A small unmanned surface vessel called the Lightfish made a new milestone for USVs when it arrived in Portugal just over two months after being launched by the U.S. Navy in June.
The fully autonomous Lightfish is a small solar-powered craft manufactured by Seasats. Its solar panels operate and store energy even in cloudy weather, and the craft is equipped with a battery and generator that can…
US-Philippine task force to reestablish South China Sea ‘deterrence’
November 24, 2025
BANGKOK — The United States and the Philippines have announced the creation of a joint task force aimed at further deterring what U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called Beijing’s “coercion” in the South China Sea.
It is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia…
VILNIUS, Lithuania — Less than 200 kilometers from Belarus and about 300 kilometers from Russia, a sleek all-white Lithuanian drone factory with 40 employees works around the clock, sending hundreds of drones to Ukraine.
Granta Autonomy’s latest innovation is its…
Diehl, Lockheed Martin to explore IRIS-T missiles for Mk41 launcher
November 20, 2025
PARIS — Diehl Defence and Lockheed Martin will explore integration of the German company’s IRIS-T missiles into the American company’s Mk41 VLS, the most widely used vertical launch system in Western navies.
The two firms will also look at the possibility of integrating IRIS-T in the Aegis Weapon System, Diehl said in a Nov. 18 statement. The integrated naval-weapons system is used by…
JERUSALEM — Elbit Systems will upgrade the Israel Defense Forces’ Markava main battle tanks under a $210 million contract, the company said this week.
The announcement comes amid a ceasefire currently in place on Israel’s northern and southern fronts with Gaza and…
The number of major accidents involving military aircraft spiked in 2024, internal Pentagon figures show, and a series of high-profile aviation mishaps with deaths and the loss of aircraft in 2025 suggest the disturbing trend may be continuing.
Across the military, the rate…
EU nations boost drone defense, pledge more US weapons for Ukraine
November 19, 2025
BERLIN — Top officials from Europe’s five largest military spenders met in Berlin today to reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine’s defense and announce a number of measures designed to strengthen Europe’s eastern flank.
Among the planned moves is the deployment of counter-drone forces to Finland and Belgium and new military and financial support for Ukraine, defense leaders from Germany…
New Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach on Tuesday pledged to focus on modernizing the service’s fleet, improving the readiness of both its aircraft and airmen and strengthening how well it works with other services and allies.
“Being able to deliver…
F-22 Raptor pairs with Avenger drone in combat flight test
November 19, 2025
The pilot of a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor stealth fighter successfully maneuvered an MQ-20 Avenger unmanned jet during a demonstration of human-machine flight cooperation in an Oct. 21 flight test, according to drone maker General Atomics.
“The test was conducted by…
Here are the major defense programs backed in shutdown-ending deal
November 18, 2025
The bills passed last week as part of the deal that ended the longest U.S. government shutdown in history include billions of dollars for major Air Force and Navy programs.
This includes funds to build new aircraft carriers and submarines, facilities needed for new stealth bombers and nuclear missiles and research and development spending to keep a major airborne command and control program…
