The Skyborg program office plans to release a solicitation to buy vehicles for experimentation this month, on the path toward achieving the imagined artificial intelligence-enabled, autonomous unmanned aerial system that can function as a "force multiplier" for manned aircraft.
Unmanned Systems
May 7, 2020
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.
May 6, 2020
While the U.S. Air Force continues research and development of low-cost attritable drones, Boeing and the Royal Australian Air Force Tuesday rolled out the first prototype of their Loyal Wingman, moving closer to achieving an operational, autonomy-enabled "force multiplier" for the global defense market.
May 4, 2020
The Navy last week began a three-year effort to solicit ideas from industry to improve its future submarines and unmanned undersea vehicles.
April 15, 2020
The Navy is planning a two-year production pause for an unmanned surveillance aircraft but has yet to determine how much the hiatus will cost, according to the program manager.
April 10, 2020
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.
April 9, 2020
The Navy this week began soliciting industry and academia about the 2021 Advanced Naval Technology Exercise under the banner of "Naval Integration in a Contested Environment."
April 9, 2020
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.
March 30, 2020
The Skyborg vanguard program is ready to move beyond experimentation and release a solicitation to industry, according to the Air Force's acquisition executive.
March 11, 2020
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.
March 10, 2020
The Marine Corps is moving toward a family of systems strategy for its Marine Air Ground Task Force Unmanned Expeditionary program that would include a land-based unmanned aerial system.
March 2, 2020
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.
February 28, 2020
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy has commissioned an advisory panel to provide an independent assessment of the service's information assurance capabilities, a matter central to plans for semi-autonomous weapon systems and future combat.
February 28, 2020
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.
February 24, 2020
The Navy expects to purchase two large unmanned undersea vehicles in fiscal year 2025 using other procurement funding, according to the service's FY-21 budget request.
February 18, 2020
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.
February 13, 2020
The Defense Digital Service is taking over "Rogue Squadron," a counter-unmanned aerial system project initiated by the Defense Innovation Unit, to give the Defense Department a "same day" capability to begin responding to emerging small drone threats, according to DDS Director Brett Goldstein.
February 11, 2020
The Navy's fiscal year 2021 budget request lays out a detailed acquisition plan for the service's Large Unmanned Surface Vessel, beginning with an anticipated delay for an early solicitation this year and culminating with the first vehicle being delivered in FY-26.
February 11, 2020
The Air Force's fiscal year 2021 budget makes major changes to the service's fleet of remotely piloted aircraft -- ending purchases of MQ-9 Reapers and retiring more than two-thirds of its RQ-4 Global Hawk fleet.
February 10, 2020
The Air Force's $168.9 billion fiscal year 2021 budget request proposes a $4.1 billion realignment across the future years defense program to fund increases in future air and space dominance capabilities through cuts to legacy bombers and tankers, Block 20 and 30 Global Hawks, Guard and Reserve Component A-10s and planned missile procurements. (UPDATED)