Drone warfare: a decisive edge on the battlefield. A U.S. Marine with 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Littoral Combat Force-24, fires a switchblade 300 drone during a drone qualifications event at Camp Santiago Joint Training Center, Puerto Rico, Sept. 25, 2026. The lightweight Switchblade 300 provides small tactical units a tactical advantage by delivering beyond-line-of-sight precision strike capability in under two minutes. #SOUTHCOM#'s Autonomous Warfare Command (SAWC) integrates people, autonomous and unmanned systems, data, and communications to deliver decisive capabilities around supported-command requirements—creating a continuous decision and operational advantage. U.S. military forces are deployed to the #SOUTHCOM# area of responsibility in support of Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere, @DeptofWar-directed operations, and the President’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking, deter malign actors and protect the homeland. #JTFWHEM# @The24MEU @USMC @MARFORSOUTH @SecWar

UKRAINIAN DRONE UNITS DECISIVELY BEAT A U.S. ARMORED BRIGADE IN A MAJOR EXERCISE IN GERMANY, EXPOSING GAPS IN AMERICA'S ADAPTATION TO MODERN DRONE WARFARE, WITH UKRAINIAN OPERATORS QUICKLY DETECTING U.S. VEHICLES AND SIMULATING THEIR DESTRUCTION WITH EXPLOSIVE AND FPV DRONES SO EFFECTIVELY THAT U.S. UNITS HAD TO REPEATEDLY 'RESPAWN' - WSJ

PENTAGON TO CREATE NEW DRONE WARFARE GROUP Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is establishing a permanent Pentagon organization for drones, autonomous systems and defense robotics, according to Sen. Tim Sheehy. The Pentagon is seeking $54.6 billion for its Defense Autonomous Warfare Group in the 2027 budget. The move would centralize drone procurement and deployment as the U.S. military expands its focus on low-cost autonomous warfare and counter-drone capabilities.

SemiAnalysis President @fabknowledge compares the economics of AI-powered cyberattacks to drone warfare, where launching an attack can cost a fraction of what it takes to defend against it. "A bozo model can probably hack your infrastructure. It doesn't really take much. The bar is surprisingly low." "It's kind of like a drone. It costs $100 to fly the drone into the tanker and it costs like $2M to shoot the drone out of the sky." "That dynamic is replicated in AI as well. Meaning, defense costs an order of magnitude more than an attack."

Ukraine has the world’s largest and most advanced drone warfare capability. We are offering this capability to our partners through the Drone Deal initiative. I’m grateful to everyone who has already joined this initiative and to those who are joining it. Drone Deal initiative it’s not only about buying drones, but also about co-production – fast-track access to the means of protection of critical infrastructure, air-defense and security cooperation. From a speech at the NATO Defense Industry Forum. (4/5)

🚨🇨🇳 PENTAGON'S NIGHTMARE: CHINA MAPS OUT SIXTH-GENERATION FIGHTERS FOR SATELLITE-DENIED DRONE WARFARE China is preparing its future fighters for a battlefield where satellite navigation is jammed, pilots face extreme workloads and unmanned wingmen must reorganize as conditions change. A new paper from Shenyang researchers outlines an aircraft capable of taking over its own flight and commanding an entire manned-unmanned formation instead of fighting alone. 🔸 The paper was led by Zhang Dong, chief flight-control designer at the Shenyang Aircraft Design and Research Institute, and published in the peer-reviewed journal Aircraft Design in August. 🔸 The institute is associated with the next-generation prototype widely known as the J-50. However, the paper does not name the aircraft or confirm that any of the proposed technologies have already been installed on it. 🔸 Automatic flight controls could take over if the pilot loses consciousness or faces an extreme workload. The system would keep the aircraft stable and potentially allow it to continue its mission while the pilot recovers or concentrates on higher-level decisions. 🔸 China is also exploring quantum-navigation technologies for operations where satellite positioning is unavailable. These could help future fighters determine their location after GPS, BeiDou or other satellite signals have been jammed or disrupted. 🔸 The most ambitious concept involves commanding reconfigurable formations of unmanned wingmen. Drones assigned to attack, reconnaissance and protection could change roles and reorganize during a mission as the tactical situation evolves. 🔸 Under this model, the pilot becomes the commander of a distributed combat network. The aircraft provides communications, sensor fusion and decision support while automation manages routine flying and helps coordinate multiple unmanned systems. If these concepts reach service, the Pentagon would face more than another stealth fighter. It would confront an airborne combat network capable of navigating under satellite denial, adapting its drone formation in real time and sending unmanned systems forward while the crewed aircraft remains farther from danger. The fighter would become the command center for an entire formation designed to keep fighting even when navigation signals and conventional formations break down. Which will matter more in the next air war: the fighter itself or the drones it controls?

Quantum Cyber $QUCY is up 800% today after securing exclusive rights to an autonomous drone platform as investors react to Trump’s proposed $55 billion increase in drone warfare spending If you zoom out, they’re still down 99% from their peak $QUCY just joined the long list of random Trump headline pumps that end up absolutely nuked a few months later