🚁 Army’s New 3D-Printed FPV Drone Can Put Lethal Effects on Target “Right Now”

📬 In Today’s Defense Brief

💣 Trump Suggests U.S. Could Resume Nuclear Weapons Testing After 30+ Year Moratorium — Read More

✈️ Air Force Says It Needs “Hundreds More” Fighters to Meet Global Demands — Read More

🚁 Army’s New 3D-Printed FPV Drone Can Put Lethal Effects on Target “Right Now” — Read More

🎥 Hands-Free Tracking Drone Debuts for Discreet ISR — Read More

🚀 X-Bow First to Deploy Lockheed Martin’s Secure AI for Rocket Production — Read More

🎱 Plus 20 other news stories you may like

📰 Full Breakdown

💣 Trump Suggests U.S. Will Resume Testing Nuclear Weapons — Read More

• President Trump signaled plans for the U.S. to resume nuclear weapons testing “on an equal basis” with Russia and China, marking what would be the first live test since 1992. The announcement, posted on Truth Social before meeting with Xi Jinping in Busan, lacked specifics but hinted at a major policy shift.

• Trump appeared to conflate missile testing with warhead detonations, telling reporters the U.S. “has to test” if others do—though no Pentagon guidance or timeline followed.

• Arms-control advocates, including the Arms Control Association, warned such tests would violate global norms, reignite worldwide nuclear testing, and face strong opposition in Nevada and from U.S. allies. Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki condemned the statement as “absolutely intolerable.”

✈️ Air Force Says It Needs Hundreds More Fighters to Meet Global Demands — Read More

• A new Air Force force-structure plan submitted to Congress calls for 1,558 combat-coded fighters—nearly 300 more than today’s fleet—to meet strategic demands under the Trump administration’s guidance.

• The report outlines accelerated F-15EX and F-35A procurement as the cornerstone of the expansion, targeting as many as 24 F-15EXs and up to 100 F-35As per year by 2030, supported by industrial-base upgrades and Rheinmetall partnerships.

• Challenges include budget ceilings, modernization trade-offs, and aging fleets. The service plans to retire A-10s and early F-22s while integrating next-gen F-47 and collaborative-combat aircraft to achieve sustainable readiness across the active, Guard, and Reserve forces.

🚁 Army’s New 3D-Printed FPV Drone Can Put Lethal Effects on Target “Right Now” — Read More

• The Army’s 25th Infantry Division unveiled its first 3D-printed first-person-view drone armed with a detonation system, marking the first in-house design capable of delivering lethal effects in theater.

• Built by soldiers in Hawaii using additive manufacturing, the “Capstone drone” demonstrates rapid prototyping and battlefield repair—key for overcoming INDOPACOM’s logistical “tyranny of distance.”

• Senior leaders say the approach mirrors Ukraine’s wartime innovation and will receive increased funding by FY27, enabling soldiers to fabricate mission-ready systems and munitions near the frontlines.

🎥 US Firm Brings ‘Hands-Free’ Tracking to Drone Defense — Read More

• Dallas-based AirSight released the V3.18 update to its AirGuard software, introducing automated visual tracking that links pan-tilt-zoom cameras with AI-driven drone-detection sensors.

• The upgrade eliminates manual camera control, enabling instant, hands-free confirmation of hostile drones while storing imagery, metadata, and flight logs for post-incident analysis.

• AirSight says the automation reduces operator workload, shortens detection-to-visual-lock timelines, and builds a stronger evidentiary chain for security and defense users managing crowded airspace.

🚀 X-Bow First to Deploy Lockheed Martin’s Secure AI for Rocket Production — Read More

• X-Bow Systems became the first company to integrate Lockheed Martin’s Astris AI Factory—a defense-grade, end-to-end AI platform—into solid-rocket-motor manufacturing to create a “secure digital backbone.”

• The system governs sensitive design and production data, uses generative AI and MLOps for quality control, and accelerates throughput for tactical rocket-motor programs supporting U.S. missile and hypersonic production.

• Executives said the partnership proves secure AI can transform defense manufacturing by improving accreditation, data integrity, and production speed—laying the groundwork for scalable, affordable rocket output.

🌏 Other Important News

✈️ Air

• USAF’s 10-Year Fighter Report Is Missing Key Details, Experts Say — Read More

• F-35s, F-16s Train with NORAD Assets Near Greenland in Arctic Readiness Push — Read More

• Polish WZL-2, GE Aerospace Expand F-16 MRO Capacity in Europe — Read More

• Lawmakers Urge Boeing to End 12-Week Fighter-Plant Strike — Read More

🛡️ Land

• Russia Unveils New Ground-Mobile Laser Weapon for Counter-Drone/Missile Roles — Read More

• UK Building Drone-and-Robot Battlefield Network — Read More

• Croatia, Slovenia Team on New Combat Robot — Read More

• FN’s MTL-30 Wins the Precision Grenadier Contest — Read More

• Singapore Fields Its Largest Coordinated Drone Swarm During Exercise Wallaby — Read More

⚓ Maritime

• Civilian to Lead Office of Naval Research as Former Commander Rothenhaus Reassigned — Read More

• Industry Working to Build Trust in Uncrewed Maritime Tech — Read More

• White House Nominates Lunday to Lead Coast Guard; Other Senior Leaders Tapped — Read More

• Trump Floats South Korea Nuclear Submarine Visit to Philadelphia — Read More

• Trump Says He’ll Order Navy to Go Back to Steam Catapults on Carriers — Read More

🏭 Industry

• Lockheed Martin Invests $50M in Saildrone to Advance US Navy USVs — Read More

• DOE Teams with NVIDIA, HPE, Oracle on AI Supercomputers — Read More

• CyberCorps Talent Pipeline Buckles Under Trump Hiring Freezes — Read More

📄 Policy

• Marine Corps Axes Plan for Third Littoral Regiment, Preps to Move on Medium Landing Ship — Read More

• Border Mission Drives Joint Data Sharing, Army Data Chief Says — Read More

• Civilian-Led ONR Signals Continued Investment in Naval S&T Despite Reassignments — Read More

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