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16 Jan 26. £279m investment to build new home for Army’s cyber regiment. Army cyber warriors are to benefit from new modern accommodation and specialist training facilities, following nearly £300m investment announced today for Duke of Gloucester Barracks.
- Specialist facilities to be developed for Army’s cyber unit in Gloucestershire after £279m contract signed.
- Work will see the creation of 248 Single Living Accommodation rooms, in addition to 30 Service Family Accommodation homes.
- Significant investment in local economy, with 92 jobs created, demonstrating defence as an engine for growth.
The £279m contract, signed today, will see specialist modern facilities built for the Army’s cyber regiment. The investment will provide new infrastructure at Duke of Gloucester Barracks in Gloucestershire for 13 Signal Regiment, who deliver defensive cyber operations for the Army. The work will include brand new technical and training buildings for personnel, as well as modern accommodation. The new barracks will house the Army’s Cyber, Information and Security Operations Centre which will protect networks from cyber threats both at home and overseas on exercises and operations. The Strategic Defence Review highlights how the cyber and electromagnetic domain are at the heart of modern warfare, following more than 90,000 attacks on the UK’s military networks from adversaries in the last two years alone. Delivering on the SDR, we are also creating a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command to put the UK at the forefront of cyber operations. Today’s contract will create 92 jobs, which will include opportunities for ex-military and 32 apprenticeships, with structured training programmes, helping boost defence as an engine for growth. Awarded to the British company Bovis by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), the work will deliver:
- Specialist technical accommodation and training facilities.
- 248 Single Living Accommodation bedspaces.
Additionally, 30 new Service Family Accommodation homes will be built, with additional refurbishment of existing military homes at the site.
Luke Pollard MP, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said: “Our Strategic Defence Review highlights how the cyber and electromagnetic domain are at the heart of modern warfare. We are making this significant investment to enhance the Army’s cyber capabilities while delivering an improved lived experience for Service Personnel, alongside new homes for Service Families. Creating dozens of jobs, the work will also back local industry and demonstrates defence as an engine for growth.”
Construction will start in Summer 2027, with completion scheduled for Spring 2030, to support the Regiment’s move to the barracks. The contract supports the local economy, businesses and communities with:
- 25% of spending going to businesses within 50 miles of the site.
- 25% of the on-site workforce employed locally.
- 40% of offsite manufacturing within 40 miles of the site.
- 25% of spending to go to small and medium enterprises.
The MOD is investing in modern, sustainable infrastructure designed to meet future operational requirements and enhance the lived experience of military personnel through its Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Portfolio.
Major General AJ Smith CBE, Director of Basing and Infrastructure and Senior Responsible Owner for the DEO Army Programme, said: “Investment in new infrastructure at Duke of Gloucester Barracks will enable the growth of the Army’s cyber capability and enhance operational readiness.
This project is a great example of our ongoing effort to modernise our estate, improve the environments where our people live, work and train, and provide the facilities they need to carry out their vital roles for UK Defence.”
Warren Webster, DIO MPP Programme Director – Army, said: “This contract award paves the way for some fantastic new infrastructure at the Duke of Gloucester Barracks, including new Single Living Accommodation rooms and brand new technical and training buildings for personnel.
All told, it’s a significant improvement to the site which will benefit personnel.”
Andrew Mackay, Managing Director, Public Sector & Regions, Bovis said: “We are proud to be leading the ambitious modernisation of Duke of Gloucester Barracks. This programme – delivering high‑quality Single Living Accommodation alongside major infrastructure enhancements and upgrades to existing buildings – will provide our armed forces with the modern, sustainable facilities they deserve. As a longstanding and valued client, we look forward to working closely with the DIO to achieve their ambitions.” (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
15 Jan 26. War Department Enacts New Cybersecurity Program to Safeguard Service Member Data. Station Joint Task Force. The War Department began implementing the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, a landmark cybersecurity program, in November 2025 to better protect sensitive information across the U.S. defense industrial base. CMMC establishes a mandatory framework to ensure that thousands of companies contracting with DOW have verified cybersecurity measures in place to protect the department’s data they handle. The program is especially critical for protecting the personally identifiable information of service members and their families, particularly during the permanent change of station process.
What is CMMC and Why is it Important for PCS?
The CMMC program functions as a verification mechanism, ensuring DOW contractors meet the department’s cybersecurity standards. The CMMC program will require that a contractor’s leaders provide an assessment of their company’s compliance for CMMC levels 1 and 2. This verification mechanism directly impacts the security of military families’ personally identifiable information. The PCS process, a regular part of military life, requires service members to share vast amounts of PII, including names, Social Security numbers, birthdates, telephone numbers and financial details, with numerous third-party contractors that manage moving, travel and housing. Without robust security measures in place, this sensitive data is a prime target for cybercriminals and foreign intelligence entities, potentially leading to identity theft and financial fraud.
“The CMMC program provides increased assurance to the DOW that a defense contractor can adequately protect sensitive unclassified information at a level commensurate with the risk,” the department states in the rule. By mandating CMMC, the DOW ensures that any company involved in the PCS process must maintain a certified level of cybersecurity, directly protecting service members’ personal data from compromise.
How the CMMC Program Works
- The CMMC framework is designed to be scalable, matching the level of certification required to the sensitivity of the information being handled.
- Tiered levels: The program has multiple levels. A contractor handling basic federal contract information will need to comply with CMMC Level 1, which can be accomplished through a self-assessment, or CMMC Level 2, which can be achieved through a self-assessment or through a certified third-party organization or the DOW’s Industrial Base Cybersecurity Assessment Center once every three years.
- Verification and reporting: Contractors must report their CMMC status in the government’s Supplier Performance Risk System. DOW contracting officers will verify a bidder’s or contractor’s CMMC status before awarding any new contracts or exercising options on existing ones. Contractors must also make an annual affirmation of their continued compliance.
- Phased implementation: The DOW will phase in the CMMC requirements over a three-year period to minimize the financial impact and disruption to the defense industrial base, particularly for small businesses. Following this period, the CMMC requirements will apply to all applicable DOW contracts. As part of the CMMC program implementation, all federal contractors remain subject to a DOW audit to ensure compliance.
Phased implementation of the CMMC program represents a significant step forward in securing the defense industrial base.
For service members and their families, it provides much-needed peace of mind, knowing their personally identifiable information is protected by a more resilient and cyber-aware network of defense contractors. (Source: U.S. DoD)
15 Jan 26. Buyer’s Market. There are arguably few British procurement projects that have been less troubled than the ongoing effort to outfit the United Kingdom’s land manoeuvre forces with a new tactical communications and Command and Control (C2) system. The current Bowman architecture was introduced into service from March 2004. Initial UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) plans called for Bowman to be replaced from 2026. A key issue with the system was that it was ‘monolithic’. The only way the Bowman architecture could be upgraded or modernised was for constitute parts to be returned to the original contractor for this work to be performed. The MOD was keen to avoid such ‘vendor lock’ in its future tactical communications and C2 assets. The ministry wanted to retain full ownership of the future architecture and to be able to easily modernise it with hardware and software from third parties without having to rely on prime contractors. The civilian smartphone is instructive for this context: Users can easily add new hardware like earphones to their devices. They can download software applications without having to consult the phone’s manufacturers. The MOD’s path to this future modular and open architecture was to take the existing Bowman system and rework it so that it could accept new hardware or software without relying on a prime. The effort was dubbed Evolve to Open (EVO). As our Moving Forward article in this month’s newsletter explains, it was a failure. One MOD insider shared with your editor that the EVO effort was akin to taking a 1990s cellphone and trying to turn it into a smartphone. Recognising this doomed effort, the ministry is about to embark on a procurement of new communications and C2 systems for the land manoeuvre force as part of its ongoing Project Morpheus effort. The contracting vehicle for this acquisition will be launched in early 2026. Procurements of the new systems should commence that same year and conclude in 2034. The MOD should be commended for moving past the EVO debacle and moving ahead with buying the communications and C2 capabilities the land manoeuvre force needs. Although not ideal, Bowman can soldier on for a few more years, and there will be some overlap between legacy and new capabilities. Nonetheless, the procurement of new tactical communications systems comes at exactly the right time. Several of the UK’s European allies like France and Germany are also investing in new tactical communications. Ensuring that the United Kingdom’s land forces can bring have state-of-the-art radios to the fight will be vital, particularly as the continent’s security situation vis-à-vis Russia continues to degenerate. (Source: Armada)
15 Jan 26. Polar Express. The two Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission satellites were launched into the heavens in August 2024 in a joint Norwegian-United States effort to address satellite communications shortfalls in Arctic regions. Satellite Communications (SATCOM) coverage over Arctic regions has hitherto suffered from a paucity although efforts among several NATO nations are addressing this. Arctic military SATCOM deficiency is a cause for concern among North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies as Russia continues to pose a threat to the alliance. Several NATO nations have direct borders with Russia within the Arctic circle notably Finland, Norway, Sweden and the United States. There is every chance that war with Russia could see NATO forces confronting the former in these regions. The strategic sensitivity of the far north make it vital that manoeuvre forces there have survivable, reliable and efficient dedicated satellite communications.
ASBM
Several efforts are ongoing across the alliance to address Arctic military SATCOM shortfalls. Space Norway, a Norwegian satellite operator, that country’s armed forces, the United States Space Force together with Northrop Grumman and Viasat have developed the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM). The ASBM constellation includes two communications satellites, ASBM-1 and ASBM-2. Open sources note the satellites carry X-band (7.9 gigahertz/GHz to 8.4GHz uplink/7.25GHz to 7.75GHz downlink) and Ka-band (26.5GHz to 40GHz uplink/18GHz to 20GHz downlink) transponders. Both spacecraft were successfully launched from Vandenburg airbase, California on 11th August 2024.
ESCP-P
Canada is also looking to enhance military SATCOM coverage in the far north. On 9th December 2025, the Canadian Government launched a strategic partnership with Telesat and MDA Space as part of the country’s Enhanced Satellite Communications Project-Polar (ESCP-P). According to official ESCP-P information the initiative provides narrowband and wideband SATCOM links in Canadian Arctic regions. Deliveries of the capability are expected in circa 2035. Telesat and MDA Space have already been awarded a $2.12m contract to perform initial engineering and analysis work germane to ESCP-P. The strategic partnership model being used by the Canadian government to acquire the ESCP-P capability “is an innovative approach to defence procurement that streamlines processes and accelerates timelines”. The approach also harnesses “industry experience and expertise in the design, development and delivery of defence projects and programmes” according to a press release announcing the news. Although the ESCP-P undertaking initially specified Ultra-High Frequency (UHF: 399 megahertz/MHz to 470MHz) links, Brigadier General (retired) Michael Adamson, Telesat’s senior director of defence strategy and business development, told Armada that the Canadian government is evaluating several orbital altitudes and frequencies for the ESCP-P architecture. These frequencies include X-band and Ka-band. He continued that “specifics on the programme will be determined after the government selects its architecture”. Both Telesat and MDA Space are performing engineering and options analysis for several architectures: “The government will review the options and then select its final architecture”. Canada’s ESCP-P initiative will complement other similar efforts like ASBM. That NATO is addressing SATCOM shortfalls in the Arctic is to be congratulated. Having such communications assets in place over the coming years will constitute a powerful force multiplier in these strategically vital regions. (Source: Armada)
15 Jan 26. Moving Forward. The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence may have finally broken the logjam characterising the country’s efforts to procure new land forces tactical communications systems. In April 2025, the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) quietly published a so-called ‘pipeline notice’ regarding the procurement of new tactical communications systems to equip the country’s land forces. According to UK government documents, a pipeline notice sets out “specified information about any public contract with an estimated value of more than ($2.6bn) … (for) which the contracting authority intends to publish a tender notice or transparency notice”. In other words, the pipeline notice indicates that a formal request to tender will be published imminently. The key difference between the April and December 2025 pipeline notices is that the latter indicates the first tender notice is to be published on 7th January 2026. This latest pipeline notice states that the MOD is seeking “specialised military grade tactical communications and information systems including hardware, software and associated design and implementation and support services”. These deliverables will be “deployed in active battlefield environments for critical real-time operational tactical communications”. The total programme is estimated by the MOD to be worth $12.8 bn. The contract dates are estimated to run between 10th June 2026 and 9th June 2034. An MOD source told Armada that the pipeline notice does not constitute a procurement per se but is a commercial services framework. This framework “will create a pre-qualified pool of suppliers for tactical communications systems capable of providing the systems, components, and services required both now and, in the future, through competitive and innovative procurement”. The framework, the source continued, sits within the ministry’s Land Environment Tactical Communications and Information Systems programme. Known as LETTACIS, this effort is overhauling the command and control, and communications architectures, used by the UK’s land manoeuvre force. Moreover, the framework creates a vehicle for the purchase of commercial off-the-shelf and military off-the-Shelf capabilities. The exact communications capabilities to be acquired for UK land forces have yet to be determined. Specific technical requirements “including waveforms, and hardware and software specifications, will be defined through further competitions among framework supplies on a case-by-case basis,” the source added. Suppliers providing tactical communications capabilities can bid for a place in the framework. January will see the release of a ‘tender pack’ that will outline technical aspects and supplier selection criteria. This will open the tactical communications system competition to bidding.
EVO’s end
The commencement of the tactical communications system competition and tendering process seems to draw a line under the MOD’s Project Morpheus Evolved to Open (EVO) initiative. Morpheus is the ministry’s overarching effort to replace the UK land forces’ existing Bowman communications, and command and control system. The MOD had originally planned to commence Bowman’s replacement through EVO. EVO saw General Dynamics contracted to turn the current monolithic Bowman Combat Infrastructure Platform-5.6 (BCIP-5.6) architecture into an open and modular system that could easily accept hardware and software improvements over the rest of Bowman’s life. In retrospect, EVO may have been too ambitious and in February 2024 it was axed by the MOD. The cancellation resulted in an impasse between the MOD and the contractor. Both parties were at odds over EVO’s expectations and deliverables. It appears that this disagreement has since been solved, although the MOD source told Armada that “commercial confidentiality precludes providing the specific details of the arrangements made”. For now, the BCIP-5.6 architecture will continue in service until 2031 when its phase-out is will commence, concluding in 2035. It appears likely the new capabilities procured via the framework will be phased in as BCIP-5.6 retires. Bowman’s life extension from an original planned retirement date of 2026 to 2031 is not ideal, but the MOD has little choice given EVO’s failure. The good news is that, with the release of the framework in January, the ministry is clearly serious about getting the country’s land forces the tactical communications they need in a timely fashion. The replacement of Bowman has been fraught with difficulty because the EVO programme while bravely ambitious, was ultimately too ambitious to succeed. The release of the framework appears to be the right decision and puts a much-needed procurement of vital capabilities on track. (Source: Armada)
14 Jan 26. Non-Stop Innovation. Improvements and enhancements are mooted for Ukraine’s Delta command and control system including the adaptation of the architecture to support battle management, and the possibility of making the baseline system available to NATO members for local customisation. Improvements are in the offing for Ukraine’s Delta family of tactical, operational and strategic command and control systems. Alongside the widespread use of Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the ongoing war in Ukraine, the latter’s Delta Command and Control (C2) system has become one of the conflict’s signature capabilities. Delta is the family name for several C2 systems which act as clearing houses for large quantities of intelligence gathered from an array of sources. These sources can include the Ukrainian military, government departments and even civil society, alongside allied nations. Delta was developed by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence’s Centre for Innovation and Development of Defence Technologies; Aerorozvidka, a Ukrainian non-governmental organisation and the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation. The latter organisation is Delta’s custodian. The system’s development commenced in 2015; one year after Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine. Senior sources who led the development of Delta recently told Armada that Ukraine possessed no automated operational-level C2 system when Russia performed her first invasion in 2014. The rationale behind Delta was to build a sensor-agnostic command and control system to receive intelligence inputs from disparate sources and systems. Testing of the architecture commenced in 2017, according to reports, and it became operational in a limited configuration in August 2022. Full deployment of Delta was authorised by the Ukrainian government in early February 2022, just days before Russia’s second invasion on 24th of that month. Open sources say Delta played a key role in helping Ukrainian forces repulse Russian attempts to capture Kyiv.
Architecture
Delta is a cloud-based software system accessible via laptops, desktop computers, smartphones and tablets. The software collates data and intelligence from a myriad of sources and allocates this to specific targets. These sources can include Ukrainian and allied military intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities like imagery intelligence satellites and UAVs. Information on potential targets is assessed and displayed on Delta’s ‘Google Maps’ style cartography. As information is amassed on these targets it is progressively added thus continually enriching the intelligence picture. A Delta user can have all the information regarding a potential target instantly available at their fingertips. A key benefit of Delta is that information can be uploaded into a cloud via the internet using robust safety protocols and data is subjected to stringent verification. Delta is typically used to support warfighting from the strategic and operational levels, down to the battalion and below at the tactical level.
Enhancements
Delta’s custodians are continually improving the system. Feedback is received from users who send their written recommendations to Delta’s technical support. These recommendations are translated into upgrades and improvements which are then deployed throughout the Delta ecosystem where relevant. Improvements in the offing include the ability to perform battle management using Delta. This is opposed to confining its use as an intelligence collection and analysis tool. Armada’s sources expect that Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled decision-making aids will soon be rolled out onto Delta. These tools will be able to interrogate and draw conclusions from the vast quantities of data Delta processes and retains. For example, the system would be able to recognise a UAV operator’s location based on the imagery it has processed. At a stroke this would reduce the analyst’s workload by indicating where Delta had a high confidence that imagery showed a UAV pilot’s location. The analyst could then determine if this was likely to be a blue or red force UAV pilot. AI algorithms may also help to identify changes in red force dispositions which may be indicative of an imminent attack. Concerning force dispositions, a key improvement observed by the Ukrainian military is a major reduction in friendly fire since Delta’s introduction. Helping to improve UAV friend or foe identification is another area which has benefitted significantly from Delta. Beyond Ukraine, Delta’s developers are confident they can garner interest from North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) members and allied nations in using Delta as a C2 asset. One idea is to make the baseline Delta architecture available to these nations. They could then customise that architecture and improve it according to these nations’ needs. Improvements made by third parties could then be brought into Ukraine’s Delta systems in a mutually beneficial fashion. Delta has clearly proved its worth in the Ukrainian theatre of operations and its continual improvement has paid tactical and operational, and hence strategic, dividends. Continual improvement will ensure the system remains highly capable and relevant, and an efficient force multiplier. Furthermore, it is likely that NATO and allied nations may yet see Delta’s benefits and acquire the architecture for their own needs. (Source: Armada)
14 Jan 26. January Radio Roundup 2026. Himera’s new B1 radio repeater works with the company’s G1 tactical radios and can be delivered on the battlefield using uncrewed aerial vehicles. The B1 repeater is already in service on the battlefields of Ukraine.
Repeating the Message
Ukrainian tactical communications specialists Himera has unveiled its B1 radio repeater which the company says can help expand links to ranges of circa 20 kilometres/km (12.4 miles). The B1 repeater greatly expands the geographical footprint of the company’s Himera-G1 handheld radios. The Himera-G1 uses ultra-high frequency bands of 410 megahertz/MHz to 493MHz, and 700MHz to 900MHz. The company says the radio has a line-of-sight range of up to two kilometres (1.2 miles). AES-256 encryption and frequency hopping is embedded in the B1 repeater for communications and transmission security. Himera added that the B1 repeater can achieve up to two weeks’ autonomous operation on a single charge. Armada was told by the company that the B1 repeater is in operational service with the Ukrainian military: “Hundreds have been delivered to military units and are now used on the frontline”. The repeaters are unlimited regarding how many radios they can host at any one time. Repeaters can also be easily delivered across the battlefield using uncrewed aerial vehicles: “They are simple to use and can be configured from a mobile application within minutes”.
The US Marine Corps’ Panther-2 satellite communications terminals are being upgraded to provide them with more transmission power to help improve performance and reduce signal-to-noise ratios.
Panther Power
L3Harris has received an order to upgrade the Panther-2 Satellite Communications (SATCOM) terminals of the United States Marine Corps (USMC). According to the company, the Panther-2 uses X-band (7.9 gigahertz/GHz to 8.4GHz uplink/7.25GHz to 7.75GHz downlink), Ku-band (14 gigahertz/GHz uplink, 10.9GHz to 12.75GHz downlink) and Ka-band (26.5GHz to 40GHz uplink/18GHz to 20GHz downlink) frequencies. Panther-2 produces up to 13 Watts/W of transmission power. Reports note that the upgrade will increase these power outputs to 25W. The upgrade forms part of the USMC’s Marine Corps Wideband Satellite-Expeditionary (MCWS-X) initiative. The improved Panther-2 satisfies the MCWS-X requirement for a human-portable “multiband, super high frequency multi-waveform SATCOM terminal” according to the corps. An L3Harris spokesperson told Armada that “as more data (is) collected across the unified battlespace, the need to send more information through integrated networks increases”. By enhancing the Panther-2 output power “operators … not only send more data at faster rates but also send larger amounts of information at once”. Increasing the output power of the Ku-band transceiver to 25W also helps reduce signal-to-noise ratios “thereby ensuring more reliable and higher-quality communications”. The upgrade covers the existing USMC fleet of MCWS-X terminals. The initiative should be completed by the end of 2026, the spokesperson continued. (Source: Armada)
15 Jan 26. Global: Linux systems face increased security risks from new, sophisticated malware framework. On 13 January, the technology news site Ars Technica reported that unnamed threat actors are developing a new, highly sophisticated Linux malware framework (‘VoidLink’) to conduct long-term cyber attacks. VoidLink can target infected Linux machines hosted within high-profile cloud services by analysing providers’ data, highlighting the increased security risks stemming from the supply chain. Furthermore, VoidLink contains a malware loader that deploys the final implant as well as approximately 37 additional modules that enhance reconnaissance, privilege escalation and lateral movement. The modules enable threat actors to maintain prolonged persistence to conduct a wide range of malicious activities, underscoring VoidLink’s sophistication. Given the framework’s design and capabilities, its developers are possibly highly skilled and China-affiliated. Although VoidLink has not been actively deployed at the time of writing, we assess that Linux systems will face increased security risks in the medium term, as the framework is reportedly in the development phase. (Source: Sibylline)
14 Jan 26. TKMS and Cohere Sign Teaming Agreement to Advance AI-Enabled Capabilities for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project.
- The collaboration focuses on decision-support tools, onboard information management, training, and naval-specific secure interfaces.
- The agreement underscores TKMS’s long-term commitment to Canadian industry and responsible, secure deployment of advanced AI technologies.
TKMS and Cohere, a leading security-first enterprise AI company, have signed a Teaming Agreement to jointly explore the integration of advanced AI technologies into the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP). Through the collaboration, the companies will assess opportunities to apply state-of-the-art language and data-driven models to support decision-support workflows, onboard information management, training environments, and secure naval interfaces. The initiative aligns with Canada’s future submarine requirements and modernization priorities.
“Canada’s next-generation submarine project presents an opportunity to bring the most modern and reliable technologies to the Royal Canadian Navy. Cohere’s expertise in trustworthy AI models aligns perfectly with our vision and together, we aim to enhance the user experience and operational efficiency of future crews while maintaining the highest security and safety standards,” said Thomas Keupp, Chief Sales Officer, TKMS.
The partnership will focus on research, prototyping, and evaluation activities. Both organisations emphasize that any AI-enabled capabilities will adhere to the strict security, compliance, and operational demands of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Government of Canada.
“Submarines are the ultimate high-stakes workplace. Through our partnership with TKMS, we’re embedding critical solutions that empower sailors to act decisively,” said Dave Ferris, VP of Americas and Global Public Sector at Cohere. “Our technology will help the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project to meet stringent demands for precision, security, and streamlined operations, while reducing cognitive load.”
By bringing together TKMS’s proven submarine engineering expertise with Cohere’s leading enterprise AI technology, the Teaming Agreement represents a significant step toward delivering next-generation digital capabilities tailored to the needs of Canada’s maritime forces. It also reinforces TKMS’s commitment to integrating Canadian companies into its supply chain throughout the entire life cycle of its platforms, underlining its belief that “submarine building is nation building.” (Source: ASD Network)
14 Jan 26. PteroDynamics and AV Demonstrate Integrated EW Capabilities on Transwing VTOL UAS. PteroDynamics and AeroVironment, Inc. recently collaborated for a joint technology demonstration at Silent Swarm 25, hosted by the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane Division at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Alpena, Michigan. The companies integrated multiple industry-leading EW sensors from AV on the PteroDynamics P4 Transwing autonomous VTOL unmanned aircraft system (UAS), highlighting a spectrum of maneuver capabilities available to warfighters with the combined capabilities. Equipped with AV’s EW capabilities, the autonomous Transwing VTOL aircraft successfully completed three scenarios in operationally relevant, multi-domain environments–observing, detecting, and effecting various representative threats throughout the theater to inform future U.S. Navy operations for littoral surveillance.
“PteroDynamics’ Transwing VTOL UAS with AV’s EW payloads demonstrated important new capabilities in a realistic and challenging operational environment,” said Tim Whitehand, PteroDynamics vice president of engineering.
“We are excited to have worked closely with AV to equip the Transwing with these innovative EW capabilities. The Transwing’s compact footprint, rapid and disturbance-resilient transition, and highly efficient wing-borne flight enable operations from confined or remote locations without runways, making it an ideal platform for maritime littoral operations.”
“Our open, interoperable EW systems are strategically engineered to reduce payload integration timelines for airborne, maritime, and ground ISR platforms, helping us meet unique mission needs with speed and scale,” said Conrad Smith, General Manager of Electronic Warfare Systems at AV. “By participating in events, like Silent Swarm 25, and innovating alongside other industry leaders, like PteroDynamics, we are expanding mission-critical capabilities for the U.S. Navy.”
AV delivers open-architecture EW chassis and sensors to support mission planning and awareness. These tactical solutions are designed and developed for a full spectrum of readiness capabilities, keeping warfighters ahead of global threats with actionable intelligence at the mission’s edge. PteroDynamics’ Group 3 Transwing platform offers the speed, range, and endurance of fixed-wing systems with superior VTOL performance in a simple, highly efficient autonomous platform. The aircraft unfolds its wings to transition smoothly and quickly between vertical and horizontal flight. It delivers superior VTOL stability and gust tolerance, requires no launch and recovery infrastructure, and occupies one-third or less ground footprint than other VTOL aircraft with a comparable wingspan – an ideal platform for multi-mission payloads. During Silent Swarm 25, the Transwing flew from confined launch and recovery zones along the tree line on the shore of Lake Huron, showcasing its inherent expeditionary capabilities and operating envelope, which is unconstrained by wind direction. The team also took advantage of the Transwing’s modular architecture to integrate, and flight test the AV EW payload in a single day.
Transwing Receives FAA Airworthiness Certificate
PteroDynamics received a Special Airworthiness Certificate–Experimental Category (SAC-EC) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the P4 Transwing UAS to conduct research and development flights in national airspace near Alpena, Michigan during Silent Swarm 25. Prior U.S. Navy demonstrations were at sea, including those at RIMPAC 2024 and the 2023 Hybrid Fleet Campaign Event. The SAC-EC allowed PteroDynamics, for the first time, to fly the 89 lb aircraft with an airworthiness certificate in U.S. airspace. The certification review and approval process took over seven months and demonstrated to regulators the maturity and safety of the Transwing and the trust the FAA has in PteroDynamics’ aircraft and processes. (Source: UAS VISION)
12 Jan 26. US War Department Launches AI Acceleration Strategy to Secure American Military AI Dominance. The Department of War today launches a transformative Artificial Intelligence Acceleration Strategy that will extend our lead in military AI deployment and establish the United States as the world’s undisputed AI-enabled fighting force. Mandated by President Trump, this acceleration strategy will unleash experimentation, eliminate legacy bureaucratic blockers, and integrate the bleeding edge of frontier AI capabilities across every mission area to usher in an unprecedented era of American military AI dominance.
“We will unleash experimentation, eliminate bureaucratic barriers, focus our investments and demonstrate the execution approach needed to ensure we lead in military AI,” said Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. “We will become an ‘AI-first’ warfighting force across all domains.”
The Department is taking a wartime approach to delivering capabilities, with an emphasis on three tenets: warfighting, intelligence and enterprise operations. This approach will strengthen battlefield decision-making, rapidly convert intelligence data and modernize daily workflows, all in direct support of more than three m DoW personnel.
The catalyst for this acceleration will be seven Pace-Setting Projects (PSPs), each with a single accountable leader and aggressive timelines. These PSPs will establish a new AI execution standard for the entire Department:
Warfighting
- Swarm Forge: Competitive mechanism to iteratively discover, test, and scale novel ways of fighting with and against AI-enabled capabilities – combining America’s elite warfighting units with elite technology innovators.
- Agent Network: Unleashing AI agent development and experimentation for AI-enabled battle management and decision support, from campaign planning to kill chain execution.
- Ender’s Foundry: Accelerating AI-enabled simulation capabilities – and sim-dev and sim-ops feedback loops – to ensure we stay ahead of AI-enabled adversaries.
Intelligence
- Open Arsenal: Accelerating the TechINT-to-capability development pipeline, turning intel into weapons in hours, not years.
- Project Grant: Enabling transformation of deterrence from static postures and speculation to dynamic pressure with interpretable results.
Enterprise
- GenAI.mil: Providing Department-wide access to frontier generative AI models, like Google’s Gemini and xAI’s Grok, for all DoW personnel at Information Level (IL-5) and above classification levels.
- Enterprise Agents: Building the playbook for rapid and secure AI agent development and deployment to transform enterprise workflows.
This AI Acceleration Strategy is driving a major expansion of AI compute infrastructure through targeted investments and will unlock access to the data that gives the War Department an asymmetric edge. The Department will bring in top American AI talent through initiatives like the Office of Personnel Management’s “Tech Force” initiative and will empower small, accountable teams to attack complex AI integration opportunities. The War Department will eradicate woke DEI from our AI capabilities and ensure our military has objective, mission‑first systems that will guarantee decision superiority and warfighting advantage in this AI era.
“Speed defines victory in the AI era, and the War Department will match the velocity of America’s AI industry,” said Emil Michael, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering. “We’re pulling in the best talent, the most cutting‑edge technology, and embedding the top frontier AI models into the workforce — all at a rapid wartime pace.”
Grounded in the core tenets of warfighting, intelligence and enterprise operations – and following President Trump’s direction – the War Department will accelerate America’s Military AI Dominance by becoming an AI-first warfighting force across all domains.
Read the official AI Acceleration Strategy here: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://media.defense.gov/2026/Jan/12/2003855671/-1/-1/0/ARTIFICIAL-INTELLIGENCE-STRATEGY-FOR-THE-DEPARTMENT-OF-WAR.PDF (Source: U.S. DoD)
12 Jan 26. US War Department ‘SWAT Team’ Removes Barriers to Efficient AI Development. Cameron Stanley will serve as the next Pentagon Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced today during an address at SpaceX headquarters in Starbase, Texas. The advancement of artificial intelligence within the War Department was a key focal point of the secretary’s messaging to industry professionals at SpaceX. Stanley, an Air Force veteran who recently served in the private sector, along with a team that includes some of the best and brightest who are also from the private sector, is most suited to help the War Department meet the AI goals President Donald J. Trump set in his executive order.
“This team will not only provide a catalyst for change in this department but will also act, we believe, as a magnet for other talented members of the tech community who want to join us in doing the mission-focused work to protect our great republic,” Hegseth said.
Speed is at the forefront of what the CDAO team is expected to do, Hegseth said.
“Speed wins; speed dominates,” Hegseth said. “[Stanley] and his team at CDAO will define AI deployment velocity metrics for all the pace-setting projects in the next 30 days, and report at least monthly after that. These will become the new benchmarks for programs across the department.”
Another key to advancing AI within the War Department, Hegseth noted, is eliminating naysayers — those whose own work is meant to put barriers in the way of the work of those trying to speed AI to the battlefield.
“We will take a wartime approach to people and policies that block this progress,” he said. “Barriers to data sharing, authority to operate … test and evaluation and contracting are now treated as operational risks, not simply bureaucratic inconveniences; we are blowing up these barriers.”
The secretary said he’s established a “barrier removal SWAT team” within the Office of the Undersecretary of War for Research and Engineering to make that happen. The team, he said, has the authority to waive nonstatutory requirements and escalate to the deputy secretary of war things that slow down the acceleration of AI capabilities. AI systems require advanced hardware to run — computer power — and Hegseth said that’s another pursuit of the new CDAO team. The War Department will pursue its own computing power on its own military installations.
“We will invest heavily in expanding our access to AI [computing power] from data centers to the tactical edge, and [we] will tap into hundreds of bns of dollars in private capital flowing into American AI,” he said. “President Trump’s executive order has directed us to build data centers on military land and to work with the Department of Energy to ensure that we dramatically increase the number and breadth of resources needed to power this computing infrastructure.”
The secretary named a variety of private sector companies that may serve as partners to help the department get AI computer capabilities onto installations. Modifications to hiring authorities, Hegseth said, will ensure the department has access to the best talent to advance its AI goals.
“We’re going to heavily leverage President Trump’s ‘Tech Force’ initiative to bring in the best and brightest from industry and academia,” he said. “We have shown that we can and that we must enlist the world’s leading talent in this cause.”
Across government and the private sector, responsible AI is a driving force in the development of AI tools. And Hegseth said within the War Department, responsible AI means AI that understands the department’s mission is warfighting, not the advancement of social or political ideology.
“I want to clarify what responsible AI means at the Department of War,” he said. “Gone are the days of equitable AI, and other DEI and social justice infusions that constrain and confuse our employment of this technology. Effective immediately, responsible AI at the War Department means objectively truthful AI capabilities, employed securely and within the laws governing the activities of the department. We will not employ AI models that won’t allow you to fight wars.”
Finally, the secretary said, the department’s pursuit of AI must include access to good data. The War Department and military services, he said, all have their own data assets, which, in many cases, are siloed. Hegseth said those silos will need to be opened.
“The U.S. military has an asymmetric data advantage from two decades of military and intelligence operations that no other military in the world can replicate,” he said. “But right now, we are underutilizing this advantage. Too much of our data is stranded. It’s stuck in bespoke programs, databases, locked behind [legal] stove pipes, invisible to operators, engineers and industry [partners] who can help us exploit it with winning speed and scale.”
Now, he said, all that data will be unlocked for AI exploitation, with each service secretary and component head required to submit catalogs of current data assets to the CDAO within 30 days. Hegseth said this also includes data from the department’s intelligence assets.
“Data hoarding is now a national security risk, and we will treat it that way,” he said.
Last month, Hegseth announced GenAI.mil, a website that makes a specialized version of the Google AI tool Gemini — Gemini for Government — available to War Department personnel. Now, he said, GenAI will expand its AI offering.
“We’re excited to announce the next frontier AI model company to join GenAI.mil, and that is Grok, from xAI, which will go live later this month,” Hegseth said. “I want to thank you, Elon [Musk], and your incredible team, for leaning forward with us on this as well. Very soon, we will have the world’s leading AI models on every unclassified and classified network throughout our department — long overdue.” (Source: U.S. DoD)
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