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Former Army intelligence soldier Brett Velicovich built his drone company into a venture valued at $300 million, following a public endorsement from President Trump on social media. The boost in visibility helped the startup attract investor interest and accelerate its growth.
A U.S. Army field exercise in the desert tested new AI-enabled equipment and found significant shortcomings, including technical malfunctions and organizational obstacles to adoption. The trial was part of a broader Army effort to modernize its forces and integrate artificial intelligence into combat operations.
The U.S. Navy has awarded a $3.8 million contract to America's largest shipbuilder, marking the company's first publicly known foray into naval laser weapon development. The deal comes as the Navy accelerates efforts to move directed-energy weapons from experimental prototypes into systems that can actually be fielded on ships.
A defense technology company backed by Erik Prince has acquired a Ukrainian manufacturer of unmanned ground vehicles in a deal valued at $224 million. The acquisition marks one of the first major consolidation moves in Ukraine's fragmented drone industry, which currently includes roughly 500 companies.
The US Army's Joint Task Force Southern Border used a high-energy laser weapon to destroy three drones near the Rio Grande Valley overnight on August 25-26, after officials said the drones threatened military and Customs and Border Patrol personnel. The weapon involved is the Locust Laser Weapon System, built on AeroVironment's AMP-HEL technology and delivered to the Army starting September 2025, with additional units following in December.