Defense Technology

Newington, N.H. – October 14, 2026 -- SIG SAUER has introduced the XRAY9-CUAS, a counter-unmanned aircraft systems (CUAS) electro-optic that tracks and engages drones at up to 300 yards, at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) trade show.

The optic mounts to a counter-UAS weapon system and uses electro-optical technologies similar to the targeting system in SIG SAUER's remote-controlled weapon station. A soldier can point and shoot while the optic compensates for a range of factors, according to the company.

XRAY9-CUAS calculates drone distance, speed and vector with a proprietary SWIR laser rangefinder

The system pairs the SWIR laser rangefinder with onboard slew-rate sensors. Together they compute a drone's distance, speed and vector, then generate a custom disturbed reticle with dynamic targeting solutions.

Reston – October 13, 2026 -- Leidos has completed Jailbreak Sprint 1.5 at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, bringing its ALPS surveillance system into the U.S. Army's new Reveille Forge integration and testing environment, following three Leidos systems tested at the first sprint in June.

Reveille Forge follows the Army's Operation Jailbreak exercise held earlier this year. It is intended to surface system interoperability problems earlier in development, before technologies reach soldiers in the field.

Reveille Forge replaces periodic events with a persistent integration model

The Army designed the environment to move integration from periodic events to a persistent "integrate-first" approach. Government, industry and academia can test earlier how technologies work together.

Bozeman – October 13, 2026 -- Reveal Technology Inc. launched Farsight 2.0, its 3D mapping and terrain intelligence platform, alongside a new $9.5 million U.S. Army purchase order under its existing GSA IDIQ contract.

The second delivery order covers procurement, distribution, training and sustainment of Farsight for additional infantry brigades.

Farsight 2.0 fuses imagery from all available sources into one global world model

The update pulls drone, satellite and sensor imagery into a single terrain picture that refreshes as new data arrives. This includes imagery crossing command and control networks. Units no longer depend solely on what they collect themselves, so operators can start from the most current terrain available and spend their time on analysis rather than on building the picture.

Washington – October 13, 2026 -- BAE Systems (LON: BA) unveiled two layered counter-drone systems at AUSA 2026 for the U.S. Army: the Multi-Domain Artillery Cannon System (MDACS) and the High Power Microwave (HPM). The company says HPM is built from more than 99% commercial off-the-shelf components.

Both products target counter-unmanned aircraft (C-UAS) and counter-missile missions. They are designed to protect critical installations and maneuver forces against saturation drone attacks.

BAE Systems pairs kinetic and directed-energy layers against drone swarms

BAE Systems states that massed drone swarms have outpaced traditional, magazine-limited kinetic systems. MDACS supplies the kinetic layer, and HPM supplies the directed-energy layer. Together they combine high-velocity precision with what the company calls the near-limitless capacity of directed energy, for sustained, cost-efficient defense.

Arlington – October 13, 2026 -- The Department of War has awarded Air a $200 million, five-year contract supporting the U.S. Army's Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) ecosystem.

Contract extends Air's existing Army partnership through NGC2 development and testing

The award continues a longstanding relationship between Air and the U.S. Army. The company's Enterprise Readiness platform has supplied software for NGC2 from its inception through ongoing development and field testing. According to the company, the software removes operational bottlenecks, speeds mission planning, and shortens sensor-to-shooter-to-sustainer timelines.

Bozeman, Mont. – October 07, 2026 -- Reveal Technology Inc. has secured a $9.5 million purchase order from the U.S. Army, expanding deployment of its Farsight 3D mapping platform to additional infantry brigades under an existing GSA IDIQ contract.

Second delivery order builds on 82nd Airborne Division fielding

The new order marks the second delivery under the contract, following successful deployment with the 82nd Airborne Division and ongoing integration with the Army's Nett Warrior soldier-worn battle command system. The funds will support procurement, distribution, training, and sustainment of Farsight across infantry units seeking improved situational awareness in network-constrained environments.

Sanford, Fla. – October 05, 2026 -- Hoverfly Technologies confirmed its Spectre tethered UAS (TeUAS) was the drone pictured in widely circulated coverage of recent U.S. Army Maneuver Battle Lab (MBL) field trials at Fort Benning, Georgia, where the service tested line-of-sight communications and surveillance drones mounted on Infantry Squad Vehicle-Utility (ISV-U) platforms.

Spectre is the only tethered UAS cleared on the DCMA Blue UAS List

Hoverfly Spectre holds the distinction of being the first and only tethered UAS platform on the DCMA Blue UAS Cleared List, and it has also been verified secure under the AUVSI Green UAS program. The company has fielded more than 700 TeUAS systems to U.S. military and allied forces to date, supporting base security, battalion-level communications, and persistent ISR missions. Spectre was also selected as the official designated VHA-Heavy for PDM Nett Warrior FY25.

Boca Raton, Fla. – October 02, 2026 -- Florida Atlantic University and Blue Ops, the maritime division of Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: RCAT), have signed a strategic partnership placing uncrewed maritime systems operations at FAU's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce.

Blue Ops gains a 144-acre deep-water testing site for uncrewed surface vessels

The agreement grants Blue Ops access to Harbor Branch's secure, 144-acre deep-water port, waterfront infrastructure and marine engineering staff to develop, test and evaluate uncrewed surface vessels, mission systems and open architectures. Activities will include engineering, land- and water-based demonstrations, personnel training, and equipment maintenance and support.

San Diego – October 02, 2026 -- Seasats has deployed a fleet of Lightfish unmanned surface vessels into the Gulf of America for persistent maritime border surveillance, expanding a federal autonomous maritime program run under the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Homeland Defense and Americas Security Affairs.

Lightfish fleet launches from Texas coast into Gulf waters

Launched from the Texas coast, the autonomous fleet will conduct continuous surveillance to detect drug trafficking and unauthorized vessel incursions in the Gulf, building on the company's prior support of Operation River Wall along the southern border.

Bristol, R.I. – – October 02, 2026 -- Vatn Systems has won the Department of War Innovation Unit's (DIU) Mine Counter Measure Modernization Prize Challenge, with its SIGURD system ranking among the top performers in the Near Surface and Volume Mine Engage Test and Evaluation segment.

SIGURD neutralized mine threats under real mission conditions during DIU evaluation

The system, built on Vatn's Skelmir S6 platform, autonomously detected, reacquired and neutralized mine threats in scenarios designed to replicate field conditions. DIU opened the challenge in May 2026 to identify modular, communication-resilient, and rapidly fieldable technology for underwater mine threat reacquisition and neutralization.