Dual Use

New Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager will consolidate acquisition, standards, budgeting, and industry engagement for drone and autonomous programs The U.S. Department of War announced on July 1 a major reorganization of its unmanned systems enterprise, creating a new Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems (DRPM-UxS) that will oversee the Department’s drone and autonomous systems… Read more: Department of War Creates Central Office to Oversee U.S. Military Unmanned Systems

Rather than focusing primarily on buying new drones, the House Armed Services Committee is proposing the standards, training, doctrine, and sustainment needed to make unmanned systems a permanent part of the U.S. military. For much of the past five years, congressional action on military drones has focused on procurement, supply chain security, and reducing dependence… Read more: House FY27 NDAA Signals Drones Have Become Core Military Infrastructure

Texas-based company expands offshore cargo operations while preparing for the next phase of U.S. BVLOS regulations By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill While many drone service providers like to tout their latest innovations and brag on the abilities of their aircraft to handle a variety of missions, Austin-based Skyways Aviation has spent the better part… Read more: How Skyways Quietly Built a Global Heavy-Lift Drone Business

Recent Chinese export controls targeting Red Cat may have limited immediate impact, but they underscore why U.S. drone manufacturers are under pressure to understand every layer of their supply chains. China’s decision to place drone manufacturer Red Cat Holdings and their subsidiary, Teal Drones on its export control list may not immediately disrupt production. But… Read more: China’s Export Restrictions on Red Cat Highlight a Bigger Challenge for U.S. Drone Manufacturing

As the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance Program moves from competition to procurement, emerging drone companies are taking center stage The Department of War announced this week that its Drone Dominance Program has received its first order and launched Gauntlet II, marking a new phase for an initiative designed to rapidly field low-cost military drones while expanding… Read more: Beyond the Primes: Drone Dominance’s First Order Highlights a New Generation of Defense Drone Manufacturers

PDW works to develop advanced drone communications systems By DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill As modern warfare increasingly relies on the use of drones for surveillance, targeting and attacks, militaries across the world are beginning to recognize the vital importance of maintaining communications links with UAVs that are operating in highly communication-contested environments. Ensuring that… Read more: DRONELIFE Exclusive Interview: Inside PDW’s Strategy to Build Drones That Can Operate When GPS and Communications Fail

New thermal imaging module combines SXGA resolution with compact size and U.S. manufacturing Teledyne FLIR OEM has announced the Boson SX8, a new longwave infrared (LWIR) thermal camera module designed for defense, industrial, and uncrewed systems applications. According to the company, the Boson SX8 is the first NDAA-compliant, volume-production uncooled thermal camera module to combine… Read more: New Boson SX8 Brings High-Resolution Thermal Imaging to NDAA-Compliant Drone Payloads

MODUS and IRON WAVE aim to help military forces counter drone threats and deploy robotic systems ahead of frontline troop Ondas Holdings has unveiled two new autonomous defense systems designed to address some of the most significant challenges facing modern military forces: the rapid growth of drone threats and the increasing use of robotic systems… Read more: Ondas Unveils New Autonomous Counter-Drone and Robotic Combat Systems

Proposed legislation would require national security review of certain foreign-made humanoid and quadruped robots A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced legislation that would apply a familiar national security review process to humanoid and quadruped robots, signaling a broader U.S. approach to evaluating connected autonomous systems. The Guarding the U.S. against Adversarial Robotics Dominance (GUARD)… Read more: Congress Introduces GUARD Act, Extending FCC Covered List Framework to Robotics

Northeast National Security Conference examines how the U.S. can strengthen its defense industrial base Supply chain security has become a central issue for the drone industry. As the U.S. government pushes to expand domestic drone manufacturing, reduce reliance on foreign suppliers, and secure access to critical technologies, manufacturers are facing new questions about sourcing, production… Read more: Building a Resilient Supply Chain: Regional Security Leaders Focus on Industrial Readiness

Remarks at the Northeast National Security Conference highlight growing demand for rapid, commercially informed defense solutions The 2026 Northeast National Security Conference, hosted by the New Hampshire Tech Alliance, brought together defense contractors, government agencies, technology companies, investors, and researchers to discuss emerging national security challenges and opportunities. The conference focuses on strengthening innovation and… Read more: Defense Leaders Call for Faster Paths from Innovation to the Field

Drone-mounted system helps military users detect and locate drone operators, control stations, jammers, and other RF emitters in contested environments. Sky Spy and Evolve Dynamics have announced a partnership to integrate airborne signals intelligence (SIGINT) capabilities across Evolve Dynamics’ unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), following a recent demonstration with the French Armed Forces. The companies tested… Read more: Finding the Person Behind the Drone: Sky Spy Demonstrates Airborne Detection System with French Military

New partnership aims to support commercialization and deployment of battle-tested Ukrainian technologies for allied defense applications Canadian drone and aerospace company Volatus Aerospace has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with UCan Brave Tech Centre, a Canada-Ukraine defense innovation organization, to support the development and commercialization of defense and dual-use technologies. The agreement, announced May… Read more: Battle-Tested Innovation Meets Manufacturing Scale in New Canada-Ukraine Defense Partnership

Montana-based drone company says designation validates long-term commitment to secure U.S. manufacturing Skyfish  has achieved both Blue UAS Cleared status and Green UAS certification, marking a significant milestone for the U.S.-based drone manufacturer as demand grows for secure and domestically sourced drone systems in government and critical infrastructure operations. The announcement was made May 28… Read more: Skyfish Achieves Blue UAS Cleared Status and Green UAS Certification

SYOS Introduces SU10 Underwater Drone for Multi-Domain Operations New uncrewed underwater vehicle expands company portfolio from air, land, and sea to subsurface missions UK and New Zealand-based autonomous systems company SYOS has introduced the SU10 uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV), expanding its multi-domain autonomous systems portfolio into subsurface operations. The company announced the new platform at… Read more: Under the Ice: New SYOS Underwater Drone Targets Maritime Security and Antarctic Exploration

At XPONENTIAL 2026 this week, leaders from University of Michigan outlined an ambitious vision for the future of drones and advanced air mobility (AAM): one where Michigan becomes a central hub for the emerging low altitude economy by combining aerospace innovation with Detroit’s industrial manufacturing strength. DRONELIFE had the opportunity for a meaningful discussion with… Read more: Michigan’s Bet on the Low Altitude Economy: How M Air Connects Aerospace Innovation and Detroit Manufacturing

At this morning’s keynote roundtable at XPONENTIAL 2026, government and industry leaders outlined a new phase in the effort to scale the U.S. drone industry: moving from innovation and prototype development to industrial production, supply chain scrutiny, and rapid military acquisition. Moderated by Michael Robbins of AUVSI, the panel focused on the Department of Defense’s… Read more: Drone Dominance: The Defense Department’s Push to Build a Scalable U.S. Drone Supply Chain

Jaunt Air Mobility’s autonomous slowed-rotor platform targets defense ISR, cargo logistics, and remote operations in two mission variants. AIRO Group Holdings has publicly unveiled its full-scale autonomous VTOL aircraft at AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2026 in Detroit. The Nasdaq-listed aerospace and defense company announced the reveal on May 12, 2026. The aircraft comes from AIRO’s Jaunt Air… Read more: From The Floor of XPONENTIAL: AIRO and Jaunt Reveal Dual-Use VTOL Aircraft for Defense and Cargo Missions

AUVSI’s XPONENTIAL 2026 Message: The Drone Industry Moves From Innovation to Integration At XPONENTIAL 2026 in Detroit this week, President Michael Robbins delivered a keynote that reflected a broader shift taking place across the drone and autonomy industry. Rather than focusing primarily on emerging technology and experimentation, Robbins emphasized manufacturing, operational deployment, supply chain resilience,… Read more: At XPONENTIAL 2026, AUVSI Signals a New Phase for the Drone Industry

North Dakota facility will manufacture NDAA-compliant battery cells for drones and defense systems Packet Digital and its subsidiary Badland Batteries announced that the company has received $9.8 million as part of Phase 3 of a U.S. Navy contract focused on advanced batteries for logistics drones and unmanned systems. The funding comes through the Navy’s Logistics… Read more: U.S. Navy Awards Packet Digital $9.8 Million to Scale Drone Battery Production in North Dakota