Next-Gen Communications Drone Emerges Under S.Korea-Austria Collab

INNOVATION

Erik Prince Launches “Air Defense As a Service” Startup With Swarmer

Guess who’s back, back again? Erik’s back, tell a friend.

That’s right, folks. Erik Prince is back like he never left. This morning, the completely uncontroversial mercenary launched his latest venture, coming out of stealth with a new startup called Vectus that’s pitching a unique “air defense as a service” model.

Vectus is launching as a partnership with Ukrainian-born, Austin-based swarming software company Swarmer, which has a 20 percent stake in the company.

AI

What Trump’s tech strategy means for the military, deterring China, and the future of AI

The newest White House tech strategy pushes faster development of emerging technologies for the military, gives defense innovators more room to experiment, and will broaden the federal market for young defense tech startups. But it also doubles down on a particular approach to developing AI—one that favors a handful of well-connected U.S. tech companies at the expense of other innovative approaches. That could benefit China and slow the U.S. military from getting the tools commanders actually want.

TECHNOLOGY

Is Kratos Defense Entering the Scale-Up Phase of Defense Modernization?

The bigger opportunity is Kratos Defense’s expanding backlog and pipeline. Consolidated backlog increased to $2.08 billion, while bookings reached $492.2 million in the second quarter. Over the last 12 months, bookings totaled $1.99 billion, resulting in a 1.3x book-to-bill ratio. Its bid and proposal pipeline also increased to $15 billion, providing a substantial opportunity set beyond current contracted revenues.

Bulgaria Plans Space, Defense Technology Hub at Former Airport

The proposed complex, officially named the Dobroslavtsi High-Tech Industrial Park and Space and Defense Development Center, would include facilities for assembling, testing, and qualifying new generations of satellites, along with research infrastructure and an educational campus.

There’s no shortcut to replenish US munitions stockpiles

Firms are pitching low-cost munitions and the Pentagon is making weapons deals. It won’t immediately fix the Iran stockpile problem, experts say.

POLICY

Golden Dome Secrecy Poses Challenge for Estimating Costs

While Pentagon officials have revealed some details about the architecture behind the Golden Dome missile defense project, crafting an independent cost estimate for a largely classified program remains a challenge, experts said Aug. 19.

EUROPE

UK-based Tiberius begins formal testing of its Invictus missile

Tiberius Aerospace, a company whose Chief Strategy Officer is former Nest and Apple engineer Andy Baynes, is moving its Invictus long-range missile out of the laboratory and into formal engineering Test & Evaluation, bringing the weapon closer to deployment.

DRONES

A Next-Gen Communications Drone Emerges Under S.Korea-Austria Collab

Next-gen airborne communications drone uses 5G mobile base station, airborne relay equipment, and related avionics.

CHINA

China’s Military Says AI Can’t Replace Commanders. Xi Is Testing That

For years, the Chinese military’s own newspaper has been making a promise it may no longer be able to keep. Whenever the People’s Liberation Army Daily (Jiefangjun Bao), the official newspaper of China’s Central Military Commission, discusses artificial intelligence and command, it returns to the same reassurance: Machines may sort sensor data, draft options, and compress the time between observation and action, but the final authority, and the responsibility that comes with it, belong to the human commander. As one 2025 article puts it, AI cannot resolve the allocation of command authority and responsibility because only a human commander can bear the risk and the responsibility of war.

NAVY

US Navy Orders Shipboard Servers From One Stop Systems

One Stop Systems (OSS) has signed a $1.3-million contract to supply the US Navy with ruggedized high-speed data recorders for shipboard integration.

Under the contract, the California-based technology firm will supply its proprietary Gen5 short-depth servers designed to sustain network connections at speeds over 50 gigabytes per second without losing data.

AIR FORCE

US Air Force Tests Portable Ground Control System for Future CCA Ops

C2E enables tactical control of collaborative combat aircraft from a portable command and control setup.

STRATEGY

America’s Missing Military Revolution

Why Washington still risks losing the tech race.