Unmanned Systems

Lawmakers are voicing concern that the Air Force's fiscal year 2021 plan to divest from legacy drone programs before next-generation platforms are ready could leave a gap in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities -- putting the service on the defensive as budget negotiations ramp up.

Despite a potential 10-month delay to the schedule, the Navy says it is still planning for its new unmanned aerial tanker program to achieve initial operational capability in fiscal year 2024, according to the officer overseeing the aircraft.

The Navy last week began a three-year effort to solicit ideas from industry to improve its future submarines and unmanned undersea vehicles.

The Army today issued a "narrative" for the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program in place of an in-person industry day due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Navy says it is now implementing two key acquisition and design efforts into all unmanned maritime vehicle programs, bringing to fruition the service's years-long efforts to begin standardizing unmanned and autonomous technologies.

The Air Force has begun studying options to replace the MQ-9 Reaper and aims to identify a way forward in the fiscal year 2022 budget proposal, a senior official said yesterday.

ORLANDO, FL -- The Skyborg program wont produce the hyped vision of a weaponized, loyal wingman right away, but will instead introduce advanced technology in cycles, allowing the system to take on more complex mission sets over time that could eventually run like applications on an iPhone, according to Air Force officials.

The Pentagon is reviewing its bedrock policy governing how the U.S. military approaches autonomy in weapon systems, as defense officials say the directive may be outdated due to advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

The Air Force is moving forward with a contracting solution worth up to $490 million for research and development of capabilities that can combat commercial off-the-shelf small unmanned aerial systems.