Swarm Forge: Pentagon’s Mass-Drone Test Signals Near-Term Deployment
The U.S. military conducted its first kinetic drone swarm strike on American soil January 8, detonating plastic explosives against simulated tanks at Camp Blanding, Florida. The Swarm Forge demonstration used a four-drone formation — one "brain" drone directing three kamikazes to their targets in synchronized strikes. Days later, the Pentagon announced a $100 million prize challenge for "orchestrator" software that would let any soldier command drone swarms using plain English voice commands, signaling intent to move beyond one-operator-per-drone toward fleet-level autonomous coordination.
The demonstration validates years of Pentagon investment in swarm robotics while highlighting the gap that remains: making mass drone tactics useful to commanders who can't spare troops to pilot each aircraft individually. The Defense Autonomous Warfare Group, a rebranding of the Replicator initiative, is running the challenge alongside DIU and the Navy, with submissions due January 25 and an aggressive timeline that reflects Secretary Hegseth's push for speed.
Three drones simultaneously hit targets in the Swarm Forge demonstration \\ Source: Department of War video screenshot
\\ Signal Watch
UK selects firms to develop Apache wingman drone prototypes \\ Defence Blog
The UK Ministry of Defence shortlisted seven companies — including Anduril, BAE Systems, Leonardo, and Thales — to compete for a £100 million "loyal wingman" drone program that will pair autonomous aircraft with Apache attack helicopters. Project NYX requires platforms matching the AH-64E's speed and range while carrying 250kg+ payloads for reconnaissance, strike, and electronic warfare missions. The field narrows to four bidders in March 2026, with initial operational capability targeted for 2030.
Türkiye Advances Stealth Combat Drone Capability as Anka III Enters Advanced Flight Testing \\ Army Recognition
Turkey's Anka III stealth combat drone has accumulated over 150 flight hours in advanced testing, marking progression toward serial production within 18 months. The jet-powered flying-wing design exceeds Mach 0.7 with 1,000+ km range and 1,200 kg payload capacity, positioning TAI's platform alongside US and Chinese low-observable UCAV programs. Internal weapons bays and AESA radar enable deep strike and electronic warfare missions in contested airspace.
U.S. Navy installs 3D-printed components on frontline warships \\ Defence Blog
The U.S. Navy installed its first additively manufactured metal components on operational aircraft carriers and Virginia-class submarines in 2025, transitioning 3D printing from experiment to deployed capability. Lead times dropped 70% for critical destroyer valves while maintenance centers reported $300,000+ cost avoidance per component and 80% faster repairs at forward bases. AUKUS partners completed joint shipboard installations, establishing the groundwork for allied interchangeable repair capabilities across the Pacific.
Anka 3 \\ Source: Turkish Aerospace
\\ Quick Links
Norwegian Firms Develop Swarm-Based Mine-Clearing Concept for Autonomous Sea Ops \\ NextGen Defense
Denmark’s OMT unveils new O1 family of ship designs \\ Naval News
Netherlands Debuts 3D-Printed USV Built in Just Five Months \\ NextGen Defense
Teledyne Gavia Delivers First GAVIA AUV to the Swedish FMV \\ Naval News
China Unveils Sharp Shark 10 Armed USV at DIMDEX 2026 \\ Naval News
Stavatti Aerospace outlines SM-39 Razor concept as independent candidate for U.S. Navy’s NCAD F/A-XX fighter program \\ Defence Industry Europe
Schiebel Groups’s Rocket-Armed Helicopter Drone Debuts at UMEX 2026 \\ NextGen Defense
UK Reveals One-Way Attack Drone With 2.5-Kilogram Warhead Punch \\ NextGen Defense
China’s Massive PL-17 Air-To-Air Missile Seen Up Close \\ TWZ
Polaris secures Bundeswehr equipment office contract to build and flight-test reusable hypersonic vehicle \\ Defence Industry Europe
Turkey’s Latest Counter-Drone System ‘Fires 3,000 Rounds Per Minute’ \\ NextGen Defense
Edinburgh drone company launches Hammer attack drone \\ UKDJ
“Together, these tailored capabilities will amplify and complement the main battle force through lethal outputs that are scalable, deployable, adaptable, and cost-effective by their very nature”
\\ Beyond the Beam
New magnetic polymer enables stronger and more flexible artificial muscles in soft robotics \\ Interesting Engineering
China’s hair-thin fiber chips bring computer-level processing into washable fabric \\ Interesting Engineering
Unsinkable metal tubes could lead to resilient ships, floating platforms and renewable energy innovations \\ Tech Xplore
Newly discovered material conducts heat nearly 3x faster than any metal \\ New Atlas
New 3D-printing extrusion system redefines printing limits \\ Tech Xplore
Palm-sized microreactor solves portable power challenge for robots, drones, and AI \\ Interesting Engineering
Eelume WP960 Autonomous swarm for mine countermeasure operations \\ Source: Eelume
\\ Opportunity Intel
FAA seeks industry input for CLEEN Phase IV aircraft and engine technology program \\ Military Aerospace
DOE seeks batteries with four times the juice \\ Defense One
NASA seeks industry input on C-UAS detection and analysis services \\ Military Aerospace
Air Force re-approaches industry for help with simulation and evaluation technology for modern weapons \\ Military Aerospace
Britain launches new Goshawk interceptor project \\ UKDJ
Pentagon CTO offers industry free use of 400 patents from gov’t labs — for a start \\ Breaking Defense
Navy shipbuilding stands to get $27 billion in funding in 2026 \\ Defense One
Calian Mobilizes Initial $100 Million to Accelerate Canada’s C5ISRT Defence Capabilities \\ Calian
UMEX total deals reach $980 million, navies seek 3D-printed USVs \\ Breaking Defense
European Commission approves second wave of SAFE defence funding, unlocking €74 billion for eight EU member states \\ Defence Industry Europe
Romania details €16.6 billion SAFE investment plan with major defence procurements and strategic infrastructure projects \\ Defence Industry Europe
5 countries, 10 companies, €15M: PRECISE AI project aims to protect European infrastructure \\ Breaking Defense
Finland opens NATO DIANA accelerator in Espoo, strengthening defence innovation, technology leadership and Alliance cooperation \\ Defence Industry Europe
Anduril has invented a wild new drone-flying contest where jobs are the prize \\ TechCrunch
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