NextGen Defense

🛠️ Maintenance goes digital. A modernization push for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is bringing augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), AI, and machine learning to its maintenance and training ecosystem. 🧠 E-2D Hawkeye upgrade blends AI with maintenance and training 🕶️ AR overlays guide technicians through real-time repair steps 🎮 VR systems simulate complex aircraft environments for training According to Northrop Grumman, the technology can improve task performance by up to 75 percent. Kathy Warden

📡 Comms that refuse to drop. RTX subsidiary BBN Technologies is working to help soldiers maintain uninterrupted communications on contested battlefields with its new “self-healing” system. 📶 PACE4ACE automatically routes traffic across available links 🛰️ Maintains connectivity from satellite to tactical radios ⚡ Shifts waveforms in real time under jamming pressure “The network self-heals, so crews can focus on the mission instead of troubleshooting communications," said Dr. Sam Nelson, principal investigator at RTX BBN Technologies.

✈️ Familiar frame, fresh capability. A new demonstrator for the Do228 NXT aircraft is making its first public appearance, marking the transformation of the four-decade-old Dornier 228 utility aircraft into a modernized multi-mission platform. 🧭 Upgraded cockpit and avionics improve operational performance 🎯 Multi-mission setup supports patrol, surveillance, and cargo 🌊 Built for maritime and disaster response operations “No other plane in this class combines safety and efficiency to the level offered by the Do228 NXT,” General Atomics AeroTec Systems stated. Florian Rohe Erik Bollen Craig Simpson

🚀 Missiles just got a targeting upgrade. Indian missile systems are set for a major leap in targeting accuracy as the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) - DRDO develops a next-gen navigation and electronic guidance suite. 📡 Multi-axis sensors improve real-time flight path correction 🧠 Fuses MEMS and fiber-optic gyros for higher stability 🚫 Works in GPS-denied environments for resilient targeting The package is expected to integrate across multiple missile programs.

🔫 Turret gets AI brain. A partnership between AimLock and FN America, LLC is enabling remote weapon stations to detect and engage drones autonomously through a software upgrade. 🎯 AI upgrade turns RWS into an autonomous drone hunter 🔗 Dune links AimLock software with FN Defnder hardware 🛸 Tuned to track and hit small attack drones like Shaheds “If [electronic warfare systems don’t] work, this is the last line of defense,” said Bryan Bockmon, AimLock CEO. Mark L. Cherpes

🧿 Armor gets smarter than the threat. Thales is working on next-gen electro-optic countermeasure concepts that could help military vehicles survive increasingly complex battlefield threats by making them harder to detect, track, and target. 👁️ Electro-optic systems reshape vehicle protection 🧠 NGSK program tests next-gen soft kill concepts ⚙️ Modular protection designed for future land platforms Thales will draw on its expertise in threat warning sensors, defensive aids systems, and electro-optic technologies throughout the project.

🧲 Power follows drones mid flight. Reachpower has come up with a unique power system that could potentially let drones stay in the air for as long as needed. 📡 RF energy beams power drones mid flight 🔋 POWER system enables continuous airborne charging ✈️ Removes battery swaps and return to base “Winning xTechSearch 9 is a strong validation that persistent power is one of the most critical gaps in autonomy today,” Reach CEO Chris Davlantes said.

📶 Detection gets smarter. France is getting a fresh boost in its electronic warfare capabilities as the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) ordered a next-gen radar interceptor from Eviden. 📡 ELIT AI detects and classifies complex and low-probability emissions in real time ⚙️ Built with software-defined radio and scalable modular architecture 🔍 Enhances wideband detection and automated intelligence workflows “The ELIT AI sensor … illustrates our ability to innovate and push the limits of interception and analysis as new radar models emerge,” said Bernard Payer, director of mission-critical systems at Eviden.

🏁 Autonomy at 320 kph. A new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone from Massachusetts-based Tycho.AI combines high-speed flight with an AI-powered autonomy stack designed to navigate complex environments without relying on GPS. 🧭 Operates in GPS-denied environments using vision-based navigation 🚁 Switches from storage to flight in under 30 seconds 🎯 Supports ISR, strike missions, and counter-drone operations “Halley isn’t just a new capability; it represents a strategic shift to an entirely new category of small, fast, agile UAS,” said Sertac Karaman, founder of Tycho.AI.

📡 Coverage before chaos. Farsight Vision is enabling drone operators to identify strong and weak signal zones before launch, helping avoid potential communication dead spots during missions. 📶 Identifies weak zones to reduce mid-mission link loss risk 🚁 Works with DJI drones using terrain and range modeling 📍 Lets pilots plan routes based on predicted connectivity The company calls on other drone manufacturers to join the FSV ecosystem by sharing technical system parameters of their products. Viktoriia Yaremchuk