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05 Sep 25. US Marine Corps to field first FPV. The Neros Archer will be the first first-person view (FPV) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to be fielded by the US Marine Corps (USMC), according to a new training guidance memo released on 4 September. The memo, signed by Lieutenant General Benjamin Watson, commanding general of Training and Education Command, provides guidance to units who will receive the Neros Archer platform from Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. This fielding is funded by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the organisation in the Department of Defense that approved the Archer for the Blue UAS (unmanned aircraft system) list earlier in 2025.
“The first units to receive Archers will include both Schools of Infantry, the Infantry Officer Course, and [Marine Air-Ground Task Force] Training Command at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center,” Cathleen Close, spokesperson for Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, told Janes on 4 September. “While units have had the ability to expend their operational funds to procure DIU Blue list-approved FPV drones, this one-time purchase reflects the first time the marine corps has procured FPV drones for use across the service.”
The FPVs will eventually be sent to Marine Corps Special Command Raider Battalions, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd divisions. In these divisions, the Littoral Combat Teams, Infantry, and Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalions will operate the UAVs, she said. (Source: Janes)
05 Sep 25. Trump to reinterpret 1987 missile treaty to sell heavy attack drones abroad.
- Summary
- The change would allow the potential sale of 100 MQ-9 drones to Saudi Arabia
- U.S. drone makers face competition from Israeli, Chinese, and Turkish rivals
- The change to benefit startups building a new generation of heavy attack drones
President Donald Trump is expected to unilaterally reinterpret a 38-year-old arms control treaty to sell sophisticated “Reaper” style and other advanced military drones abroad, according to a U.S. official and four people familiar with the plan. The new interpretation would unlock the sale of more than 100 MQ-9 drones to Saudi Arabia, which the kingdom requested in the spring of this year and could be part of a $142 bn arms deal announced in May. U.S. allies in the Pacific and Europe have also expressed interest. (Source: Reuters)
Sep 25. US Navy taps four aerospace primes to design autonomous drone wingmen. Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics and Anduril are all in line to produce conceptual designs for the Navy’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, according to a Navy slide reviewed by Breaking Defense. The US Navy has awarded contracts to four major aerospace prime contractors — Anduril, Northrop Grumman, Boeing and General Atomics — for “conceptual designs” for a carrier-based autonomous combat drone, according to a Navy document obtained by Breaking Defense. Additionally, Lockheed Martin is under contract for the drone’s “common control,” according to a slide on Collaborative Combat Aircraft from the Navy’s program executive office for unmanned aviation and strike weapons, dated Aug. 20. The contract awards, which previously were not publicly known, are the clearest sign that the Navy is moving forward with the concept of a “loyal wingman” aircraft that can operate from the deck of a carrier. Both the Navy and Air Force have pursued the concept of CCAs, but while the Air Force put its program in the spotlight, the sea service’s own efforts have been largely shrouded in secrecy. It is unclear how long the companies have been under contract and working on their CCA designs. A Navy official told Breaking Defense that the document’s information concerning the four aerospace primes and Lockheed Martin “is accurate,” but did not provide further information.
A spokesperson for Anduril declined to comment. A spokesperson for Boeing deferred comment to the Navy. Spokespeople for Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin did not provide comment before publication.
General Atomics spokesman C. Mark Brinkley directed specific questions about the Navy’s CCA program to the service, but noted that the company rolled out notional designs for carrier-capable CCAs last summer. Those concepts adapt the YFQ-42A design currently being tested under the Air Force’s program for shipboard operations, he said in a statement.
While the Navy and Air Force both have unique needs for a so-called “Collaborative Combat Aircraft,” in general, both concepts involve novel drones that will fly alongside the services’ fighter jets.
Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly, the flag officer on the chief of naval operations’ staff in charge of developing CCA requirements, has previously said the Navy is coordinating with the Air Force on development of common standards for elements like mission planning, but much of the work has been behind closed doors.
One of the unique requirements for the Navy for any CCA program will be the need for it to take off and land on an aircraft carrier. The service is already in the midst of perfecting autonomous carrier-based flights through its unmanned aerial tanker program, MQ-25. Navy brass has been adamant that the MQ-25, which is designed by Boeing, will successfully fly from carriers in 2026.
The Navy may also be chasing a significantly cheaper price point than the Air Force of about $15 m per plane, compared to the $25 m to $30 m per aircraft cited by former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall. In April 2024 Rear Adm. Stephen Tedford, the Navy’s program executive for unmanned systems and weapons, said that cheaper price point would enable the service to use a single CCA multiple times for surveillance and strike missions before ending its lifespan as a one-way attack drone.
“I want something that’s going to fly for a couple hundred hours. The last hour it’s either a target or a weapon,” he said then. “But I’m not going to sustain them for 30 years.”
At the time, Tedford said the Navy was “in the process” of beginning analysis for a CCA program and intended for initial studies to focus on the payloads, sensors and mission systems that will be needed on drones, with fielding of drones slated for “the second half of this decade.”
Last November, the Navy conducted a demonstration where it used its Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control Station (UMCS) to control a General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger. The UMCS is based on Lockheed Martin’s MDCX autonomy platform, which was developed by its secretive Skunk Works unit.
Naval Air Systems Command called the test “part of an effort to advance technology for future Collaborative Combat Aircraft.”
As for the Air Force, the service previously selected General Atomics and Anduril to build and flight test prototype drones from an initial group of five contractors who participated in the program’s design phase.
General Atomics’ CCA variant, known as the YFQ-42A, has entered flight testing, the Air Force announced last week, while the Anduril drone, YFQ-44A, is “expected to enter flight testing in the near future,” a service spokesperson said previously.
The Air Force’s vision for the program, unveiled in fiscal 2024 as a multibillion endeavor, would see it initially field as many as 1,000 drones. The service also intends to hold multiple iterations of the CCA competition to provide previous and new vendors a chance to bring new designs forward. (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
05 Sep 25. Boeing [NYSE: BA] and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) have successfully completed demonstrations proving the operational viability of the MQ-28 Ghost Bat Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
The RAAF-defined demonstrations required the MQ-28 to execute a series of operationally relevant missions designed to supplement and enhance capabilities of existing crewed platforms.
The uncrewed MQ-28 platforms and digital versions have now completed 150 hours and 20,000+ hours of virtual testing. The Capability Demonstration 2025 missions were completed in early June, four months ahead of schedule, and validated:
- autonomous behaviours and mission execution
- multi-ship operations to provide combat mass
- deployment operations to RAAF Base Tindal
- teaming with an E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft, and
- data fusion and sharing data between multiple MQ-28 aircraft and transmission of that data to a crewed platform.
MQ-28 is a unique autonomous capability designed to complement the find, fix, track and target elements of air combat with autonomous behaviours and reduced risk to crewed platforms.
“The RAAF set the task of proving the first four steps in the Air Combat chain for the MQ-28 and we have accomplished that sooner than anticipated,” said Glen Ferguson, MQ-28 Global program director.
“Completing this work early allows us to accelerate the next phases of development – engage and assess – with an air-to-air weapon shot planned for later this year or in early 2026.The demonstrations have proven the maturity of MQ-28’s capabilities and the utility of CCA’s and their application to the future force mix,” Ferguson said.
The capabilities validated throughout 2025 will be incorporated into the Block 2 aircraft now in production, forming the basis of an initial operational capability for the RAAF and allied partners.
05 Sep 25. China Unveils Large Unmanned Stealth Fighter Design During Military Parade. The massive military parade in Beijing has provided a much closer look at some of the country’s new air combat drone initiatives. Of these various drone designs, one, in particular, stands out. This is a low-observable tailless design that is also very large, broadly equivalent in size to China’s J-10 medium-weight fighter. Overall, its design is indicative of high performance, pointing firmly to a true uncrewed stealth fighter, while its appearance suggests that it may well already be flyable — or is otherwise a very authentic mock-up. While the designation of the new drone remains unknown, there have been claims that it is provisionally named Unmanned Air Superiority Fighter. Meanwhile, for the sake of clarity, China-watchers have taken to referring to this design as the Type B drone. The drone in question was shown among other unmanned designs on the back of a flatbed truck during the September 3 parade marking the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II. Seen now in full, and uncovered, the drone is significantly bigger than the other previously unknown designs that had been seen ahead of the parade, in satellite imagery and covered with tarpaulins during rehearsals. The Type B has all the hallmarks of a higher-performance fighter-like uncrewed combat air vehicle (UCAV), of a kind that the U.S. Air Force is notably not developing — at least, in the unclassified realm.
The new UCAV-like Type B drone is tailless with a modified delta wing. The wing is broadly diamond-shaped, with cropped tips. There are two large control surfaces evident on each wing’s trailing edge. The nose has a very distinct chine that extends back to the side-mounted engine intakes before merging with the wing leading edge. The side intakes are in contrast to those found on at least some of the other newly emerged Chinese drone designs, which are mounted on top of the fuselage. These forward-raked, diverterless supersonic intakes (DSI) have much in common with those found on new-generation crewed fighter designs, outright pointing to supersonic performance. The intakes feed a single engine, with the variable-geometry nozzle (presumably for an afterburning engine) projecting beyond the wing trailing edge. The nozzle is serrated, including both the outer sleeve and actual nozzle, like on the F-35 and new Chinese fighter designs. Pointed extensions of the trailing edge, again F-35-style, are found on either side of the engine nozzle. Overall, the Type B is very likely supersonic capable, but would also possess significant range for a high-performance aircraft, thanks to a combination of sleek tailless design and no requirement to accommodate a pilot and all crew-related systems. Besides performance, the other major driver is low observability. As for the exposed, round engine nozzle, which would adversely affect this, at least from the rear aspect, this is a known practice for stealth fighter designs, the result of a tradeoff between performance, complexity, weight, affordability, and low observability. The serrations on the nozzle help with the radar signature in certain radar bands. It could also be the case that this is an early iteration, and a stealthier, two-dimensional engine nozzle, possibly with thrust vectoring, will appear on the Type B in due course. This would parallel the development of Russia’s S-70 Okhotnik UCAV, and the Chinese GJ-11 Sharp Sword also underwent a redesign that left it with enhanced low-observable features. To preserve its low observability, there are signs that the Type B drone has extensive internal capacity for weapons. Underside views of the drone suggest large weapons bays below its fuselage. Interrupting what is otherwise an overall smooth profile, the Type B drone also has a prominent chin-mounted electro-optical sensor, likely analogous to the F-35’s Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS). Similar kinds of fairings also appear on the Chinese J-20 and J-35 stealth jets and further point to this drone being intended for fighter-style missions. (Source: UAS VISION/The War Zone)
04 Sep 25. Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) is unveiling Sea Dagger, a next-generation Commando Insertion Craft (CIC) concept developed for the Royal Navy. The first craft of its size to combine speed, range, vehicle delivery and modular mission systems into a single platform, Sea Dagger sets a new standard in maritime autonomy and operational agility. Developed under the UK Commando Force (UKCF) programme, the initiative’s goal is to deliver 24 medium surface insertion craft capable of deploying Commando Strike teams, light tactical mobility platforms, offboard systems, and medium combat loads from long range, enabled by training and in-service support. Capable of exceeding 40 knots, Sea Dagger is the result of a collaborative development effort between Leidos Naval Architects and military subject matter experts, the Royal Navy, and UKCF. The design builds on more than 30 years of fast-craft expertise and incorporates Leidos technology, including Trusted Mission AI, autonomous systems and integrated weaponry. Operational resilience is central to the concept, with a focus on readiness, availability, maintainability and repairability. The platform is designed to continue delivering its mission under stress, disruption or attack for an enduring presence in contested environments.
Aligned with AUKUS Pillar 2 maritime autonomy objectives and the UK Strategic Defence Review’s vision to move to warfighting readiness and increasing lethality, Sea Dagger helps ensure the UKCF can respond quickly with the tools, training and systems needed to face the evolving threats and demands of modern conflict.
Sea Dagger addresses the most pressing challenge faced by specialised units operating in coastal and shallow-water environments around the world. Unlike historical near-shore landing craft, Sea Dagger delivers a unique combination of naval architecture and high-technology sensors, weapons and C2 (command-and-control) capabilities shaped by the realities of warfare in modern conflicts.
Adam Clarke, senior vice president and chief executive at Leidos UK & Europe said, “Sea Dagger represents a pivotal step in equipping the UK Commando Force with the capability to operate with greater agility, survivability and intent in a complex and congested maritime environment. The Leidos design reflects our commitment to delivering resilient, future-ready platforms that can adapt to the complexities of modern warfare, ensuring capability, availability and operational advantage from day one. I am delighted that Leidos is at the forefront of shaping the maritime marketplace, domestically and internationally.”
For more information about Leidos’ autonomous maritime systems, visit leidos.com/autonomy.
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EOS
Electro Optic Systems (EOS) is an Australian technology company with a global presence, delivering advanced solutions across defence and space. With operations in Australia, the United States, Europe, Singapore, the Middle East and New Zealand, EOS has been designing and manufacturing precision technologies for more than four decades.
In defence, EOS is a leader in remote weapon systems, with more than 2,500 delivered and proven in operational service with allied forces. The company designs, develops and manufactures highly accurate counter-drone solutions for force and asset protection. These include both kinetic and high energy laser options that defeat drone threats effectively and at a comparatively low cost per shot. In August 2025, EOS secured the world’s first export contract for a 100 kW-class high energy laser weapon, with delivery scheduled between 2025 and 2028.
In the space domain, EOS is internationally recognised for its expertise in space domain awareness and space control. Its ground-based optical systems track and characterise satellites and debris to support both defence and commercial operations worldwide. Through its New Zealand subsidiary, EOS also designs and manufactures precision optics for space and astronomy applications.
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