defense_technology

Arlington, Va. – September 11, 2026 -- Air, the Enterprise Readiness company, has appointed Andrej Danko as Chief Product and Technology Officer to lead engineering and product strategy for its AI-native platform serving the national security enterprise.

Danko joins from ServiceNow after leading global public sector AI deployments

Danko previously served as Vice President and General Manager of Global Public Sector Product Management at ServiceNow, where he directed agentic AI deployments across the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, and international allies including NATO members, Australia, and Singapore. He brings three decades of software industry experience spanning product management, design, engineering, and corporate strategy, with prior roles at Productboard, Merlon Intelligence, and SAP. Danko holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management, plus a Ph.D. and M.S. in Applied Computer Science.

Kielce – September 12, 2026 -- Blighter Surveillance Systems is targeting expanded sales of its low-power, long-range surveillance radars across Central and Eastern Europe, showcasing its 2D, 3D and 4D electronic-scanning array systems this week at the MSPO International Defence Exhibition in Kielce, Poland, running September 8-11, 2026.

The Cambridge, UK-based radar maker is presenting its full portfolio on stand 2-D05, including dedicated ground, coastal and air surveillance radars, multi-mode systems for simultaneous land, sea and air monitoring, and its AI-assisted BlighterNexus control software.

Reston, Virginia – September 12, 2026 -- Leidos-built autonomous surface vessels Sea Hunter and Seahawk have logged more than 200,000 nautical miles and 14,000 hours of autonomous operation across the company's maritime portfolio, marking over a decade of at-sea autonomy development.

Sea Hunter completes 2,000-nautical-mile autonomous transit during RIMPAC 2026

Sea Hunter served as the exercise's only Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV), operating autonomously from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to San Diego, California, a distance exceeding 2,000 nautical miles. The vessel demonstrated autonomous surveillance and manned-unmanned teaming, functioning both as part of a larger naval force and as a stand-alone platform.

Alexandria, Va. – September 11, 2026 -- Parry Labs has appointed Scott DeVona as Chief Revenue Officer, tasking him with expanding revenue as demand grows for vendor-independent interoperability at the tactical edge.

DeVona brings a track record of personally leading multiple $100 million contract captures

DeVona spent two decades building defense software businesses and winning software-centric programs for U.S. combatant commands, Service command posts, and vehicle-based C2 systems. He has secured contracts across the Army, the Air Force, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, DARPA, and multiple allied nations.

Syracuse, N.Y. and Titusville, Fla. – September 11, 2026 -- C Speed, backed by NewSpring Holdings Federal, has renamed itself Protora, unveiling a new corporate identity alongside three mission-specific radar product lines: RushLight, DomeWatcher and WingWatcher.

Rebrand marks shift from custom builds to scaled product lines

The name change caps 20 years of radar and surveillance development for the Department of War, the Department of Homeland Security and international partners. Protora says the rebrand reflects its evolution from bespoke, mission-specific radar engineering toward delivering proven capabilities at commercial scale for defense, homeland security and allied customers.

Reston, Va. – September 11, 2026 -- V2X, Inc. (NYSE: VVX) has secured a $19 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract from the U.S. Marine Corps to supply its Tempest counter-Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS) vehicles.

Contract covers vehicles, maintenance and training support

Under the agreement, V2X will deliver Tempest vehicles alongside maintenance support, software management, spares, ancillary components, training, and engineering services. The Tempest platform is designed to detect, track, and defeat unmanned aerial threats while maintaining mobility to reposition alongside maneuver forces.

Delray Beach, Fla. – September 08, 2026 -- The global military robots market is projected to grow from USD 42.15 billion in 2026 to USD 128.92 billion by 2031, a 25.1% compound annual growth rate, according to MarketsandMarkets. Unit volumes are forecast to climb from 74,817 in 2026 to 109,010 by 2031 as armed forces expand deployment of unmanned ground, air and maritime systems.

Marine systems post the steepest growth rate through 2031

The marine segment is set to register the highest CAGR at 26.7% between 2026 and 2031, driven by naval demand for unmanned surface and underwater vehicles used in mine detection and underwater threat identification. The Royal Navy is introducing autonomous vessels for mine hunting, while the US Navy is expanding unmanned maritime systems for mine countermeasures to reduce personnel exposure in high-risk waters.

Seoul – September 07, 2026 -- Airbility, a South Korean aerospace and defense startup, has raised USD 4.7 million (KRW 6.5 billion) in a Series A round led by Silicon Valley-based Sazze Partners, bringing its total funding to USD 7.6 million (KRW 10.5 billion).

Sazze Partners makes its first defense-sector bet on Airbility

Existing backer Stonebridge Ventures joined the round with a follow-on investment, and Industrial Bank of Korea came in as a new shareholder. Airbility's cap table also includes Samho Green Investment, Mashup Ventures, BASS Ventures and 500 Global. Sazze Partners, founded in 2018, has backed more than 100 companies including Korean AI firm Upstage, but this marks its first defense-sector investment.

SOMERVILLE, Mass. -- September 01, 2026 -- Diffraqtion capped its pre-seed funding round at more than $10 million after Lockheed Martin Ventures and Presidio Ventures, the venture arm of Sumitomo Corporation, joined as strategic investors, the MIT and University of Maryland spinout announced Aug. 31, 2026. The Somerville, Massachusetts-based company builds quantum camera platforms for defense and space sensing. The new capital follows on-sky demonstrations, progress under a DARPA SBIR program, and two NASA awards covering orbital debris tracking and orbital edge computing.