Ratel H: Armed configuration reported in trials
Ratel reports a separate armed integration under test; baseline logistics service does not establish acceptance of that integration.
Reviewed 20 Sept 2026Read
THE NEWS DESK
Latest developments
Reporting, source announcements and the context behind them.
11 entries
Sea Hunter / Seahawk: Fleet integration update
Leidos reported Sea Hunter's RIMPAC activity and Seahawk operating with a carrier strike group.
Reviewed 20 Sept 2026Read
Ghost Shark: Navy unit assignment announced
Australian Defence named MASU and listed Ghost Shark among the capabilities the unit would operate.
Reviewed 20 Sept 2026Read
Ukraine and France put jet-powered drone threats on the agenda
The talks put interceptor cost and adaptation to faster drone threats at the centre of bilateral cooperation.
Source: 18 Sept 2026Read
British Army puts eight-drone swarm testbed into operator trials
The useful milestone is sustained soldier experimentation with collective control, which can expose practical limits before larger purchases.
Source: 16 Sept 2026Read
Mojave demonstrates rough-field operations in South Korea
It tests the proposition that a larger surveillance aircraft can use dispersed operating locations and reduce dependence on conventional runways.
Source: 16 Sept 2026Read
UK selects Tekever AR5 in surveillance deal worth up to £400m
A named platform, initial quantity and UK production site turn surveillance-modernisation ambitions into a concrete procurement programme.
Source: 16 Sept 2026Read
US Air Force names Vengeance and Fury as CCA production takes shape
The production figure is more consequential than the names: it gives the first increment a measurable scale against which to track delivery.
Source: 14 Sept 2026Read
General Atomics pitches Wildfire for a lower-cost Reaper alternative
An established large-drone supplier is responding to demand for more aircraft at lower cost, beyond the premium-platform model.
Source: 10 Sept 2026Read
NATO opens €100,000 challenge to improve counter-drone sensor fusion
Better data fusion could make existing sensors more useful together and improve the reliability of drone detection and identification.
Source: 9 Sept 2026Read
Ramstein commitments add 95,000 drones and $300m for Ukraine’s Drone Line
Large follow-on commitments make the procurement pipeline a useful indicator of how drone warfare is becoming a sustained industrial requirement.
Source: 8 Sept 2026Read
BACKGROUND / 22 Jun 2026
Ukraine’s domestic industrial base
Ukraine’s defence ministry reported that 95% of UAVs bought by its Defence Procurement Agency DOT were Ukrainian-made. It said DOT-Chain Defence had supplied 485,000 UAVs and other equipment in less than five months of 2026. The combined total must not be reported as 485,000 drones alone.
Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (opens in a new tab)