Modern battlefields have a serious problem on their hands, as drones are making life a nightmare for ground forces worldwide. These small, troublesome machines fly in low and fast, often carrying explosives or cameras, and soldiers try to bring them down with anything they can get their hands on. The problem is that most of the time, a single bullet simply misses the mark because the targets zigzag all over the place, leaving little profile to aim at.
Landmines and unexploded shells transform tracts of terrain into silent time bombs, slowing armies and claiming lives long after the conflict has ended. The British have begun employing small drones to undertake reconnaissance work for them first, allowing the computer to identify the threats so that soldiers can stay back and complete the job more quickly.
Soldiers rely on machines capable of blasting over tough terrain and completing any assignment. One of those dependable devices is ready to make its public debut for the first time, GM Defense’s Infantry Squad Vehicle-Utility (ISV-U), also known as the real-life Halo Warthog. This 5-seater tactical platform is preparing to roll across the block at Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction on April 18 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern, all to benefit the Medal of Honor Foundation.
Last month, in a military training area in northern Germany, a compact but lethal jet-powered drone took off from a rail launcher at dawn. Airbus calls this unmanned aircraft the Bird of Prey, which is a suitable nickname given its mission of carrying missiles under its wings to destroy enemy objectives. Last month, the Bird of Prey’s primary mission was to locate and destroy a kamikaze drone flying directly at it, which is a very regular occurrence in modern warfare.
Sikorsky has completed flight testing and handed the first UH-60MX Black Hawk over to the US Army this week. The aircraft has landed at Fort Eustis, Virginia, where the Combat Capabilities Development Command will put it through its paces. From here the real testing begins, with the helicopter expected to demonstrate just how much it can handle on its own.
Robinson Helicopter Co. has taken one of its most popular aircraft and done something interesting with it. The R66 Turbinetruck strips out everything a human pilot needs and turns the turbine powered R66 into a fully autonomous cargo carrier built for the kinds of jobs that are too dangerous, too remote, or simply too repetitive to justify putting a person in the cockpit. Robinson is partnering with Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, to make it happen, bringing Sikorsky’s proven MATRIX autonomy system along for the ride.
DARPA and Bell Textron collaborate on an experimental aircraft that takes off and lands vertically, like a helicopter, but can cruise at jet speeds once airborne. This is known as the X-76 under DARPA’s SPRINT program, which stands for Speed and Runway Independent Technologies. It’s part of a long-standing military challenge: fixed-wing aircraft provide maximum speed, but only if you have a runway to land on; helicopters, on the other hand, can take off and land almost anywhere, but they can’t fly as fast. The X-76 seeks to address this.
On March 2, 2026, Hermeus successfully completed their first flight with the Quarterhorse Mk 2.1, lifting off from Spaceport America in New Mexico and flying over the White Sands Missile Range. From a base station, the team of operators maintained a tight eye on how the systems reacted, how well the plane operated under stress, and so on, basically to see if everything functioned as intended.
A new video from Pratt & Whitney has reignited controversy over the Boeing F-47, which is slated to be the 6th Generation fighter that would eventually replace the F-22 Raptor. Halfway through a short animation focusing on engine progress, an animated fighter jet arrives in flight, its two engines burning brightly as it slashes through a picture-perfect blue skies. Observers quickly identified the image as a possible portrayal of the F-47 itself, powered by Pratt & Whitney’s XA-103 engine, which is now under development.
A low-key demonstration high in the hills of central California recently showcased some new military technology. Scout AI, a new defense startup, integrated its Fury software into a self-driving ground vehicle and two armed drones. The entire system collaborated to hunt down a truck and blow it up, all activated by a single simple instruction written in plain English.