Drone industry news from UASFeed — procurement awards, defense primes and startups, funding rounds, and the business of uncrewed systems.
At Farnborough 2026, Ukraine's state defense industry unveiled a Liutyi variant carrying four wing-mounted missiles, each with a roughly 20 kg warhead — reframing a drone known for one-way refinery strikes as a reusable, multi-shot standoff weapon with a decoy mode.
Read the story →Autonomy startup Saronic and Korean shipbuilding giant Samsung Heavy Industries have partnered to fuse USV autonomy with high-volume yard capacity, feeding Saronic's Port Alpha megashipyard in Texas and its Franklin, Louisiana yard.
Sila's $300M round scales a Moses Lake plant from 2 GWh toward 250 GWh of silicon-carbon anode — the component that sets the endurance-versus-payload trade on every small UAS. Federal records show DOE has been funding the same plant since 2019. No drone customers are named.
Skydio's X10, Dock for X10 and R10 joined the Blue UAS Cleared List on 23 July 2026, making its entire lineup cleared and the Dock the first Blue UAS-cleared drone-as-first-responder system — unlocking Byrne JAG, COPS and HSGP grant money just as the list itself moves from DIU to DCMA.
BAE Systems unveiled Brontanax at Farnborough on July 22, 2026 — the UK's first uncrewed autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft, self-funded to a finished prototype before the government committed £300 million and a 2027 first flight.
Doodle Labs says it is exploring US and European production within two years to feed surging demand for jam-resistant mesh radios — the scarce connective tissue deciding whether Western drone mass survives contested spectrum.
The RAF has named its Collaborative Combat Aircraft effort 'Storm Fighter,' unveiling Storm Chrome and Storm Fire drone designs and backing the family with GBP300M inside a GBP298B Defence Investment Plan.
Elbit Systems is marketing a concept to convert commercial vessels into floating drone bases carrying 9-12 Hermes 650 Spark aircraft, offering countries like Japan, Denmark and Germany a cheaper alternative to aircraft carriers for maritime surveillance.
Motorola Solutions led a $125M round for public-safety drone maker Brinc on July 14, 2026, nearly doubling its valuation as a December 2025 FCC ruling froze DJI out of the U.S. market it's racing to capture.
Nasdaq-listed Ondas finalized an $875.8M cash-and-stock deal for DZYNE Technologies, creating the Ondas Sentinel autonomous defense division and pushing 2026 revenue guidance up to $525M.
Ark Invest bought roughly $9.1 million of Kratos Defense stock in early July 2026, betting on a drone maker whose unmanned systems revenue is growing over 30% amid a proposed $70 billion Pentagon drone budget.
Thales agreed to buy a 35.5% stake in Exail Technologies at a €3.9 billion ($4.5B) enterprise value, edging out Safran and consolidating France's unmanned mine-warfare and seabed-security drone industry.
Free daily briefing — military UAS, counter-drone, industry moves, and the rules of the sky.
You're in. ✓
Check your inbox to confirm your subscription.No spam. Unsubscribe any time. Read our privacy policy.
