UAS

The UK has shortlisted seven bidders in its hunt to find an ACP that could operate as a loyal wingman to its Boeing Apache attack helicopters in the 2030s.

The UK Defense Ministry is opening a competition for a low-cost interceptor, echoing wider efforts among militaries to field ways to more cheaply defeat the threat from drones and loitering munitions.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

Hybrid regional propulsion advances, Windracers pushes scheduled cargo drones, and Luminary speeds uncrewed combat designs.

Windracers’ Ultra uncrewed aircraft system has emerged as the latest British combat aircraft featuring an internal weapons bay.

The head of British uncrewed aircraft systems developer Windracers has called on regulators to allow scheduled cargo services by drone.

Leonardo’s autonomous rotorcraft demonstrator Proteus has made its long-awaited first flight.

Google subsidiary Wing announced plans to expand its drone delivery service to an additional 150 Walmart stores over the next year.

Wars in Iran and Ukraine have convinced Singapore that airpower is no longer business as usual.

China conducted the first flight of a domestically developed 3D-printed turbojet engine in November 2025.

Norinco subsidiary Aisheng Technology Group has carried out the first flight of the Tian Ma TM-1000 large cargo UAS on Jan. 11.

Aisheng Technology Group, a subsidiary of China’s state-owned arms producer Norinco, has conducted the first flight of the Lingque “Magpie” LQ-150 VTOL UAS.

The Donald Trump administration has announced several exemptions for uncrewed aircraft systems not manufactured in the U.S.

The UK defense ministry is broadening its search for alternative means of position, navigation and timing.

In a banner year for defense technology venture funding, C-UAS came into its own, growing faster in 2025 than any other major industry segment.

A surprising new U.S. ban on UAS and components from outside the U.S. is likely to lead to disruption before any benefits.

UK defense engineering firm Babcock has teamed with Estonia air defense startup Frankenburg Technologies to work on providing a maritime launch system.

A new ban on foreign UAS, parts or systems in the U.S. will have far-reaching effects for UAS users but may not lead to a renaissance of American providers.

The Pentagon will provide $18.5 million in funding to Lattice Materials, a manufacturer of advanced defense optics systems.

NASA is looking to field a drone-detection and analysis system to help spot activities over the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC).

Japan plans to study the use of General Atomics MQ-9B UAS for aerial interception missions, as it faces airspace intrusions by Chinese and Russian aircraft.

The Indian government has given the green light to buy a range of homegrown and imported missile, drone and counter-drone systems.

The Office of Naval Research on Dec. 23 awarded Skydweller’s U.S. arm the $1.4 million contract for the development.

The U.S. Marine Corps has laid out an ambitious goal to field thousands of uncrewed systems following a model laid out earlier this year by the U.S. Army.

A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision to ban Chinese-made drones for communications has instilled uncertainty among public-sector users.