Defense Autonomy Review https://defenseautonomyreview.com/ News and analysis on AI, drones and robotics in defense. en-us Pentagon’s $54.6B autonomy request hinges on bill Senate appropriators have ruled out https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/pentagon-autonomy-bet-unpassed-bill/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/pentagon-autonomy-bet-unpassed-bill/ Sun, 11 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Policy & Industry Almost all of the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group’s request sits in a reconciliation bill Senate appropriators have ruled out. A four-star command is planned anyway. Skylark Labs builds AI ‘brain’ to train humanoids for breaching, bomb disposal and recon https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/skylark-labs-brains-for-humanoids/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/skylark-labs-brains-for-humanoids/ Sun, 11 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 AI & Autonomy The California company says its software can teach an off-the-shelf humanoid different missions. Its orders and results have yet to be confirmed outside the company. Pentagon wants one operator for many robots. Research says attention is the limit https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/one-operator-many-machines/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/one-operator-many-machines/ Sat, 10 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 AI & Autonomy The number of vehicles per console says little. How often machines need a human, and for how long, sets the limit on one-to-many control. US used Corsair sea drones in combat for first time at Bandar Abbas; control details undisclosed https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/three-boats-at-bandar-abbas/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/three-boats-at-bandar-abbas/ Sat, 10 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Maritime Central Command called the July 12 Corsair attack a first. The public record shows fast fielding, and little about autonomy, defenses or who commands the boats. Simulated drone strike ‘kills’ 42 paratroopers as Army weighs how to fight in a kill zone https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/thirty-kilometers-of-kill-zone/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/thirty-kilometers-of-kill-zone/ Sat, 10 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Land Evidence from Ukraine and from the Army’s own training centers agrees on the drone-swept zone. The officials who redesigned brigades for it are gone. Ordered rewrite of Pentagon autonomous weapons rules runs late as AI targeting draws scrutiny https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/the-autonomy-rule-that-stops-short-of-the-kill-chain/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/the-autonomy-rule-that-stops-short-of-the-kill-chain/ Sat, 10 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 AI & Autonomy A presidential order to rewrite Directive 3000.09 is five weeks overdue. The AI that shaped this year’s targeting sits in software the directive may not cover. Military humanoid makers cite orders and field trials, but few claims are confirmed https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/military-humanoids-claims-and-evidence/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/military-humanoids-claims-and-evidence/ Sat, 10 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 AI & Autonomy The Army’s humanoid contest picked one whole robot and four components. Company claims about orders and field trials remain largely unconfirmed. Army has attack drones for every squad but too few trained pilots, official says https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/buying-the-robot-is-the-easy-part/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/buying-the-robot-is-the-easy-part/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Policy & Industry The Pentagon can now buy drones by the tens of thousands. It still cannot say how many units can crew and repair them. Army buys 13,000 Merops interceptor drones at about $15,000 each. Radar and crews cost extra https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/drones-that-hunt-drones/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/drones-that-hunt-drones/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Counter-UAS Ukraine’s cheap interceptors and the Army’s Merops buy look like a bargain per round. Cost per kill depends on radar, crews and weather. Pentagon fielded $35,000 LUCAS attack drone in seven months and used it against Iran https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/what-a-35000-dollar-strike-drone-can-replace/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/what-a-35000-dollar-strike-drone-can-replace/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Air The Pentagon fielded its Shahed copy in seven months and used it against Iran. How many it has, and what they hit, remain undisclosed. Europe’s ‘drone wall’ still a patchwork of national systems a year after Poland incursions https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/europes-drone-wall-one-year-on/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/europes-drone-wall-one-year-on/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Counter-UAS Brussels promised a shield against Russian drones. What exists is national border networks, NATO fighters still doing the shooting, and EU projects that became fundable two weeks ago. Jammed Alaska drone trial exposes gap in how Pentagon tests autonomy https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/when-the-network-ends/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/when-the-network-ends/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 AI & Autonomy Clean-spectrum demonstrations prove little. Autonomous systems should be judged on documented dependencies and tested behavior when links, GPS and assumptions fail, before the money flows. Army to test supply and casualty-evacuation robots in 2027 after scrapping Robotic Combat Vehicle https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/ground-robots-need-more-than-a-route/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/ground-robots-need-more-than-a-route/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Land The Army is about to test logistics and casualty-evacuation robots again. Its assessments should count interventions, recoveries and maintenance hours, as Ukraine’s experience shows. Pentagon drone rules allow Chinese battery cells and magnets until August 2027 https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/the-american-drone-with-chinese-parts/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/the-american-drone-with-chinese-parts/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Policy & Industry The Drone Dominance buys finally set rules for motors and batteries, but only at assembly. Chinese cells and magnets remain permitted until August 2027. Foundation says its humanoids are headed for the battlefield as questions mount over contracts https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/foundation-phantom-claims-and-evidence/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/foundation-phantom-claims-and-evidence/ Thu, 08 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Policy & Industry The startup behind the Phantom robot cites $24 million in Pentagon contracts and trials in Ukraine. Published accounts and federal data differ on both. Navy picks three firms to build 30 uncrewed vessels before proving weeks-long endurance https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/maritime-autonomy-endurance/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/maritime-autonomy-endurance/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Maritime Uncrewed ships have shown they can navigate oceans. The Navy is buying thirty before showing they can run for weeks without anyone aboard to fix them. Magnetic navigation flies on C-17 and airliner tests, but few results give error in meters https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/navigating-without-gps/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/navigating-without-gps/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 AI & Autonomy Magnetic, visual, celestial and borrowed-signal navigation have all flown. Buyers still get percentage gains over drifting inertial units instead of error figures they can specify. Army names five winners in humanoid robot contest; only one is a complete robot https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/army-xtech-humanoid-finals/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/army-xtech-humanoid-finals/ Wed, 07 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Land xTechHumanoid drew 103 proposals and nine live demonstrations at Quantico. The Army published winners but no task results, scores or fielding plans. Tower 22 inquiry, base incursions show counter-drone failures fall between sensors and shooters https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/counter-drone-systems-view/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/counter-drone-systems-view/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Counter-UAS Radars, jammers and interceptors are sold one at a time. Tower 22 and the homeland incursions show the failures sit between them. Navy’s carrier combat drone plan leans on MQ-25 systems untested at sea https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/carrier-drones-start-with-a-tanker/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/carrier-drones-start-with-a-tanker/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Air The Navy’s new carrier CCA request leans on the MQ-25’s control station and deck procedures, which no public account shows tested with an aircraft at sea. Air Force orders drone wingmen into production before choosing their autonomy software https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/aircraft-half-the-autonomy-story/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/aircraft-half-the-autonomy-story/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Air The Air Force ordered its drone wingmen into production before choosing their software. Readiness should be judged by autonomy builds and test evidence, not airframes. Marines field tele-operated NMESIS missile launcher to two littoral regiments; autonomy comes later https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/the-marines-driverless-missile-truck/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/the-marines-driverless-missile-truck/ Sun, 04 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Land NMESIS reached two littoral regiments as a towed, tele-operated missile launcher. Autonomy is arriving afterward, under contract, and that ordering is the lesson. Navy budgets for 16 more Orca undersea drones after cost growth, skipped reviews https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/orca-and-the-price-of-skipping-steps/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/orca-and-the-price-of-skipping-steps/ Sat, 03 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Maritime The Navy ran an urgent mine-laying requirement as a research project. Before it buys sixteen more Orcas, it should hold the reviews it skipped. Maven users pass 100,000, but Pentagon has published little on its accuracy https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/what-procurement-should-ask/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/what-procurement-should-ask/ Fri, 02 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Policy & Industry Maven’s user counts show demand, not accuracy. Program offices should label every AI claim by its evidence and contract for revalidation after each update. Army turns to 30-kilowatt counter-drone lasers after soldiers pan 50-kilowatt Strykers https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/lasers-and-microwaves-against-drones/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/lasers-and-microwaves-against-drones/ Thu, 01 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Counter-UAS Low-power, fixed-site lasers have reached troops and production. Mobile 50-kilowatt lasers and swarm-killing microwaves have not, and nobody publishes availability data. AI flies VENOM F-16 at Eglin with safety pilot aboard. What the test jets can prove https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/what-the-ai-test-jets-are-for/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/what-the-ai-test-jets-are-for/ Wed, 30 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Air A fighter flown by software with a safety pilot aboard proves the test method works. Sensing, deciding and surviving alone need separate evidence. Ukraine’s drone boats pushed Russia’s fleet east. The Pacific poses a harder test https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/what-the-black-sea-does-not-prove/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/what-the-black-sea-does-not-prove/ Tue, 29 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Maritime The Black Sea proved remotely piloted explosive boats can deny confined water. It did not prove them against jamming, distance or prepared defenders. Army picks four firms to prototype robotic minefield breaching, with soldier tests in 2027 https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/sending-robots-into-the-breach/ https://defenseautonomyreview.com/articles/sending-robots-into-the-breach/ Mon, 28 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Land The Army picked four firms to prototype autonomous breaching. Ukraine’s 2023 failures show what a 2027 soldier assessment must prove before any production decision.