Sebastien Roblin

The first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) transits the Atlantic Ocean, March 19, 2023. Ford is underway in the Atlantic Ocean executing its Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), an intense, multi-week exercise designed to fully integrate a carrier strike group as a cohesive, multi-mission fighting force and to test their ability to carry out sustained combat operations from the sea. As the first-in-class ship of Ford-class aircraft carriers, CVN 78 represents a generational leap in the U.S. Navy’s capacity to project power on a global scale. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Adkins)
Air, Maritime, Military

Navy Issues Five Contracts for Carrier-Based Collaborative Combat Drones

By Sebastien Roblin

On September 5, reports began coming out revealing the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems command (NAVAIR) had issued contracts to…

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Calvin Burke, an intelligence specialist, with Animal Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, activates a Skydio X2 small unmanned aerial system (SUAS) to survey the defensive line for opposing forces during a simulated assault and seizure at Glen Airfield, Queensland, Australia, July 2-7, 2025. Marines capture and control objectives to enable future MEU operations such as a forward arming and refueling point on the airfield. The 31st MEU is operating aboard the ships of the USS America Amphibious Ready Group in the 7th Fleet area of operations, the U.S. Navy’s largest forward deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Burke is a native of New Jersey. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Victor Gurrola)
Air, Military

New DoD Policy: “Unleashing” Small Drones, Cutting Regulations

By Sebastien Roblin

On July 10 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unveiled a memorandum detailing an initiative seeking to cut the gordian knot slowing down…

A V-BAT drone operating system sits ready for use during a Defense Innovation Unit Blue UAS Refresh Challenge at Camp Wilson, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, on Nov. 4, 2024. The purpose of the challenge is to directly evaluate and assess Unmanned Aerial System platforms focused on advanced modularity and rapid-update software and shape technology choices with the most operational impact. Approved drones may join the Blue UAS list for rapid deployment, with Global ATO, which enhances the DODs ability to quickly scale and field drone technology. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Richard PerezGarcia)
Air, Military

Japan’s ISR Drone Doctrine Evolves with Shield AI V-BAT

By Sebastien Roblin

Japan is turning to vertical takeoff drones like Shield AI’s V-BAT to extend the reach of its offshore patrol vessels,…