Anglo-German startup Hypersonica completed its first hypersonic test flight at Andøya Space in Norway, making it the first privately funded European defense company to reach this milestone. The missile prototype exceeded Mach 6 with a range over 300 km, and the company says all systems performed nominally with validation down to subcomponent level. The entire journey from design to launchpad took just nine months.

The test marks the opening move in closing one of Europe's biggest capability gaps. While the US, China, and Russia have been racing on hypersonics for years, Europe has had no sovereign strike option in this class. Hypersonica is targeting operational capability by 2029, aligned with both NATO and UK hypersonic framework timelines, and claims its modular architecture can cut development costs by over 80% compared to conventional programs. For a privately funded startup to put a Mach 6 prototype downrange in under a year, that alone should force a conversation about how fast hypersonic development actually needs to take.

Boeing revealed the next evolution of its Ghost Bat combat drone after Block 2 weapons tests proved the platform can autonomously execute the final phase of a networked kill chain. The MQ-28A Block 3 adds what earlier versions left empty: a scalable internal weapons bay for an AIM-120 or two GBU-39s, a wider wingspan stretched from 6m to 7.3m for more fuel and range, and possible aerial refueling capability. With 17 airframes already on order for the RAAF and US services circling, Ghost Bat is steadily closing the gap between loyal wingman concept and deployable combat asset.

Raytheon demonstrated its reusable Coyote Block 3NK during a US Army exercise, defeating multiple drone swarms with a non-kinetic payload designed for urban and populated environments where kinetic intercept risks collateral damage. The system loiters, engages, and is recovered for immediate redeployment without leaving the battlefield. Kinetic Coyote variants have already intercepted over 100 drones in combat, and Raytheon recently secured a $5B LIDS contract, its largest counter-drone deal, with production upgrades for faster launches, higher speeds, and greater range to counter heavier-payload threats at longer distances.

The Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit issued requirements for CADDS (Containerized Autonomous Drone Delivery System), a system that can store, launch, recover, and refit drone swarms from a single container on land or sea with no more than two operators. The solicitation signals a recognized infrastructure gap behind the US military's push to field hundreds of thousands of drones: the current 1:1 operator-to-aircraft model can't scale. DIU wants automated systems that support mixed drone types, operate in contested environments day or night, and go from dormant to launching on command.

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