Space
Space Force eyes late May launch of next GPS III satellite
The service plans to have the satellite ready for launch in three months — a process that typically takes up to two years.
LeoLabs to deploy expeditionary Scout radar to Indo-Pacific this year
The firm will showcase a truck-mounted version of Scout this week at the annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Anduril unveils ‘Copperhead’ line of autonomous underwater vehicles
The baseline Copperhead is designed for rapid-response missions, while the Copperhead-M variant is an underwater torpedo.
Space Force issues $13.5 billion in contracts to 3 launch firms
The awards are part of the service’s National Security Space Launch program, which it uses to acquire nearly all military space launches.
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Space
Intel agency expanding proliferated constellation with April launches
These capabilities make it “harder for our adversaries to hide,” the director of the National Reconnaissance Office said Tuesday.
Artificial Intelligence
Survival of the quickest: Military leaders aim to unleash, control AI
At a Paris summit on artificial intelligence, defense officials from around the world ponder what's in store for artificial intelligence in warfare.
Unmanned
Anduril unveils ‘Copperhead’ line of autonomous underwater vehicles
The baseline Copperhead is designed for rapid-response missions, while the Copperhead-M variant is an underwater torpedo.
Defense Innovation Unit picks four firms to test one-way drones
The companies, including two Ukrainian vendors, will test demonstrate their capabilities in April and May, and DIU will make final picks soon after.
Saronic unveils plans for autonomous shipyard
Saronic plans to use the facility to grow its fleet of autonomous surface vessels amid demand from the Pentagon for more drones of all kinds.
Unmanned
Ukrainian defense planners envision a drones-only front line
Ukrainian drone makers are showcasing equipment at the IDEX defense show that could help establish a front line devoid of human operators.
Pentagon expands list of commercial drones certified for military use
Following a November demo, DOD chose 23 systems and 14 drone components to add to its Blue UAS and Framework lists, pending cybersecurity validation.
L3Harris unveils Amorphous autonomy software to manage drone swarms
To date, the company has demonstrated the ability to connect multiple systems, but it envisions Amorphous eventually managing thousands of payloads.
Cyber
Opinion
America’s arsenal of democracy needs a software renaissance
Software-defined warfare provides a path to modernize and reimagine America’s defense capabilities for the 21st century, the authors of this op-ed argue.
Electronic Warfare
11 Baltic cables damaged in 15 months, pushing NATO to boost security
NATO is deploying eyes in the sky and on the Baltic Sea to protect cables and pipelines that stitch together the nine countries with Baltic shores.
VIDEOS
Senator blocks VA nominees after staffing cut plans | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 4.5.25
Arizona Senator and Marine veteran Reuben Gallego pushes back against what he says are ‘arbitrary’ cuts to VA staff, placing a hold on nominees to the agency.
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German drone maker helps Ukrainian forces own the night
Munich-based Quantum Systems has seen demand spike for its Vector drone, popular with Ukrainian special operators.
Russia angles for drone-making partners in the Middle East
It's still unclear whether Moscow's eagerness for cooperation will find a match in the region.
Directed-energy weapons need full Pentagon commitment, industry says
At least 31 directed-energy initiatives are underway across the U.S. military, according to the National Defense Industrial Association.
South Korean official touts fledgling drone command as global model
Seoul centralized military drone activities under a single command last year, following an embarrassing intrusion by North Korean aircraft in 2022.
Amid Red Sea clashes, Navy leaders ask: Where are our ship lasers?
“We’re 10 years down the road, and we still don’t have something we can field?”
Marines ‘disable’ drone flying over new Guam base
The Marine Corps officially opened Camp Blaz in January 2022, in preparation for a future shuffling of some 5,000 Marines from Japan to Guam.
Air Force’s next nuclear missile at risk after costs spike
The LGM-35A Sentinel nuclear missile has seen its costs increase at least 37%, triggering a review that could see the program restructured or canceled.
Opinion
The US is failing to quickly field hypersonic missile defense
If Washington does not act quickly to expedite the Pentagon’s fielding of hypersonic missile defense capabilities, deterrence may fail in the Pacific.
By Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery (ret.) and Bradley Bowman