Congressional appropriators are supporting the Navy's plans to buy two prototype unmanned surface vessels, but barred the service from initially pursuing conceptual designs that include a vertical launch system.
Unmanned Systems
December 17, 2019
December 12, 2019
The Army will begin testing prototypes of the Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System with five brigade combat teams next April.
December 11, 2019
Lawmakers are moving to slow the Navy's push for a new unmanned, corvette-sized vessel the service highlighted in its fiscal year 2020 budget, a move that follows a year of conversations between lawmakers and Navy officers about the maturity of unmanned systems.
November 21, 2019
The Navy is assessing bids for the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel concept design contract ahead of a planned fiscal year 2020 award date.
November 21, 2019
As the Army reaches an inflection point with autonomy and artificial intelligence to face near-peer competitors, the service is encouraging traditional defense contractors to take it in stride by including new technology requirements in requests for proposals.
November 11, 2019
The Air Force Research Lab has finished a round of counter-drone testing that featured five directed-energy weapons that management officials are considering for a possible program of record.
November 6, 2019
The Navy plans to stand up a second developmental squadron for unmanned underwater vehicles and turn its current squadron into a major command, according to the service's admiral overseeing submarine forces.
October 25, 2019
ANNAPOLIS, MD -- The Marine Corps is evaluating how a Long Range Unmanned Surface Vessel can help the service fight in the vast Indo-Pacific region, as the Navy gears up for a period of great power competition.
October 23, 2019
ANNAPOLIS, MD -- The Navy plans to issue a draft request for proposals for a medium unmanned underwater vehicle by the end of this calendar year.
October 18, 2019
The Air Force's directed-energy experimentation campaign has started another round of counter-drone testing with five different systems that management officials are exploring for an anticipated program of record.
October 14, 2019
The Next Generation Combat Vehicle's cross-functional team will deliver Robotic Combat Vehicle test platforms to Colorado in the spring for the next round of experimentation, following a "rodeo" in Texas that took place earlier this year.
October 7, 2019
An experimental unmanned surface vessel program initiated by Pentagon research agencies and bound for the Navy has fallen behind schedule by several months with a contract to build a prototype now expected early next year.
October 1, 2019
The Air Force has indefinitely delayed an effort to update the RQ-4 Global Hawk's communications network and is "in the process of assessing and realigning resources" for the unmanned aerial vehicle program's many development projects.
September 26, 2019
During an upcoming experiment, the Air Force will demonstrate the ability of the Phaser high-powered microwave system to thwart adversary unmanned aerial systems in an overseas operational environment.
September 26, 2019
Boeing last night announced that the company’s MQ-25 Stingray prototype, dubbed T1, has completed its first test flight. (UPDATED)
September 17, 2019
The Advanced Battle Management System will be a major player in the Air Force's plans for air superiority and manned-unmanned teaming, by providing the networking backbone for the service's platforms and likely gaining a large influx of funding in the fiscal year 2021 budget proposal.
September 17, 2019
The Air Force is considering the Skyborg autonomous drone research effort as the first program to demonstrate effects for the Advanced Battle Management System.
September 12, 2019
The Senate Appropriations Committee is the only one of four key congressional panels overseeing the Pentagon's budget expressing support for the Navy's plan to purchase two unmanned surface vessel prototypes.
September 12, 2019
The congressional committees overseeing the Pentagon's budget are divided on funding for technology developed by the Strategic Capabilities Office and bound for the Marine Corps that would launch organic fires from an unmanned surface vessel.
September 10, 2019
A Senate panel today marked up its version of the fiscal year 2020 defense spending bill in accordance with a bipartisan budget deal, appropriating $622 billion in base spending, $70.7 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations and $1.7 billion in emergency funding.