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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…

The unmanned aircraft system (UAS) uses an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for testing and validation custom-built to capture and record accurate, high-quality data for an array of uses to include warfighter support, environmental monitoring, installation support, emergency management, and other geospatial capabilities. With this cutting-edge technology, the U.S. Army Engineer Research & Development Center is able to provide timely and accurate geospatial data to make informed decisions for a variety of mission requirements. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Don N. Kazery, III)
Air, Business News, FAA

FAA Releases Privacy Impact Assessment for Part 108 BVLOS Rule

By Inside Unmanned Systems

The U.S. Department of Transportation has published a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) tied to the Federal Aviation Administration’s proposed Part 108 rulemaking on Beyond…

U.S. Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division operate an unmanned aerial system and call for artillery fire during a demonstration at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, July 28, 2025. The Soldiers and representatives from Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute demonstrated Project Shrike, an AI-enabled system for rapid target recognition and fire adjustment, by integrating drones and artillery during live-fire training. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Maj. Travis Mueller)
Air, Business News, Cyber, FAA

New BVLOS Rule Proposes Comprehensive Pathway for Routine Operations

By Inside Unmanned Systems

After years of anticipation, the U.S. Department of Transportation has released the Federal Aviation Administration’s proposed rule to enable safe…

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)
Air, Business News, Military

DIU Outlines Immediate Updates to Blue UAS Lists

By Inside Unmanned Systems

In his July 10, 2025 memo, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth put forth a plan for “Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance,”…

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…