Unmanned Systems

As drone threats escalate across Eastern Europe, the US Army is accelerating counter-unmanned systems development through innovative acquisition pathways. Project Flytrap 4.

Breaking Defense spoke with Tim Saffold, Vice President, Autonomous and Unmanned Systems, Amentum, about the role of autonomous and unmanned systems in modern logistics. The use of unmanned systems can increase or expand reach, reduce risk to personnel, and enable more distributed, resilient operations.

The Tactical Assault Kit (TAK) is a powerful tool connecting to sensors and unmanned systems in the field. According to Breaking Defense, TAK provides enterprise-level capabilities for command and control architectures and data platforms.

As the US and allied partners push to develop, produce, and field military technologies, they are leaning on lessons learned from Ukraine and other recent global conflicts. The challenge lies in how these technologies fit into existing military operations and how warfighters can trust them.

The US Navy is set to deploy two medium-sized drone boats this year, according to Capt. Garrett Miller.

Israel entered 2025 looking to a new US administration to be a gamechanger for Jerusalem's multi-front war. The country pushed forward with new technologies, including laser air defenses and unmanned systems, amid international criticism of its tactics in Gaza.

Breaking Defense reports that the Air Force has made significant progress in its drone wingman program, with first flights completed for prototype drones. The Collaborative Combat Aircraft program aims to develop unmanned systems capable of augmenting military forces.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched a new competition, Lift, aimed at revolutionizing small drone operations. The contest seeks to design unmanned systems that can carry heavy payloads, with a goal of achieving a four-to-one payload-to-weight ratio.

Auterion has released new footage of a coordinated drone swarm strike, demonstrating its Nemyx product line and AuterionOS software stack. The company's work aims to enhance sensor coverage, complicate adversary defenses, and mitigate risk through advanced swarm operations.

The US Army is preparing to integrate small drones into its forces, with a goal of fielding one-way attack drones to every squad by October. To achieve this, the Army is hosting a drone warfighter competition to explore training and tactics changes.