It’s training season, baby. This morning, augmented reality flight training company Red 6 announced that they’ve scored a contract with the US Air Force to integrate their ATARS (Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System) into the F-16 Fighting Falcon. That means that fighter jet pilots will now be able to simulate real-world engagements—like dogfights—using augmented reality […]
Merlin the magician had a few tricks up his sleeve, but Merlin Labs just made an $800M pre-money valuation appear. On Thursday, the Boston-based aviation autonomy startup announced plans to go public next year through a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) led by Inflection Point Asset Management. The deal, which is expected to close in […]
For an industry that hasn’t changed a whole lot in decades, solid rocket motors (SRMs) have had quite a month. A week after Anduril opened its SRM facility in Mississippi, Ursa Major announced yesterday that it has held successful static tests of its SRM on BAE’s APKWS guided missile. Given the critical gap in supply […]
There’s no shortage of companies promising to automate aviation, but Beacon AI just wants to make the human pilots better. And so far, the DoD is loving it. On Tuesday, the aviation decision-making startup announced it won its twelfth contract, this time a Direct-to-Phase II SBIR with the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). Beacon, […]
Between the rollercoaster Ukraine mineral deal and the Pentagon’s $400M investment in MP Materials, rare earth minerals have been all the rage in 2025. And yesterday, they got even more hyped when North Carolina-based rare earth magnet processing startup Vulcan Elements announced a $65M Series A led by Altimeter, bringing total funding to $75M. The […]
Some people’s retirement plans involve beach houses and golf. For others, hypersonic missiles and startups. On Monday, Castelion announced the hire of Capt. Greg Zettler, the Navy’s most recent Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) Program Manager, following his retirement after three decades in uniform. We told you the hype for hypersonics is real—and the startup scene […]
Tiny planes are truly having their moment. On Thursday, VTOL giant Archer Aviation went on a shopping spree—snapping up a manufacturing facility and assets, plus another VTOL maker’s patent portfolio—to speed development of its next-gen defense aircraft. Tiny plane, big impact: In case you don’t know, Archer was founded in California in 2018 by Adam […]
As if one new military branch wasn’t enough—looking at you, Space Force—Trump may soon get a shot at another: Cyber Force. And the think tanks are already on the case. This week, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) announced they’re launching a new commission next […]
Ukraine’s anti-corruption watchdogs just got their bite back, and they’re starting with drones. Last weekend, Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies, SAPO and NABU, announced an investigation into a “large-scale corruption scheme” in UAVs and electronic warfare equipment procurement, involving drone company owners, lawmakers, and military officials. Revenge tour: If the National Anti‑Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti‑Corruption […]
We need an updated zodiac for the US, because it’s clearly the Year of the Drone. On Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy proposed some big changes to the FAA rules around domestic UAV flights—especially out-of-sight ones. The long-awaited Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) authorizes Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights, where the operator cannot […]
