Anduril’s YFQ-44A makes its maiden flight and begins CCA flight testing
The US Air Force has begun flight testing Californian company Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A Fury Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The company says the YFQ-44A is designed to gain and maintain air superiority in highly contested environments through a focus on autonomy and affordable mass, which it describes as a paradigm shift in how the United States…
US soldier plans and executes autonomous Black Hawk missions
For the first time, a US soldier, not a trained aviator, has planned and executed real-world missions in military exercises with Lockheed Martin Sikorsky’s Optionally Piloted (OPV) Black Hawk helicopter, powered by MATRIX™ technology. In partnership with the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Sikorsky fielded the OPV Black…
Anduril opens Sydney Ghost Shark factory — first Ghost Shark ahead of schedule,
Just seven weeks after the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) announced the award of a $1.7 billion contract for the manufacture and support of an undisclosed number of Ghost Shark Extra Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (XL-AUVs), Anduril has officially opened its new Ghost Shark manufacturing facility in Sydney. The opening was attended by Pat Conroy, Minister…
Boeing boosts RAAF P-8A Capability with major upgrades, aircraft delivery
Boeing has delivered the 13th P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance and anti‑submarine aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at the same time as the first RAAF P‑8A has been inducted into an upgrade program. The RAAF’s 14th and final P-8A is scheduled for delivery in 2026. Australia is the first global customer for the Increment 3, Block…
Lockheed Martin invests US$50M in Saildrone to advance USV capabilities for US Navy
Washington DC-based Lockheed Martin has announced a US$50 million ($76.4 million) investment in fellow US company Saildrone, a global leader in maritime autonomous systems. This strategic collaboration will deliver commercially available Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV) equipped with lethal, combat-proven defence technology, Lockheed Martin says. The two companies will collaborate with a goal of delivering integrations,…
Exail to spotlight unmanned MCM systems at Indo Pacific 2025
French counter-mine and autonomy specialist Exail is making another pass over the target. It will showcase its advanced unmanned Mine Countermeasures (MCM) solutions at Indo Pacific 2025, reaffirming its commitment to helping Australia strengthen its maritime security, the company says. With 99 per cent of Australia’s trade by volume moving via sea, the ability to…
