The U.S. Navy's first production MQ-25A Stingray completed its inaugural autonomous taxi test January 30, moving the carrier-based unmanned tanker one step closer to first flight. At the push of a button, air vehicle pilots commanded the aircraft to taxi itself from Boeing's MidAmerica facility to the runway, executing steering, braking, and ground-handling maneuvers without a pilot onboard. VX-23 and UX-24 test squadrons supervised the milestone — validation required before the Stingray can operate on crowded carrier decks, where precision and predictability matter more than speed.
The MQ-25A will take over aerial refueling duties that currently consume up to one-third of F/A-18 Super Hornet sorties, reducing airframe fatigue and freeing fighters for combat missions. Boeing is building nine pre-production aircraft for testing, with first flight expected later in 2026 and carrier integration to follow. Navy leadership views the Stingray as a pathfinder for carrier-based unmanned aviation — service officials have discussed a long-term goal of 60 percent or more of carrier air wing aircraft becoming uncrewed.
Three drones simultaneously hit targets in the Swarm Forge demonstration \\ Source: Department of War video screenshot
\\ Signal Watch
Ukraine Unleashes Robotic UGV Capable of Blind Grenade Strikes \\ NextGen Defense
Ukrainian firms Frontline Robotics and BUREVII have fielded a ground robot that fires grenades without ever seeing its target. The ARDAL platform carries a BUREVII turret armed with an Mk 19 grenade launcher, using a "coordinate–fire–impact" system: operators select a point on a digital map, the onboard ballistic computer calculates firing parameters, and the turret executes the strike autonomously. Accuracy reaches three meters at two kilometers, with programmable area-fire modes that can saturate lines, rectangles, or elliptical zones. The system has already seen combat during an offensive operation, transitioning from transport to firing in under three minutes.
Overland AI scales ULTRA UGV production for U.S. military \\ Defence Blog
Overland AI closed a $100 million round to meet demand for its ULTRA unmanned ground vehicle across U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and SOCOM units. The UGV has conducted autonomous resupply following airborne insertions and integrated into breaching operations that removed combat engineers from minefields. With 454 kg payload capacity, GPS-denied navigation, and a completed DARPA RACER program behind it, ULTRA represents ground autonomy moving from experimentation to operational integration.
BlackSea Conducts Keel Laying For New NightTrain Autonomous Logistics Vessel \\ Defense Daily
BlackSea Technologies laid the keel for NightTrain, an autonomous semi-submersible logistics vessel designed to resupply forward forces across contested Pacific waters. The low-profile design carries standard ISO containers while remaining mostly submerged to reduce signature. BlackSea is building NightTrain to move meaningful cargo at inter-theater distances without putting sailors at risk.
Overland AI ULTRA UGV \\ Source: Overland AI
\\ Quick Links
ST Engineering Debuts Next-Gen UAVs, Tactical Systems at Singapore Airshow \\ NextGen Defense
A Rare Look at the Secretive RQ-170 Operations at Creech Air Force Base \\ The Aviationist
Leonardo Rolls Out Remote Drone-Killer to Cover Michelangelo’s ‘Dead Zones’ \\ NextGen Defense
China’s New Unmanned Long Range Stealth Fighter Now Being Tested on Carrier Decks \\ Military Watch Magazine
Lowental Hybrid to provide Israel’s Elbit with propulsion systems for tactical UAVs \\ Breaking Defense
DLR-led project cuts helicopter noise and vibration with actively twisting rotor blades \\ Military Aerospace
US Air Force successfully tests low-cost, mass producible Rusty Dagger cruise missiles \\ Interesting Engineering
Ahead of the Battle: New German Tech Brings Predictive Intelligence to Military Ops \\ NextGen Defense
Frontline ‘Miracle’: DARPA’s Robotic Medical Tool Concept Seals Wounds Under Fire \\ NextGen Defense
Germany Accelerates Sensor-to-Shooter Links With LUNA NG Drone in Bundeswehr Trials \\ Army Recognition
The new battlespace will “hyperconnect” radios, 5G, troposcatter, and SATCOM \\ Breaking Defense
US Air Force Explores Biotech, Smart Materials for Next-Gen Defense \\ NextGen Defense
China Deploys Space-Based AI Integrated With Satellite Sensors: A Game Changer For Next Generation Warfare \\ Military Watch Magazine
“Try to avoid being negative about competitors or current solutions. We have seen vendors bring negativity in the interactions on Capitol Hill. I’ll be clear for the Army, it’s a non-starter,”
\\ Beyond the Beam
Octopus-inspired 'smart skin' uses 4D printing to morph on cue \\ Tech Xplore
Underwater 3D printing is edging in to transform maritime construction \\ New Atlas
US scientists take first look inside extreme ramjet engine, could triple missile range \\ Interesting Engineering
China grows military-grade rubber in Gobi Desert as war reshapes supply chains \\ Interesting Engineering
Toshiba and Airbus collaborate on superconducting motor for hydrogen-electric aircraft \\ Military Aerospace
Hybrid jet engines work to excel where pure-electric jets fail \\ New Atlas
RQ-170 and MQ-9 on the taxiway \\ Source: Anders Otteson @UncannyExpedition
\\ Opportunity Intel
EIF eyeing ‘more ambitious’ defence investing programme as it doubles down on military tech \\ Sifted
TKMS launches CDDE – Canadian Defence & Dual-Use Innovation Ecosystem \\ Canadian Defence Review
Babcock launches national engagement series to boost SME access to defence industry \\ Defence Connect
Army asks industry for optical tracking to validate GNSS navigation aboard aircraft at test ranges \\ Military Aerospace
Do you have ideas about how to improve America’s space program? \\ Ars Technica
Army eyes wearable electronics to help working military dogs with surveillance and reconnaissance \\ Military Aerospace
FAA seeks data integration and AI analytics platform to modernize logistics operations \\ Military Aerospace
Facing Hybrid Drone Warfare, NATO Seeks Industry Solutions \\ Forbes
Pentagon wants ‘low-collateral’ drone interceptors at all U.S. military installations, task force director says \\ Defense Scoop
Military researchers to brief industry on developing safe energy storage without rigid materials \\ Military Aerospace
NASA awards studies to advance affordable hypersonic flight testing for reusable airbreathing vehicles \\ Defence Industry Europe
Pentagon names 25 vendors to compete for $150M in delivery orders during first phase of its Drone Dominance Program, ‘the Gauntlet’ \\ Defense Scoop
New Pentagon science-and-innovation board arrives as administration cuts research funding \\ Defense One
Pentagon names 6 appointees to lead the CTO’s top technology efforts \\ Defense Scoop
Army official to industry: Don’t ‘bring negativity’ about NGC2 to Congress \\ Breaking Defense
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