A Forecast International blog about the arms trade, geopolitics, defense and security, and military spending.
Source: Ukraine MoD/21st Mechanized Brigade On February 3rd, the Pentagon announced the 25 vendors invited to participate in Phase I of the Drone Dominance Program (DDP). By injecting $1.1 billion …
Could the Army’s “Gauntlet” for Cheap Combat Drones Rewrite the Defense Acquisition Playbook? Read More
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has officially activated Task Force Scorpion Strike (TFSS), the military’s first dedicated one-way kamikaze drone squadron in the Middle East. This milestone was punctuated on December …
LUCAS: Scaling the Drone War Read More
Despite a traditional focus on commercial aerospace, the 2025 Paris Air Show opened under defense-related controversy. Host nation France’s decision to shut down the displays of Israeli defense companies, Elbit …
Paris Air Show Closes Amid Global Conflict: A Defense Recap Read More
Earlier this month, the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced the successful launch of USX-1 Defiant, a 180-foot autonomous ship in preparation for upcoming in-water and pierside testing. …
DoD Launches USX-1, Adding to Underway USV Projects Read More
The beginning months of 2025 are already signaling a pivotal year for U.S. unmanned surface vessel (USV) developments. In particular, work on scalable small autonomous USVs capable of swarming operations …
American USV Builders Anticipate Mass Demand from U.S. Navy Read More
The V-BAT (also designated MQ-35A) is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) reconnaissance unmanned aerial system (UAS) developed by Shield AI. As a Group 3 unmanned aircraft, the V-BAT is …
BRIEFER: Shield AI V-BAT Read More
The extra-large unmanned underwater vehicle (XLUUV) segment is emerging as the fastest-growing sector of the defense undersea drone market. Navies worldwide are scrambling to turn research and prototyping efforts into …
Extra-Large Undersea Drones: A Global Snapshot Read More
In January 2025, the Swedish Armed Forces unveiled a new drone-swarming program, developed by defense giant Saab. This cutting-edge software empowers soldiers to control up to 100 uncrewed aircraft …
Drone Wars: Developments in Drone Swarm Technology Read More
In the far future, a marine prepares to use a smart grenade. Pull the pin and throw. The grenade deploys wings and activates a camera providing video to the controller. …
Unleash the Drones of Wars Read More
Rheinmetall and DOK-ING, a Croatian manufacturer of unmanned ground systems (UGS), have announced a strategic partnership to develop and market advanced UGS solutions. The partnership aims to create a joint …
Rheinmetall and DOK-ING Partner to Develop Unmanned Ground Systems Read More