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Reporting, analysis and explainers tracking the systems, companies, programs and operational developments shaping Industrial Base.
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State media images released after Kim Jong Un’s inspection of defence-industrial sites show dozens of attack drones with an aerodynamic layout resembling Israel’s Harop, following a 2024 order to begin serial production.
The firm-fixed-price award covers unmanned aircraft hardware and services, but the Army has not disclosed quantities, delivery locations or the operating unit.
The reported 42,000 square metres of below-ground space for Shahed/Geran drones has not been independently verified, while satellite imagery indicates wider expansion and new protective structures at the Tatarstan complex.
The Pentagon’s Drone Dominance Program selected the top performers in its second competition for low-cost unmanned aircraft in two mission areas.
The equipment donation, made through the Dronefall fundraising campaign, includes five ground stations and is valued at about $990,000.
A representative of the unnamed producer said the Bars unmanned aircraft is being built in several strike configurations, including operator-controlled and long-range versions.
A Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team assessment says North Korean workers, including some registered as students, are employed at Russian UAV assembly facilities in Alabuga, Tatarstan.
The Mojave STOL demonstrator landed and departed from a rough maneuver trail during a simulated battlefield exercise, as the partners prepare a production design review planned for November 2026.
The additional assistance is part of a €90 billion loan package, although the European Commission did not disclose the share earmarked specifically for drones.
State imagery showed assembly activity for at least three domestic drone types, including a one-way attack design and airframes resembling the Saetbyol-4 and Saetbyol-9.
The famous cheap-drone-versus-expensive-target comparison is real — but incomplete. The deeper shift is in cost per effect, magazine depth, production speed and the ability to force an adversary into bad exchanges.
The second Drone Dominance Program competition assessed 23 small-UAS platforms in 1,858 sorties, with a bomber-drone evaluation planned next month.
Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones licensed for Russian production have evolved into the Geran family, with analysts assessing that upgraded systems and targeting support may now flow back to Tehran.
Kongsberg has selected the U.S. company’s MESA radar for air and surface applications, including integration with Protector remote weapon stations.
Officials are considering a 2027 expansion that could add autonomous systems and counter-drone capabilities, Breaking Defense reports.
The radio supplier is discussing local manufacturing partnerships as demand rises for mesh-networking equipment designed to sustain drone links in contested electromagnetic environments.
General Dynamics Mission Systems will produce 188 additional Hammerhead Encapsulated Effector units under a $230 million Navy contract modification.
The manufacturer discussed its Collaborative Combat Aircraft offering and a lower-cost modular platform in a sponsored interview at Air, Space & Cyber 2026.
The Navy says the carrier’s Unmanned Air Warfare Center can support command and control of Boeing’s MQ-25A unmanned aerial refueling aircraft.
Skunk Works says its tailless, single-engine Vectis design combines modular systems and autonomy for air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.
Four additional experimental drones are in development as Lockheed Martin targets a first Vectis flight by the end of 2027.
A July 14 request for information asks industry to outline carrier-based and VTOL unmanned systems with long-range strike capability and increasing levels of operational autonomy.
General Cherry, Grim Tech and BlueBird Tech outlined counter-drone interceptor projects at the MSPO defense exhibition in Poland.
The ground-launched system is intended to engage multiple unmanned aircraft with a high-power microwave payload and be recovered for reuse.
A containerized xCell microfactory manufactured drone components, repair parts and 12 Squall aircraft during the ship’s transit to RIMPAC 2026.
Ukraine did not simply add drones to an existing battlefield. It turned unmanned systems into a persistent layer of sensing, strike, logistics and adaptation — forcing militaries to rethink how they see, move, buy and fight.
Allen Control Systems’ AI-enabled Bullfrog will be integrated into the Corps’ ground-based counter-drone air-defense program.
Northrop Grumman will build the high-altitude UAVs, with European industry supporting mission systems, data infrastructure and services.
The mobile networked system is intended to jam and spoof navigation and control signals used by large numbers of incoming drones.
The Finnish defense company and Ukrainian drone maker signed a letter of intent focused on unmanned systems for Western European defense requirements.
The company says its new Buckler interceptor is intended to counter Group 3 unmanned aircraft using an in-house-built airframe and propulsion system.
The Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency selected Terra Drone’s rocket-launched Terra B1 following a Maritime Self-Defense Force demonstration.
The company is investing $40 million in a facility designed to produce 30,000 compact radar panels annually as demand rises for short-range counter-UAS sensors.
The Royal Netherlands Navy plans to integrate kinetic drone interceptors on several warships under a program targeted for completion in the second quarter of 2027.
The Ukrainian manufacturer is also negotiating overseas joint production, including with an unnamed French company, as domestic military demand rises.
Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink also confirmed the FQ-42 and FQ-44 unmanned combat aircraft will carry the names Vengeance and Fury.