All articles
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Counter-UAS
Fortem Closes $50 Million Series B Led by Lockheed Martin as Counter-Drone Demand Surges
Utah's Fortem Technologies closed a $50M Series B led by Lockheed Martin, which put in $25M in April, to expand Lindon manufacturing and SkyDome deployments as it cites DHS, Army and World Cup work.
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Commercial & Delivery
Hillsborough County Starts Flying Whole Blood to Trauma Scenes by Drone in October
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue showed off its drone whole-blood program Sept. 28 and goes live in October with two ArcherFRS drones covering 70 square miles. The delivery times are projections, and the county has not said what it pays.
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Tech & Builds
Kitemill Pitches a Wind-Powered Tethered Kite as a Persistent ISR Drone
Norwegian airborne-wind-energy firm Kitemill showed Kitewall at DroneX London: a tethered VTOL kite that it says generates 15 kW from tether pull, lifts 20 kg to 500 m and can detach for untethered patrols. All figures are company claims.
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Defense & Combat
Navy Turns Sea-Drone Testing Into a $1.2 Billion Order: 30 Medium USVs From HII, Saronic and Galliano Marine
The Navy has moved its Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel program from testing to production, giving HII, Saronic and Galliano Marine 10 vessels each at about $40M apiece, roughly $1.2B in total.
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Industry & Contracts
Saronic Breaks Ground on $3 Billion Port Alpha, a Shipyard Built Around Autonomous Vessels
Saronic broke ground Sept. 30 on Port Alpha at the Port of Brownsville, Texas: a $3B-plus private shipyard on 835 acres designed to build autonomous and manned ships, with operations targeted as soon as 2028.
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Counter-UAS
Army Awards 10 Counter-Drone IDIQs Worth $4.15 Billion Under Domestic Shield as Year-End Demand Surges
JIATF-401 and the Army issued 10 counter-UAS IDIQs with a $4.15B combined ceiling for Domestic Shield, but only about $50M was obligated at award as year-end demand pushes commitments past $5B of a $7B ceiling.
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Commercial & Delivery
DoorDash Builds Its Own Six-Rotor Delivery Drone, Moving From Marketplace to Aircraft Operator
DoorDash unveiled a purpose-built six-propeller, winch-equipped delivery aircraft at Dash Forward 2026, taking DoorDash Air in-house, but airspace authorizations and a San Francisco planning approval still stand between the hardware and routine flights.
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Policy & Regulation
The FCC's Component Rule Takes Effect Oct. 13: DJI or Autel Chips Inside a US-Built Drone Can Now Block Authorization
An FCC rule effective Oct. 13 bars authorization of devices containing logic-bearing components from Covered List firms like DJI and Autel, and makes online marketplaces show FCC IDs, but it rests on supplier names and applicant attestation.
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Defense & Combat
Hegseth Announces Autonomous Warfare Command: A Four-Star Drone Combatant Command Targeted for Oct. 1, 2027
Hegseth announced AUTOWARCOM, a four-star combatant command with service-like authorities for drones, AI and autonomy, targeted for Oct. 1, 2027, but Congress must act and the memo leaves structure and leadership open.
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Industry & Contracts
Powerus Set to Close Merger With Aureus Greenway, Putting a Counter-Drone and FPV Maker on Nasdaq
Powerus was expected to close its reverse merger with Nasdaq-listed Aureus Greenway on Oct. 1 and trade as PUSA, but its headline $90M Air Force deal is a ceiling, not guaranteed revenue.
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Industry & Contracts
Amprius's $75M Pentagon Drone-Battery Grant: Only About $22M Is Funded, and the Line Belongs to a Korean Partner
Amprius's Pentagon agreement is worth up to $75M, but its SEC filing shows only about $22M obligated so far, and the production line to be converted is run by an unnamed South Korean manufacturer.
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Counter-UAS
Border Task Force Logged 378 Drones in a Month, and Says 95-98% Are Scouting for Human Smugglers
JTF-Southern Border's commander says 95-98% of drone activity on the southern border is reconnaissance supporting human trafficking. The task force logged at least 378 drones in a month, but officials did not explain how they tie the flights to smuggling.
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