Trend: Autonomy & AI

DIU Solicits To Refresh Blue UAS Roster

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) on Monday released a solicitation for an upcoming prize challenge for vendors to potentially have their unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and related capabilities added to […]

Boeing Expanding Effort To Autonomously Inspect Aircraft – July 28

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Using small third-party drones for high-resolution imaging and its own artificial intelligence-based software algorithms, Boeing is expanding an effort to speed the inspection of military aircraft exteriors and increase […]

Marine Corps Commandant Says MQ-9 Has Cloaking Pod

The commandant of the Marine Corps Tuesday said the service’s MQ-9 Reaper drones have an electronic warfare pod that makes it “mostly undetectable” to opponent radars. “What they bring with […]

Merlin To Acquire EpiSci In Hookup Of AI Pilot Startups To Offer Complete Solution – June 13

Merlin on Thursday said it has agreed to acquire fellow startup EpiSci in a deal that would combine complementary autonomous capabilities to offer a full-stack solution for artificial intelligence-piloted military […]

Merlin Labs Says $105 Million C-130J Advanced Automation Contract Stepping Stone for Other SOF Aircraft

Boston’s Merlin Labs, Inc. said on June 12 that it has received a $105 million contract from U.S. Special Operations Command to provide advanced automation for the Air Force C-130J […]

Joby Aviation Acquires Xwing’s Autonomy Division, Adding To Defense Work

Joby Aviation, which is developing an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft as an air taxi service, on Tuesday said it has acquired the autonomy division of Xwing, a […]

DARPA Selects Six Companies To Continue In Long-Endurance VTOL UAS Program

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) this week said it selected six companies to continue in the risk reduction and component testing phase of its program to develop vertical […]

USAF and Merlin Labs Explore Autonomous Options for KC-135

Boston-based Merlin Labs, Inc. said on May 30 that it is using data from flights of a KC-135 at MacDill AFB, Fla., “to better understand crew workload drivers and gather […]

Bell Reveals Bell Aircraft Laboratory for Future Autonomy Fly-by-Wire Operations – May 7

Fort Worth, TX (May 7, 2024) – Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, today revealed its Aircraft Laboratory for Future Autonomy (ALFA). Developed by Bell’s Advanced Programs […]

Collaborative Autonomy Tested in EpiSci/USAF Autonomy Prime Flights – May 2

California-based EpiSci said this week that the company finished multiple collaborative autonomy tests last month under the U.S. Air Force’s Autonomy Prime program to train operators on the company’s Starling […]