Science & Tech

General Atomics’ ‘robot wingman’ makes first flight

The company is in the running to build collaborative combat aircraft for the Air Force.

Ideas

Defense One Radio, Ep. 145: The USAF's big reorganization

Audrey Decker unpacks the top news from this year's Air & Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium.

Business

Meet the German company developing sub drones that pass data with sound

Divers’ search-and-rescue missions could soon get assists from drone swarms.

Threats

Navy envisions ‘hundreds of thousands’ of drones in the Pacific to deter China

With DIU contracting for prototypes, Pacific Fleet is experimenting with unmanned craft that may one day defend Taiwan.

Threats

Navy robot ships on a 15-year path to operating ‘at speed and scale,’ CNO says

Adm. Franchetti’s plans to compete with China include better networks, unmanned infrastructure, and a new robotics rating for sailors.

Defense Systems

In shakeup, Army cancels planned scout helo, will retire two drones

After sinking nearly $2 billion into the FARA program, service leaders decide "enduring, unmanned, and space-based assets" would do the job better.

Threats

Russia may be trying to build 10,000 attack drones a year for use in Ukraine

A purported cache of stolen Iranian documents also suggests Moscow is paying a lot more than expected.

Science & Tech

Robot wingmen vs. China: What a think tank’s wargame revealed about a key USAF concept

As the Air Force contemplates a range of price points, the tabletop exercise suggests cheaper is better.