UKDI opens Cycle 8 of fast-track innovation competition for frontline technology

Image: UK MOD © Crown copyright 2022 The Ministry of Defence has awarded contracts worth up to £300,000 each to 22 companies, tasking them with feasibility studies for new energetic

Image: MGI Engineering MGI Engineering Ltd has launched the T-022 Vortex, a new autonomous combat aircraft aimed squarely at the UK’s Storm Fighter requirement. The company describes it as Britain’s

Image: U.S. Airforce © The U.S. Air Force tested its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) programme in a major Agile Combat Employment exercise at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, according to

Image: AeroVironment AeroVironment has been awarded a $117.3 million contract by the US Army for its P550 electric vertical take-off and landing drone, as per a recent press statement. The

Image: UK MoD © Crown Copyright UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) has launched Cycle 8 of its Innovation Support to Operations competition, seeking technologies that can reach frontline deployment within a

Image: Babcock Babcock has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with British defence SME Supacat to jointly pursue the Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) competition, aiming to replace the British Army’s outgoing

Image: Avilus The German armed forces have contracted AVILUS to develop a demonstrator system for its unmanned rescue aircraft, “Grille.” The agreement, signed in early April 2026, marks a significant

Image: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth visited L3Harris’ PAC-3 propulsion facility in Camden, Arkansas, as part of his “Arsenal of Freedom” tour in February 2026. ©L3 Harris The Department of

Image: Thales’ GM200 Multi-Mission All-in-one radar (GM200 MM/A) © Thales Romania has signed a landmark agreement with France to acquire twelve Thales Ground Master 200 Multi-Mission All-in-one (GM200 MM/A) radars,

Image: Rheinmetall The Bundeswehr has ordered 56 additional Elefant 2 heavy-duty transporters from Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV). The contract is worth approximately EUR 60.5 million gross. RMMV will deliver

Image: Tekever AR5 British soldiers will gain sharper battlefield intelligence under a new agreement worth up to £400 million, which will equip the Army with Tekever’s AR5 surveillance drones. The

Image: Lockheed Martin Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, and Safran Helicopter Engines have signed an agreement to explore joint cooperation on current and future vertical lift platforms. Rich Benton, vice

Image: Helsing Helsing has unveiled the CA-1 Electronic Attack (CA-1EA), an AI-powered autonomous aircraft built for electronic warfare, at the International Aerospace Exhibition. The European defence technology company presented the

Image: GDLS-Canada Canada has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems–Canada (GDLS-Canada) a contract worth almost $2 billion for 190 additional Armoured Combat Support Vehicles (ACSVs), as per a recent press statement.

Image: DARPA A U.S. Air Force F-16, modified as an autonomous flying testbed, has completed in-air testing under artificial intelligence control. The milestone marks a major step towards scalable combat