drones

BAE Systems has upped the counter-drone firepower of a quadcopter while keeping costs down by equipping a Malloy T-150 UAV with enough laser-guided precision missiles to counter multiple drone threats during a recent test at a US Air Force base.

Quantum Systems has (unofficially) broken the record for the fastest electric-powered drone. In a social media post, company CRO Martin Karkour announced that the experimental Apex Recordhunter reached a speed of 419.5 knots (482.8 mph, 777 km/h).

A wounded Ukrainian soldier is the first to be medevaced out of a combat zone by drone. He was airlifted by a Heavy Shot "Ayudag-6" modular hexacopter with a special sling and winch.

After a dramatic, fiery takeoff, Airbus's U740-Valkyrie uncrewed combat aircraft completed its maiden flight on October 12, 2026, in the skies over Northern Europe as part of a program to provide Europe with its own autonomous Loyal Wingman.

Sikorsky has taken its Nomad 100 VTOL drone and tucked it into a neat package along with its support gear. Known as the Fast Pack, the system uses a standard 20-foot ISO intermodal shipping container to house four Nomad 100 aircraft – two of which can be prepped and launched in as little as 15 minutes.

Individual soldiers are getting their own drone protection as Danish defense company MyDefence rolls out Wingman Edge: a wearable that can detect drones by their control radio signals at a distance of up to 3.73 miles (6 km).

Loyal Wingman technology continues to evolve rapidly as Northrop Grumman's YFQ-48A Blue Talon autonomous fighter completes its maiden flight at Mojave, California, controlling every aspect from engine start to landing with pilot intervention.

The US Navy and the Royal Navy have achieved a major milestone in autonomous warfare, successfully launching a US Mk 48 Heavyweight exercise torpedo from the Royal Navy’s robotic submarine, XV Excalibur. The test demonstrates growing autonomous combat capabilities designed to complement conventional crewed platforms.

BAE Systems is giving its Persistent High Altitude Solar Aircraft (PHASA-35) solar-powered stratospheric drone an upgrade under a £15.7-million (US$21 million) contract to install a system allowing it to use energy beamed from the ground.

We've learned a bit more about Lockheed Martin's Vectis Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) as the company unveiled a full-scale mock-up of the aircraft while announcing that production of the development prototypes is expanding to five airframes.

Northrop Grumman has successfully flight-tested a new quantum navigation system aboard its Lumberjack drone. By taking ultra-precise measurements of Earth's magnetic field, the system allows the aircraft to calculate its position without relying on GPS.

General Atomics has achieved another aviation milestone as its medium-class Mojave Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) carried out the first short take-off and landing (STOL) on a simulated battlefield before returning to its mission.