DefenseNews

Thales Australia whips together armed UGV in just 6 weeks

To demonstrate speed to capability, Thales Australia has turned a drawing board concept into a fully functioning, armed unmanned ground vehicle, or UGV, in just six weeks. Called the Guardian Angel, the four-wheeled UGV has already completed live-fire testing. Thales Australia worked with two other Australian firms to create the new system. One was Chaos 1, which specializes in rapid assessments…
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DefenseNews

US Air Force jet engine manufacturing plagued by ‘significant challenges’

Dissatisfied with the quality of the engines for its fighter jets, the U.S. Air Force is looking for new engines — and perhaps new manufacturers. “The current industrial base has demonstrated significant challenges, including production delays, quality control issues, and critical obsolescence (i.e., diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages) across key engine components,”…
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DefenseNews

Just one in three Americans back Iran war, most unsure of Trump’s goals, poll finds

Just one in three Americans support the war on Iran, the lowest reading in a Reuters/Ipsos poll since the five-month-old conflict’s early days, with most respondents saying that President Donald Trump has failed to explain his goals. The poll, conducted Friday through Sunday, also showed the Republican president’s approval rating ticking higher to 37%, up 3 points from last month when his…
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DefenseNews

DARPA challenge pushes limits of heavy-lift drone technology

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency next week will kick off its inaugural Lift Challenge, a weeklong competition that aims to “revolutionize heavy vertical-lift aviation” by finding a drone capable of lifting and transporting a payload four times its own weight. The agency will award $6.5 million in prizes to the winners. Phillip “Donna” Smith, the Lift Challenge program manager…
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