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.
French Navy tests Naval Group Rampart modular point-defense launcher at sea
Photos show Naval Group’s new Rampart modular point-defense launcher installed on a French Mistral-class ship, indicating shipboard testing has begun. Rampart’s novelty is an open, interchangeable-module launcher that can mix low-cost guide…
PrSM Increment 2 enters initial production with multimode seeker for moving targets
The US Army awarded Lockheed Martin a major contract to begin initial production of Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 2, a longer-range ATACMS replacement (~500 km) compatible with HIMARS/MLRS. Increment 2 adds a multimode seeker en…
ADM-160 MALD decoy wreckage appears in Iran, suggesting ongoing air-defense probing
Photos circulated by Iranian media appear to show wreckage of a Raytheon ADM-160 MALD air-launched decoy, implying U.S./allied use of deception assets to stimulate Iranian radars and map air-defense command-and-control. While MALD is not ne…
Nammo developing new rocket motor for IRIS-T SLX air-defense missile
The article describes Nammo pursuing a “totally new” rocket motor engine for Diehl’s next surface-launched IRIS-T variant (IRIS-T SLX), with a planned SIL firing test in 2027. A new motor can materially change kinematics (range/altitude/eng…
Pentagon sets framework for AIM-260 JATM multiyear procurement and accelerated testing
The post describes the AIM-260 JATM, a new longer-range air-to-air missile intended to surpass AIM-120 AMRAAM, moving toward scaled production via a Pentagon-Lockheed framework agreement while flight and ground testing accelerates. It also …
US Navy funds Castelion Blackbeard low-cost air-launched hypersonic missile
The US Navy awarded Castelion $200M to produce the Blackbeard air-launched hypersonic strike missile, emphasizing low-cost, scalable “affordable mass” and rapid acquisition. If fielded as described (carrier-aircraft compatible, ~200 nm stan…
Israel integrating Rafael SPICE 1000 standoff weapon on F-35I Adir
Israel (Rafael with Lockheed Martin) is accelerating integration of the SPICE 1000 electro-optical/GPS-aided standoff glide weapon onto the F-35I, potentially including internal carriage on TR-3/Block 4 jets. While SPICE 1000 is not new, br…
Indra unveils Squall low-cost cruise missile concept for mass attacks
Spain’s Indra introduced “Squall,” a new low-cost small cruise missile marketed for mass-attack salvos to help militaries replenish depleted inventories. The novelty is the emphasis on affordability and quantity for saturation strikes, refl…
Indra unveils low-cost 300+ km 'Squall' cruise missile concept
Spain’s Indra announced a new low-cost cruise missile, Squall, intended for massed salvo/saturation strikes with a 50–60 kg warhead and 300+ km range, launched from land or naval platforms (ramps/containers/tactical vehicles). The novelty i…
Lockheed proposes AGM-158 FLEX modular JASSM/LRASM airframe concept
Lockheed Martin unveiled the AGM-158 FLEX concept: a common stealth missile airframe with interchangeable nose sections for different sensor/seeker packages and a removable boat-tail to enable multiple launch methods (air, surface, subsurfa…