Trend: Autonomy & AI

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 […]

MQ-9A Block 5 to Get New Self-Protection Pod Next Year – May 9

Next year, the Block 5 Extended Range version of the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) MQ-9A Reaper drone is to receive a self-protection pod developed by GA-ASI in concert […]

AV Unveils New AI Capability And Autonomy Kit For Unmanned Systems – April 23

ARLINGTON, Va., April 23, 2024 – AeroVironment (AV) has introduced its Autonomy Retrofit Kit (ARK) and AVACORE software demonstrating the company’s commitment to advancing autonomy and machine learning capabilities to […]

General Atomics Awards Hughes Contract To Produce Modems For MQ-1C Gray Eagles – April 9

Hughes Network Systems this week said it has received a production contract from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to provide ruggedized modems for the MQ-1 Gray Eagle 25M unmanned aircraft system, […]

After Boeing Delivered First Test MQ-25, Navy Eyes First Flight In Spring 2025 – April 8

After Boeing delivered the first MQ-25 Stingray to the Navy in February for testing, a lead official said Monday the service is on schedule for the first flight test with […]