Airbus Defence and Space completed the first flight of its Bird of Prey uncrewed interceptor on March 30, with the drone autonomously detecting, classifying, and engaging a simulated kamikaze drone during a test in northern Germany. The engagement used Frankenburg Technologies' Mark I missile, described as the lightest guided interceptor to date at under 2 kg and 65 cm long. It is a fire-and-forget weapon with an electro-optical seeker, solid-fuel rocket motor, and fragmentation warhead, with an engagement range of up to 1.5 km. The prototype carried four missiles; the operational version is designed to carry up to eight.

The Bird of Prey is based on a modified Airbus Do-DT25, a jet-powered platform originally developed as an aerial target for missile training. In its interceptor configuration it has a 2.5-meter wingspan, measures 3.1 meters long, and weighs 160 kg at maximum takeoff. It launches by catapult and recovers by parachute for reuse. Airbus says the system went from project start to first demonstration flight in nine months. The system is designed to operate within NATO's integrated air defense architecture, handling the lower tier of the threat spectrum where conventional surface-to-air missiles are too expensive to use against cheap mass-produced drones. Further flights with a live warhead are planned through 2026.

Lockheed Martin completed the first live-fire and vertical-launch test of a Hellfire missile from its new Grizzly containerized launcher. The system fits inside a standard 10-foot Tricon shipping container and is built around the fielded M299 launcher architecture used across more than 6,000 units delivered to 29 customers. Lockheed developed Grizzly in six months using internal investment and commercial off-the-shelf materials. The concept is to distribute precision firepower across multiple low-profile positions that look like standard logistics cargo rather than weapon systems, making it harder for adversaries to identify and target them. The launcher is sensor and command-system agnostic, can be remotely operated, and is designed to accept other missiles that fit the platform. In January, Lockheed separately demonstrated a 90-degree vertical launch of a JAGM missile from a quad launcher against a drone target at China Lake.

Chinese state television showed two new laser counter-drone systems: the Guangjian-11E and Guangjian-21A. The Guangjian-11E is a container-based soft-kill system that uses multi-band laser interference to blind drone sensors and disrupt data links without destroying the target. The Guangjian-21A is a vehicle-mounted hard-kill laser that fires while moving, using a high-energy beam to burn through drone airframes or disable propulsion and electronics within seconds. Both systems were demonstrated against simulated quadcopters and loitering munitions flying at 50 to 80 meters, an altitude that sits in the blind spot of most conventional radar-based air defenses. The 21A can also engage fiber-optic guided drones that are resistant to electronic jamming. The Guangjian series has already been deployed operationally, providing low-altitude security over Beijing during a military parade in 2025.

I read every message and would love to hear what's working, what's missing, or what you want to see more of.