Intelligence on machines that act
Sector
Uncrewed platforms, counter-drone systems and the doctrine, procurement and ethics of military autonomy.
On 29 October the FCC votes to let drones use 50 MHz of the 800 MHz cellular band. The carriers want it, the drone makers want it, and nobody objected. The interesting questions are why it took until now, and who still gets left out.
The Gray Eagle 25M's arrival in Arizona marks a generational shift in what a state-level force can accomplish over contested terrain — and it raises serious questions about how other border states will respond.
Kraken Technology's uncrewed surface vessels are heading to the Royal Marines, US Special Operations and — via a Rheinmetall joint venture — the German line. The company's rise is a case study in how maritime autonomy became NATO's fastest-moving procurement story.
XTEND AI Robotics will list on Nasdaq via a reverse merger with a Florida construction company. The deal says less about one firm's prospects than about what defence autonomy is being paid for in 2026 — an American flag on the factory.
In the space of a fortnight, an American agency barred foreign robots, an Israeli firm bought a US flag for its factory, and a British startup entered German production. Capability used to win the sector. Provenance does now — and buyers need a new scorecard.
Humanoids, quadrupeds and AMRs join drones and routers on the Covered List, cutting new foreign-built models off from the certification they need to be sold in America. For US integrators built on cheap Chinese platforms, the procurement maths just changed.
No GPS, no comms, no rescue: polar science has quietly become the proving ground for autonomous underwater vehicles — and the lessons flowing out of Greenland and Antarctica are the same ones navies are paying for.
Ten-year procurement cycles cannot govern software that retrains monthly. Until contracting reform catches up, allied militaries will keep buying obsolete autonomy at exquisite prices.
Newswire
Source: Naval News
Source: Naval News
Source: Naval News
Source: Naval News
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