Innovations
Technological and operational innovations in the UAS and counter-UAS space — what emerged first, where, and what it changes. Each entry is sourced, dated, and linked to the drones involved.
Anduril unveils Thunder autonomous hybrid-electric tiltrotor attack drone concept
Anduril revealed “Thunder,” a Group 5 hybrid-electric tiltrotor combat UAV concept intended as a highly autonomous uncrewed wingman for crewed helicopters/tiltrotors (e.g., Apache, MV-75). Novel elements highlighted include nap-of-the-earth…
Drones: Elbit Hermes 900 Kochav · AeroVironment Switchblade 300 · MQ-9 Reaper · MQ-1C Gray Eagle / Gray Eagle ER · Anduril Altius-600 / Altius-700 · Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat
UK launches Storm Fighter autonomous loyal-wingman (CCA) program
The UK RAF announced Storm Fighter, a new autonomous collaborative combat aircraft (loyal wingman) effort intended to operate alongside Typhoon, F-35, and Tempest, emphasizing low cost and rapid production. While not a front-line battlefiel…
Drones: Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat · Kazhan heavy FPV bomber
US Army tests driverless Autonomous Volcano mine-laying system
The US Army tested an Autonomous Volcano variant that pairs the legacy M139 Volcano mine dispenser with a driverless Palletized Load System truck to emplace minefields without human assistance. It also auto-logs minefield locations and uplo…
USMC awards production contract for fully autonomous ground vehicles
The US Marine Corps awarded a $20M production agreement to Overland AI for about a dozen fully autonomous ground vehicles to move air-defense systems and support resupply/ISR with reduced human oversight. This marks a shift from experimenta…
MQ-28 Ghost Bat CCA debuts in Valiant Shield 26 with IRST and coalition teaming
The MQ-28 Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft is participating in its first multinational large-force exercise (Valiant Shield 26), testing human-machine teaming with crewed fighters and coalition C2 integration. The aircraft shown is c…
Drones: Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat · Kazhan heavy FPV bomber
USAF moves CCA loyal-wingman drones (FQ-42A/FQ-44A) from prototype to production
The U.S. Air Force awarded its first production contracts for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (FQ-42A and FQ-44A), signaling a shift from prototypes to fieldable semi-autonomous 'loyal wingmen' intended to operate alongside crewed fighters. I…
AM General unmanned ground vehicle with Hornet C-UAS remote weapon station
AM General is marketing an unmanned ground vehicle concept integrating autonomous mobility for logistics/CASEVAC/armed missions and a Hornet counter-UAS remote weapon station. While not a confirmed frontline deployment, it reflects a notabl…
Claim: Pokemon GO 3D scans used to train GPS-denied drone navigation AI
The post claims Niantic/Pokemon GO player-generated 3D environment scans were transferred to a US military contractor and are being used to train neural networks for drone navigation and targeting in GPS-denied conditions. If true, this is …
Airbus unveils U760 Ravenstorm collaborative combat drone concept
Airbus revealed the U760 Ravenstorm, a stealthy uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft intended to team with fighters for air-to-air, strike, and electronic-warfare missions. The portfolio also highlights Airbus’ MARS mission system, descri…
Drones: Anduril Altius-600 / Altius-700
Ukrainian autonomous interceptor drones down Shahed UAVs
The post claims a Brave1-supported Ukrainian system enables interceptor drones to autonomously conduct ~95% of the Shahed interception process after an operator selects a target. It reportedly performs autonomous navigation, recognition, an…