South Korea to deploy laser weapons to intercept North Korean drones
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said it will deploy at least one anti-air laser weapons system — called “Block-I” — this year.
Unmanned
Australia takes aim with US-made loitering munitions
AeroVironment's Switchblade 300 has a 3.69-pound (1.68 kg) warhead and 19-mile (30 km) range in its latest Block 20 variant.
Germany to help procure drones for Ukraine, Pistorius says
The country will present a plan for NATO to buy drones “from German industry” on behalf of the Ukrainian armed forces, Pistorius said.
Ukraine industry chief sees bumper year for land-based drones
Kyiv's head of strategic industries said that the push for ground robotics was part of a bigger bet on "defense tech."
Zelenskyy seeks relaxed target limits within Russia amid bombardment
Glide bombs are heavy Soviet-era bombs fitted with precision guidance systems and launched from aircraft flying out of range of air defenses.
Dronemaker Skydio hiring team in Ukraine amid strategy shift
The war in Ukraine is the first to feature widespread use of small, commercial style drones.
Pentagon tech hub to launch dozens of new projects with FY24 funding
DIU offered details on how it will spend nearly $1 billion FY24 funding, most of which will go toward speeding up existing projects and starting new ones.
Lawmakers urge Defense Innovation Unit to partner with Israel, Taiwan
The provisions call for DIU to establish a “strategic partnership” with each country to coordinate on industrial priorities and dual-use tech development.
US approves loitering munitions sale for Taiwan’s ‘porcupine strategy’
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency approvals include 291 Altius 600M-V loitering munitions from Anduril, plus 720 Switchblade 300s from AeroVironment.
Chinese military’s rifle-toting robot dogs raise concerns in Congress
Lawmakers want U.S. military officials to examine the threat posed by new Chinese robot dogs armed with rifles.
Ground robots hauling drones into battle is a trend at Paris arms fair
Teledyne Flir and Rheinmetall have proposed combos of robots on land and in the air.
Robot craze in Russia-Ukraine war shines light on their drawbacks
Experts say the deployment of unmanned ground vehicles in combat remains a costly affair in terms of labor and their vulnerabilities.
Anduril to build factory to increase Dive-LD unmanned systems capacity
The facility will eventually be able to make up to 200 Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicles a year.
Romania’s second Patriot system operational after drone-destroying drill
Certifying the Patriot was a national objective identified by Romania’s Defence Ministry as part of the NATO-led Ramstein Legacy exercise.
Robotic vehicles to fight with enemy forces in Army training event
McQ, Textron Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems and Oshkosh Defense will build the light RCV prototypes.
Estonian-made combat robots in Ukraine now come with Starlink
The new satellite connectivity feature allows the vehicles to be operated from thousands of miles away, according to the manufacturer.
White House takes aim at shipbuilding, other measures in defense bill
The White House noted its concerns with the FY25 defense policy bill's shipbuilding plans, an east coast missile defense site and contractor pricing data.
