Firestorm Labs wins $100M Air Force contract for 3D-printed drones
Firestorm Labs lands $100M USAF contract for Tempest 50 sUAS, gaining Air Force backing for expeditionary additive manufacturing that could compress drone production timelines and costs by 80 percent.
Space Force awards $3.2B for orbital kill vehicles by 2028
The U.S. Space Force distributed 20 contracts worth up to $3.2 billion across 12 companies to build space-based missile interceptors in low-Earth orbit, aiming for operational capability within two years.
Lockheed Martin doubles venture fund to $1B, signaling pipeline war
Lockheed Martin expanded its venture capital arm from $400M to $1B on April 14, 2026 — the largest increase in the fund's 19-year history — directly competing with pure-play defense VCs and the Pentagon for control of the commercial startup pipeline to programs of record.
USA Rare Earth commissions first U.S. NdFeB magnet line, 600 metric tons by 2026
USA Rare Earth began shipping sintered neodymium magnets from its Stillwater, Oklahoma facility in Q2 2026, the first commercial-scale domestic production line backed by $1.3B+ federal funding — directly confronting China's 90% global supply monopoly.
Artemis II Crew Breaks Apollo 13 Record, Splashes Down Tomorrow
NASA's Artemis II crew surpassed the 1970 Apollo 13 distance record at 248,655 miles on April 6; splashdown off San Diego occurs April 10, marking the first crewed deep-space flight in 54 years and gating readiness for lunar landing.
Artemis II breaks Apollo 13 record as four astronauts reach lunar flyby
NASA's Artemis II crew will surpass Apollo 13's distance record tomorrow at 1:56 p.m. EDT, reaching 252,757 miles from Earth. The mission is the first crewed translunar injection since 1972 and the highest-stakes systems test before lunar landing attempts.
Xanadu Lists on Nasdaq at $3.6B, First Photonic Quantum IPO
Xanadu Quantum Technologies debuted on Nasdaq and the TSX on March 27, 2026, raising $302 million at a $3.6 billion market cap — the first publicly listed pure-play photonic quantum computing company.
Shield AI Raises $2B at $12.7B Valuation After Air Force CCA Win
Shield AI's $2 billion raise at a $12.7 billion valuation — anchored by its U.S. Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft selection — marks the maturation of autonomous AI pilot software as a standalone, platform-agnostic defense asset.