The Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit completed a suborbital flight test of a 3D-printed hypersonic scramjet vehicle, marking a milestone in its campaign to break the hypersonic testing bottleneck. The Cassowary Vex mission sent Australian firm Hypersonix's three-meter DART AE demonstrator to Mach 5+ aboard Rocket Lab's modified HASTE launch vehicle, collecting real-world propulsion, materials, and flight control data under extreme hypersonic conditions.

The vehicle's airframe was built entirely through additive manufacturing using high-temperature alloys, and its scramjet engine runs on gaseous hydrogen. It was the first flight of a commercially developed testbed under DIU's Hypersonic High-Cadence Advanced Testing (HyCAT) program, launched in 2022 to address a persistent problem: the U.S. has invested billions in hypersonic weapons across all three services, but only a handful of wind tunnels and high-speed test facilities can replicate the conditions these systems face. That shortage has slowed development timelines across the board.

HyCAT's answer is low-cost, commercially derived test platforms that supplement government infrastructure and increase flight frequency. DIU flew a previous HyCAT mission in November with the Missile Defense Agency. The DART AE flight was the first outing for the Hypersonix vehicle itself. By leaning on commercial launch providers and 3D-printed airframes, DIU aims to shrink timelines, cut costs, and give hypersonic developers something they desperately need — more shots on goal.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France's next-generation ballistic missile submarine will be named Invincible, with the first boat set to sail in 2036. The Invincible-class will replace the in-service Le Triomphant-class, carrying 16 SLBM silos and four torpedo tubes with a crew of 110. At roughly 150 meters long and over 15,000 tons submerged, it is nearly 10 meters longer than its predecessor. Steel cutting began in March 2024, with section assembly expected to start in 2026–2027. Four boats will sustain France's sea-based deterrent until the 2080s. Macron also unveiled an "advanced deterrence" framework, with eight European nations — including Germany, the UK, Poland, and Sweden — agreeing to participate in joint exercises and host French strategic air force deployments.

Israel Aerospace Industries and TKMS have delivered the BlueWhale large autonomous underwater vehicle to the German Navy, following intensive testing in the Baltic Sea. Described as a first-of-its-kind fully autonomous large UUV, BlueWhale is designed for unmanned anti-submarine warfare, mine detection, acoustic intelligence collection, and covert maritime reconnaissance. IAI developed the platform while TKMS's ATLAS ELEKTRONIK segment integrated an advanced ASW towed sonar. The vehicle operates autonomously over extended periods, acting as a long-range sensor extension for manned platforms. The delivery supports the German Navy's "Kurs Marine 2035+" modernization plan.

Italian company Drass is moving into the execution phase of a $1.4 billion program to deliver six DGK compact submarines to Indonesia. The first tranche — two boats plus training and support — is valued at $480 million, with export credit financing finalized. At 34 meters long with a surface displacement of 219 tons, the DGK carries weapons and sensors comparable to conventional submarines — including two bow-mounted heavyweight torpedo launchers, conformal passive sonar, and an electronic warfare suite — but in a package small enough to be transported by road. The diesel-electric boat uses lithium-ion batteries, reaches 15 knots submerged, and can carry seven special forces operators plus a Drass DS8 swimmer delivery vehicle. Indonesia will be the launch customer. The deal is part of a broader Italian-Indonesian defense relationship that also includes the transfer of the decommissioned Garibaldi aircraft carrier.

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