guided rockets. The DGA says the anti-Shahed capability will be ready by summer 2026.
AeroTime
• Clement Charpentreau
By AeroTime: Thales' new TopStar Smart Receiver combines GNSS positioning, anti-jamming and a clock that holds tactical radio sync for 48 hours after GPS loss.
Reuters
• David Jeans
By Reuters: Last August, U.S. Navy officials carrying out a test of unmanned vessels realized they had hit a single point of failure: Starlink. A global outage across Elon Musk’s satellite network affecting millions of Starlink users had left two dozen unmanned surface vessels bobbing off the California coast, disrupting communications and halting operations for almost an hour.
SpaceNews.com
• Debra Werner
By SpaceNews.com: PlanetiQ secures $15 million Air Force STRATFI contract.
AeroTime
• Clement Charpentreau
By AeroTime: Finnish airship operator Kelluu has closed a €15M Series A led by the NATO Innovation Fund to scale its persistent ISR fleet along NATO's eastern flank.
Reuters
By Reuters: Rheinmetall Digital and German satellite maker OHB are permitted to establish a joint venture to handle a future procurement contract from the German armed forces, the German cartel office said on Thursday.
Associated Press
• Konstantin Toropin
Breaking Defense
• Michael Marrow, Theresa Hitchens
The Air Current
• TAC Staff
Ars Technica
• Stephen Clark
