U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

DARPA has revealed interest in developing a new class of air-to-air missiles in which the top design requirement is mass production rather than maximizing performance.

Nuclear fusion rocket power; Matrix autonomy joins the Army; ship-to-shore contested logistics; and sulfur’s role in contrails formation.

Gulf airlines continue to face heavy disruption, while U.S. carriers deal with a fuel cost surge and must compete against largely hedged European airlines.

Stop-fold tiltrotor becomes X-76; Sikorsky tests hybrid powertrain; light-driven SAF production; and from nuclear power to liquid fuel.

The stop-fold tiltrotor uncrewed aircraft under development by Bell for a DARPA project to fly a high-speed VTOL demonstrator has been designated the X-76.

Singaporean eVTOL demonstrator; missile-launching uncrewed X-plane; BWB goes double-deck; and cheaper SAF by co-electrolysis.

An air-launched missile-carrying UAS developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for DARPA’s LongShot project has been designed the X-68A.

Nuclear propulsion for space may be back in favor as the U.S. seeks technology to power vehicles going to Mars and beyond.

A recent series of ground tests validated a rotation detonation ramjet linked to a supersonic inlet for the first time.

Automated Black Hawk; Eve’s eVTOL flies; Arctic auroral radar; controlling thin wings.

DARPA is taking a hard look at the quizzical, quantum-mechanics-based hardware.

Quantum sensors and navigation could be deployed soon while other technologies are years from reality.

DARPA wants to harness the noisy radio frequency environment of the ionosphere.

DARPA has granted BAE Systems a contract for its Oversight program to make software that allows new military sats to track up to 1,000 targets on the ground.

The ability to refuel satellites in orbit will be crucial to future U.S. military space operations, but the Pentagon needs more testbeds.

The agency’s Lift Challenge aims for at least a fourfold increase in drone payload-to-weight capability.

X-plane escapes cancellation; China’s hybrid powertrains; Modular cargo UAV, India’s indigenous aircraft.

Aurora Flight Sciences is to co-invest with DARPA in completion and initial flight testing of the X-65 active flow control demonstrator.

DARPA wants to restart the clock on drone development and "revolutionize vertical lift aviation.”

Voyager Technologies is continuing its acquisition spree with a U.S. propulsion focus, announcing Nov. 20 it is buying Estes Energetics.

Redwire has received $44 million from DARPA to build the Otter very low Earth orbit (VLEO) spacecraft.

A DARPA award to Space Kinetic Corp. is advancing space-based missile defense through the development of the Longbow system.

A U.S. startup has adapted technology enabling airborne wind energy generation to develop a tethered drone.

DARPA Quantum Benchmarking Initiative is looking at 11 companies, with the goal of achieving a "useful quantum computer" by 2030.

A former employee of Corning faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for economic espionage and 10 years in prison for theft of trade secrets, the Justice Department says.