The Navy has begun conducting "independent technical risk assessments," which were mandated by the Pentagon's chief technology officer in June, starting with the service's highly anticipated unmanned aerial tanker and followed by an all-weather landing system for land- and sea-based aircraft as well as a multimission radar, according to a Navy spokesman.
Unmanned Systems
August 17, 2018 |
Daily News
August 08, 2018 |
Daily News
A recent Air Force analysis found buying Block 5 MQ-9A Reapers is a smarter investment than procuring General Atomics' newer MQ-9B, which costs more and lacks worthwhile capabilities, a congressional source tells Inside Defense.
July 20, 2018 |
Daily News
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency is seeking to immediately triple funding for a project that aims to defeat an unmanned aircraft -- including small drones -- that could be armed with chemical, biological or nuclear materials, an objective Defense Secretary Jim Mattis wants fielded by December.
July 12, 2018 |
Daily News
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, readying to grow its tactical and target drone businesses, has opened a new facility, teamed with another contractor to bolster its capacity and hired a former four-star Air Force general as a consultant.
Mitchell Institute suggests using old F-16s as autonomous teammates, but AFRL chief raises questions
The Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute this week proposed the service consider pulling Lockheed Martin F-16 jets from the boneyard to repurpose them as autonomous aircraft that can fight in tandem with other platforms like the B-21 and F-35, arguing fleets of autonomous aircraft are a cost-effective way to bolster combat capacity.
July 10, 2018 |
Daily News
The Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute this week proposed the service consider pulling Boeing F-16 jets from the boneyard to repurpose them as autonomous aircraft that can fight in tandem with other platforms like the B-21 and F-35, arguing fleets of autonomous aircraft are a cost-effective way to bolster combat capacity.
July 10, 2018 |
Daily News
The Navy intends to accelerate a large unmanned undersea vehicle program by bringing the government's design to industry five years earlier than planned, a plan Senate appropriators are supporting in their version of the fiscal year 2019 defense spending bill.
July 07, 2018 |
Daily News
The Air Force last week revealed plans to buy about 100 MQ-9 Reapers in the next five fiscal years, nearly double the number it projected in budget documents published earlier this year.
July 06, 2018 |
Daily News
The Navy appears to have quietly decided to retain both contractors for the second phase of a large unmanned underwater vehicle program, according to Senate appropriators.
June 28, 2018 |
Daily News
A team analyzing the future of the MQ-9 Reaper will present its final results to the Air Force Capability Development Working Group in July, a service spokeswoman told Inside Defense this week.
June 28, 2018 |
Daily News
The Army's Maneuver Center of Excellence in Ft. Benning, GA, has hosted a number of companies that are developing algorithms for robot "swarming," or controlling many at once, according to a service official.
June 25, 2018 |
Daily News
An influential Army advisory panel is delving into the science and technological underpinnings needed to team soldiers with robots for combat operations, a sweeping study that aims to recommend options to synchronize research and development of needed sensors, communications and artificial intelligence technologies to produce game-changing capabilities for ground and air service components.
June 23, 2018 |
Daily News
The Pentagon's weapons technology chief has commissioned a high-level advisory panel to conduct a strategic assessment of U.S. counter-autonomy capabilities, a one-year study to explore the potential for disruption across the military enterprise caused by advances in artificial intelligence and global technology proliferation.
June 14, 2018 |
Daily News
A key House panel is proposing to cut the Navy's MQ-25 Stingray fiscal year 2019 budget request by more than 40 percent, dealing the high-profile project to develop a catapult-launched unmanned aircraft system a major funding setback just as the service this summer is set to select a contractor to lead the program.
June 13, 2018 |
Daily News
House appropriators are pushing back on the Air Force's request to buy 29 MQ-9 Reapers in fiscal year 2019, arguing the service's procurement plans don't properly address its future aircraft needs.
June 11, 2018 |
Daily News
Hurlburt Field, FL, is expanding its active-duty MQ-9 Reaper pilot workforce to allow for a second combat line under Air Force Special Operations Command.
June 08, 2018 |
Daily News
Senate lawmakers want a report from the Army secretary on the Soldier Borne Sensor, a miniature unmanned aircraft system.
June 08, 2018 |
Daily News
The Air Force's Low-Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology effort would get an $80 million boost under the Senate Armed Services Committee's version of the fiscal year 2019 defense policy bill, more than doubling the program's $50.5 million prototyping request.
June 07, 2018 |
Daily News
Senate lawmakers want the Air Force to prototype capabilities to operate a tanker in a contested environment, providing funding in their mark of fiscal year 2019 defense policy legislation to pursue the effort.
June 07, 2018 |
Daily News
Senate lawmakers are calling for the Marine Corps to purchase a medium-altitude, long-endurance Group 5 unmanned aerial system because the lawmakers believe the RQ-21 Blackjack has repeatedly proved to be ineffective.