Category Unmanned & Autonomous Systems

The New Gold Rush: Inside the Global Race to Build Humanoid Robots

humanoid

For much of the last century, humanoid robots belonged firmly to the realm of science fiction—icons like the ever-polite C-3PO or the menacing T-800 shaped our imagination more than reality ever could. Yet today, the line between fiction and reality…...

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Modern Artillery’s New Battlefield Role: How Self-Propelled Howitzers Are Evolving to Counter Drone Threats

howwitzer

The face of artillery is changing—and quickly. On battlefields like Ukraine, small, agile drones have proven to be both indispensable tools and existential threats. Once valued purely for their long-range firepower, artillery units are now thrust into the drone war…...

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The Next Wave in Underwater Operations: Small UUVs Redefining Maritime Missions

uuv

In the ever-evolving landscape of naval and special operations, small Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) are emerging as transformative tools for missions ranging from intelligence gathering to mine countermeasures. Defined as vehicles under 45 inches in length and weighing less than…...

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Mind Over Machines: DARPA’s N3 Program Develops Nonsurgical Brain-Computer Interfaces to Let Soldiers Control Vehicles and Robots with Thought Alone

darpa

For decades, the idea of controlling machines with our thoughts belonged firmly in science fiction. Today, that fiction is rapidly approaching reality. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is spearheading efforts to pioneer a new paradigm in human-machine…...

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Countering the Drone Swarm: Affordable UAV Interceptor Solutions

swarm drone

In modern warfare, the sky has become the most fiercely contested domain, shaped by a new generation of missile technology. Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs), Maneuverable Reentry Vehicles (MARVs), and hypersonic glide weapons now pose unprecedented challenges by combining…...

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From Pilot to Program: How DARPA’s ALIAS is Turning Any Aircraft into an Autonomous Drone

ALIAS

Imagine a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter executing a complex mission—navigating low-level terrain, avoiding unexpected obstacles, and landing perfectly in a confined zone—with no one at the controls. This is no longer science fiction; it is the reality being built by…...

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DARPA’s Cost-Efficient Cargo Program: Revolutionizing Military Logistics with Affordable, High-Capacity Airships

ce

In an era of rapidly evolving global threats and dispersed operations, the ability to move heavy equipment and supplies quickly, efficiently, and affordably is more critical than ever. Enter DARPA’s Cost-Efficient Cargo (CEC) program—an ambitious initiative aimed at reinventing military…...

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Mastering the Invisible Battlefield: Signal Management and SIGINT Dominance in Modern Drone Warfare

sigint

The Electronic Arms Race Redefining 21st-Century Conflict Modern warfare is being radically reshaped by the invisible yet decisive domain of the electromagnetic spectrum. In the skies over Ukraine, where more than 10,000 drones are deployed weekly, battles are increasingly won…...

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China’s High-Altitude Stealth Drones: Dominating Surveillance, Electronic Warfare, and Air Combat

chinsteal

Introduction The 2019 drone strikes targeting Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq and Khurais oil facilities represented a pivotal moment in military history, revealing that even nations armed with advanced air defense systems can be vulnerable to low-cost, asymmetric unmanned aerial threats. This…...

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DARPA’s SYNC Program: Rewriting Undersea Warfare with “Orthogonal” UUV Defenses

sync

The Stealth Threat in Our Harbors Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUVs)—ranging from low-cost reconnaissance drones to armed “kamikaze” systems—are fast becoming one of the most asymmetric threats to U.S. maritime infrastructure. Adversaries use these quiet, stealthy platforms to mine harbors, spy…...

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