Engineering & Design

A team of Department of Defense drone operators and experts test the technical capabilities of various Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) during a Defense Innovation Unit led prize challenge to identify platforms, components, and capabilities for Blue UAS, which clears and validates flying platforms are safe to fly, cyber-secure, and meet DOD requirements, at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, on Nov. 2-6, 2024. The Blue UAS Refresh Challenge included more than 35 platforms and companies, and an expert team of 40 military drone end-users with participation from each service branch and several major program offices in support of the Department’s ability to quickly scale and field commercially produced drone technologies for military and government use. (DOD photo by Devon Bistarkey, Defense Innovation Unit)

Blue UAS Moves Out of DIU to DCMA, New Portal Launches

The new Blue List UAS portal marks the formal handoff of the Pentagon’s trusted drone list from DIU to DCMA,…

Drone Hunter by Fortem conducts a live UAS mitigation at Falcon Peak on Fort Carson, Colorado, Oct. 30, 2024. Falcon Peak is a USNORTHCOM led counter-small unmanned aircraft system experiment and the first Department of Defense C-sUAS initiative focused on detecting, tracking, and mitigating sUAS incursions at DoD installations in the United States. Falcon Peak occurred between Oct. 19-30, 2024. (U.S. Department of Defense photos by Josh Armstrong)

Fortem Technologies C-UAS Selected for U.S. Army’s New G-TEAD Marketplace

The designation enables rapid, competition-free procurement of Fortem’s counter-UAS systems across the U.S. Government. Fortem Technologies announced that it has…

The Joint C-sUAS (Counter small Unmanned Aircraft System) University (JCU) at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, kicked off this week with its inaugural two-week C-sUAS Operators Course. Over 20 students, including Soldiers from the US Army, US Air Force, and US Navy participated in the MOS agnostic, Non-Branch/Service specific course. The C-sUAS Operators Course focuses on the operations of the Joint C-sUAS Office (JCO) evaluated C-sUAS systems which includes the Drone Buster (pictured). "The establishment of the Joint C-sUAS University and its mission will prepare Soldiers and leaders, improve readiness, and aid in modernizing the force of 2030 to prepare for Large Scale Combat Operations," said Lt. Col. Moseph Sauda, Joint C-sUAS University Director. Upon completion, operators will deter the UAS threat via passive air defense measures; detect the UAS threat via visual/audible identification and C-sUAS equipment sets; report UAS threats via applicable policies and procedures; and defeat the UAS threat via kinetic and non-kinetic means. The course ends with a culminating training exercise and is set to graduate at the end of October.

FEMA Launches $500 Million C-UAS Grant Program for State and Local Drone Defense

When Army Secretary Dan Driscoll went on CBS’ Face the Nation this past Sunday and called drones and “flying IEDs” the “threat…

Soldiers from 2-130th Infantry Regiment hone their skills in counter UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) training at McGregor Range, N.M. Utilizing cutting-edge technology and tactical expertise, they stay ahead of emerging threats to ensure war fighting success and national security. By partnering with the 157th Infantry Brigade, the 2-130th Inf. Regt. Soldiers have been preparing for this Collective Training Event for several months and they are finally putting their skills to the ultimate test before they proceed forward to their deployment in the Middle East. Along with Counter-UAS training, the Soldiers are also conducting Quick Response Forces techniques, Tactical Combat Casualty Care and convoy operations. Excellent teamwork coming from First Army Division East, Division West and The Illinois National Guard.

Army Secretary Signals Demand for UAS and C-UAS Tech

On Face the Nation, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll outlined an ambitious million-drone plan, a new component-focused industrial base, and a…

A MQ-25 Stingray sits parked in Hangar 1 on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, May 12, 2023. The MQ-25 Stingray will be the world’s first operational, carrier-based unmanned aircraft and provide aerial refueling and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities that enhance capability and versatility for the Carrier Air Wing (CVW) and Carrier Strike Group (CSG). (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Solomon Cook)

Report: What Unmanned Systems is America’s Military Buying in 2026? 

A turbulent FY2026 landscape favors affordable, modular, and rapidly fieldable unmanned systems—especially sUAS and loitering munitions—while legacy programs face cancellations,…