Saab Takes Naval Combat Systems Into a New Generation With ‘9LV’; A Drone Interceptor Fired Like a Bullet? Meet Auterion’s Talon

INNOVATION

One Gun, Four Setups: BAE Systems Has a New Approach to Naval Defense

A modular 40mm naval gun family combining four configurations, flexible fire control, and programmable ammunition.

AI

Virtualitics Clears Its Military AI Platform for Secret-Level Ops

The authorizations clear the way for AI-driven analysis of military maintenance, logistics, personnel, and force readiness data in secure environments.

Palladyne AI’s BRAIN Named Finalist in US Army Interceptor Competition

The selection highlights growing interest in onboard AI systems for low-cost interceptors and counter-drone defense applications.

TECHNOLOGY

NATO launches new counter-drone marketplace to help Allies spend $40B on aerial defence

Allies in NATO earlier this year committed themselves to collectively spending $40 billion over the next five years on counter-drone technologies and training, and now NATO has laid out the pathway for procurement from a vetted set of vendors to meet that goal.

The organisation says it has selected solutions from five defence companies to become available as part of the snappily-titled “Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Marketplace.”

Unraveling the Pentagon’s quantum problem

Defense agencies have just five years to comply with Executive Order 14412. The work starts with spreading awareness.

ACQUISITION

Salesforce to Acquire Defense Tech Startup Rune Technologies to Anchor Tactical Edge Logistics

The acquisition will complement Salesforce’s defense division, Missionforce, which serves all six military branches.

Shield AI Raises $2.5B to Buy Echodyne for $5.3B

Yesterday, defense tech giant Shield AI announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement—pending regulatory approval—to acquire radar hotshot Echodyne in a deal valued at a whopping $5.3B.

SPACE

Russia, China missile threats boost need for orbital defense: MDA Space

Space-based missile defense is becoming a realistic option as countries confront increasingly sophisticated threats, according to the CEO of Canadian satellite technology company MDA Space.

Satellites could play an increasingly important role in detecting, tracking and potentially intercepting incoming missiles, CEO Mike Greenley told “Squawk Box Europe” on Thursday, arguing that such systems don’t have to be more expensive than other advanced defense technologies.

Key Space Force satellites can't talk to each other, likely requiring $1B solution

To translate between the SpaceX-built SDN Backbone and other Pentagon communications and missile tracking satellites, sources said the Space Force is eyeing 12 or 13 Space Exchange Point birds.

EUROPE

US European Command launches vigilance campaign as hybrid threats mount

Branded “See Something, Do Something,” the initiative is meant “to foster a proactive mindset” toward security and force protection, the command said this week. The announcement comes amid heightened concern about drone incursions and other hybrid threats to U.S. and allied military forces around Europe.

SECURITY

The Army Is Connecting Its Apps. Who Authorizes Their Actions?

A brigade staff receives a report that a supply route may be impassable. An AI-assisted planning application proposes an alternative. The recommendation appears in the common operational picture, where a separate movement application can turn it into a revised convoy schedule. The first tool was supposed to advise. The second can change an operational plan. Who authorized the transition between them?

STARTUPS

Harbinger Raises $240M Series D, Eyes Defense Expansion

Harbinger is a new name in the defense tech scene, but the California-based electric truck startup has made a big push into our world over the past few months, especially on the white-hot unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) scene.

DRONES

This Is Naval Group’s Concept For A Stealthy, Drone-Armed Future Destroyer

The SCX26 concept pairs a stealthy, split-superstructure design with advanced weapons and extensive facilities for uncrewed systems.

A Drone Interceptor Fired Like a Bullet? Meet Auterion’s Talon

The Talon interceptor is fired from a gun-style launcher, taking down targets by collision instead of an explosive warhead.

CHINA

Can Washington and China Build Confidence Around AI and Stability?

In the lead-up to General Secretary Xi Jinping’s September 2026 visit to the White House to discuss, among other topics, AI, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng at JPMorgan Chase’s New York City offices. At the meeting, U.S. officials proposed establishing a dialogue between the United States and China, which would serve as a mechanism for notification of AI-related national security incidents. Bessent clarified the intent as: “We think that just like with any cross-border activity, that moving from opaque to more transparency between the No. 1 and the No. 2 AI powers in the world is very important.”

RESEARCH

A Tale of Two Markets: A Dickensian Take on the Coming Years in Defense Tech

It’s a strange time for the defense technology sector. Despite the headlines of record capital, valuations, and defense budgets, there is a growing unease among investors and leadership teams. Production contracts remain as elusive as ever, and a generation of startups is struggling to extend their runways across the valley of death, risking not just those businesses but capital flight from the broader sector.

There is little point in trying to decide which one of these diverging narratives is real, or if a defense technology market collapse is imminent. To understand what’s really happening, we should recognize that things are getting Dickensian.

MARITIME

Saab Takes Naval Combat Systems Into a New Generation With ‘9LV’

A next-generation naval combat system connecting sensors, weapons, and command functions through a flexible digital architecture.

ARMY

Fighting, Enduring, Surviving: Inside Mountain Peak

Soldiers assigned to 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), validated their readiness during Mountain Peak, Oct. 20-29, at Fort Drum. The Mountain Peak exercise trained and validated Soldiers to fight and win against America’s adversaries while also leveraging constantly evolving tactics on the battlefield.

Throughout Mountain Peak, Soldiers maneuvered through rugged terrain, conducted coordinated assaults and worked together to secure key objectives. The exercise tested more than tactical proficiency, requiring units to ensure they are ready to fight, endure and survive on the modern battlefield.

NAVY

The Navy’s trainer is now the biggest test of the Pentagon’s acquisition reform efforts

With the competition effectively reduced to one bidder, the Navy faces a choice between falling back on old acquisition habits and showing that its reforms can work under pressure, writes Robbin Laird.

Fairbanks Morse Defense in talks with Navy about Seawolf-class submarine repairs

Fairbanks Morse Defense is already conducting repairs on the Ohio- and Los Angeles-class submarines.

AIR FORCE

Air Force to Test New List to Backfill Declined Promotions to E-9

The Air Force will test out a “next Airmen up” list for the upcoming chief master sergeant promotion cycle, to identify qualified candidates should any of those selected to move up in rank decline to do so.

STRATEGY

The New Architecture of American Primacy

The 2026 National Defense Strategy identifies a problem that can easily be mistaken for another argument about burden-sharing.