🌡️ Sixth-Gen Imaging: US Firm Rolls Out ‘Most Advanced’ Thermal Optics Yet

📬 In Today’s Defense Brief

📸 Quantum Cameras Could Remake Space-Based Intelligence

🌡️ Sixth-Gen Imaging: US Firm Rolls Out ‘Most Advanced’ Thermal Optics Yet

🛥️ Hanwha and HavocAI to Develop 200-Foot Autonomous Surface Vessel

🪖 US Army Advances Soldier Awareness With New Multi-Threat Headborne System

🤖 War Department ‘SWAT Team’ Removes Barriers to Efficient AI Development

🎱 Plus 8 other news stories you may like

📰 Full Breakdown

📸 Quantum Cameras Could Remake Space-Based Intelligence — Read More

• The article argues space imaging is expensive largely because modern satellite cameras still rely on the same basic “lens-to-sensor” photon-capture concept that’s been around for a century, making high-resolution systems big, heavy, and costly to launch.

• Diffraqtion’s founders describe a “quantum camera” approach that uses AI and quantum math to model and transform the optical field, capturing information at the end of a processing chain rather than treating the scene as a conventional image on a sensor.

• The company says a suitcase-sized system could dramatically lower payload costs and expand coverage for missions such as space-based tracking and missile defense concepts, but also cautions that a wide constellation isn’t expected before 2030.

🌡️ Sixth-Gen Imaging: US Firm Rolls Out ‘Most Advanced’ Thermal Optics Yet — Read More

• ATN is pitching its “sixth-generation” thermal optics line as a major leap driven by AI-enhanced processing, ruggedized designs, and higher-resolution sensors aimed at military and security users operating in degraded visual environments.

• The lineup highlights ThOR 6 Elite (a riflescope with an HD display, built-in rangefinding, and video recording), plus a smaller “Mini” variant emphasizing AI sharpening and tracking for target spotting and capture in the field.

• Additional systems include the Odin 6 for handheld or helmet-mounted use, Binox 6 Dual combining thermal/day/night vision, and TICO 6 as a clip-on thermal option—built around ATN’s Thermal Engine and SharpIR processing for real-time clarity.

🛥️ Hanwha and HavocAI to Develop 200-Foot Autonomous Surface Vessel — Read More

• Hanwha Defense USA, Hanwha Systems, and collaborative autonomy firm HavocAI announced an agreement to jointly develop 200-foot autonomous surface vessels, positioning the partnership as a shipbuilding-scale-plus-software autonomy play.

• The report notes Hanwha’s U.S. industrial footprint—Hanwha Philly Shipyard is under consideration for production—and frames Hanwha as the only shipbuilder with an operational U.S. shipyard entering a joint agreement of this type with an autonomous-vessel company.

• HavocAI’s recent momentum is cited as part of the rationale, including an $85M funding round and demonstrations of collaborative autonomy in GPS-denied environments, with the MOU spanning production planning, installation, proposal development, and technical work.

🪖 US Army Advances Soldier Awareness With New Multi-Threat Headborne System — Read More

• The Army’s Integrated Multi-Threat Headborne System (IMHS) is described as a modular combat helmet concept intended to merge protection and situational awareness, combining Team Wendy Ceradyne ballistic protection with Theon electronic systems.

• The piece emphasizes helmet-mounted power and data distribution to support capabilities such as visual displays under varying lighting conditions and augmented-reality guidance, with interfaces intended to connect to soldier power and battle-management systems for faster decision-making.

• The prototype includes tactical communications and hearing protection (Invisio) plus ballistic- and laser-protective eyewear (Revision), funded through a DEVCOM Soldier Center initiative with shared costs, and slated for evaluation in Q4 FY26 with soldier feedback.

🤖 War Department ‘SWAT Team’ Removes Barriers to Efficient AI Development — Read More

• Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Cameron Stanley as the next Pentagon Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer during remarks at SpaceX’s Starbase, framing AI acceleration as central to the department’s warfighting priorities and operational modernization.

• The story highlights infrastructure and talent moves: expanding AI compute “from data centers to the tactical edge,” partnering with private capital, and adjusting hiring authorities to pull in industry and academic expertise through initiatives described as “Tech Force.”

• It also describes a push to unlock and catalog data across components—calling “data hoarding” a national security risk—and notes GenAI.mil’s expansion, including the addition of xAI’s Grok later this month and the stated intent to field leading AI models on unclassified and classified networks.

🌏 Other Important News

✈️ Air

• Raytheon Exec: Patriots to be ‘as up to date as humanly possible,’ amid European demand — Read More

• Sweden allocates $1.6B to build territorial air defense capability, $140M for space — Read More

• Stopping FPV Drones the Hard Way: New Kinetic C-UAS Hits the Battlefield — Read More

• DHS launches office for drone and counter-drone technologies — Read More

🌊 Sea

• Missile Frigate With Extended Deck, New Main Gun Enters Chinese Waters — Read More

🛡️ Land

• Army inactivates Security Force Assistance Command — Read More

🏭 Industry

• Second Front Systems, StirlingX partner on UK drone software solutions — Read More

🌍 Global

• CDS ‘absolutely certain’ more allies will send troops to Ukraine — Read More

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