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Skylark Labs builds AI ‘brain’ to train humanoids for breaching, bomb disposal and recon
The California company says its software can teach an off-the-shelf humanoid different missions. Its orders and results have yet to be confirmed outside the company.
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Air
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Pentagon fielded $35,000 LUCAS attack drone in seven months and used it against Iran
The Pentagon fielded its Shahed copy in seven months and used it against Iran. How many it has, and what they hit, remain undisclosed.
Europe’s ‘drone wall’ still a patchwork of national systems a year after Poland incursions
Brussels promised a shield against Russian drones. What exists is national border networks, NATO fighters still doing the shooting, and EU projects that became fundable two weeks ago.
Army buys 13,000 Merops interceptor drones at about $15,000 each. Radar and crews cost extra
Ukraine’s cheap interceptors and the Army’s Merops buy look like a bargain per round. Cost per kill depends on radar, crews and weather.
Maritime
See allNavy picks three firms to build 30 uncrewed vessels before proving weeks-long endurance
Uncrewed ships have shown they can navigate oceans. The Navy is buying thirty before showing they can run for weeks without anyone aboard to fix them.
Navy budgets for 16 more Orca undersea drones after cost growth, skipped reviews
The Navy ran an urgent mine-laying requirement as a research project. Before it buys sixteen more Orcas, it should hold the reviews it skipped.
US used Corsair sea drones in combat for first time at Bandar Abbas; control details undisclosed
Central Command called the July 12 Corsair attack a first. The public record shows fast fielding, and little about autonomy, defenses or who commands the boats.
Intelligence
See allPentagon’s $54.6B autonomy request hinges on bill Senate appropriators have ruled out
Almost all of the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group’s request sits in a reconciliation bill Senate appropriators have ruled out. A four-star command is planned anyway.
Ordered rewrite of Pentagon autonomous weapons rules runs late as AI targeting draws scrutiny
A presidential order to rewrite Directive 3000.09 is five weeks overdue. The AI that shaped this year’s targeting sits in software the directive may not cover.
Pentagon wants one operator for many robots. Research says attention is the limit
The number of vehicles per console says little. How often machines need a human, and for how long, sets the limit on one-to-many control.
Special report
All partsFrom demonstration to fielding
Three essays on the gap between a successful trial and a capability people can rely on: what a test shows, what the field adds, and what a buyer should ask.
Read the report- Army to test supply and casualty-evacuation robots in 2027 after scrapping Robotic Combat VehicleThe Army is about to test logistics and casualty-evacuation robots again. Its assessments should count interventions, recoveries and maintenance hours, as Ukraine’s experience shows.
- Tower 22 inquiry, base incursions show counter-drone failures fall between sensors and shootersRadars, jammers and interceptors are sold one at a time. Tower 22 and the homeland incursions show the failures sit between them.
- Maven users pass 100,000, but Pentagon has published little on its accuracyMaven’s user counts show demand, not accuracy. Program offices should label every AI claim by its evidence and contract for revalidation after each update.
Opinion
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Army has attack drones for every squad but too few trained pilots, official says
The Army says it has enough attack drones for every squad but not enough trained pilots, a gap that purchase totals and delivery leaderboards were never built to show.
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All videoxTechHumanoid Finals 2026
A 95-second excerpt from the Army’s film of its humanoid robot competition finals at Marine Corps Base Quantico.
Humanoids for the future of defense
A 65-second company film from Skylark Labs: its humanoid walks across a field, aims a pistol at targets and is taught tasks by demonstration.
What has been demonstrated? Under what conditions? And what would it take to field it? Our editorial approach