Shield

SOCOM's Civilian Overseer Gets Real Budget Authority Over Drone Programs

USSOCOM's advisory board SOLIC is being transformed into an institution with genuine control over Special Operations autonomous systems acquisition, signaling a structural shift in how SOF validates and fields emerging defense tech.

Starship V3 launches May 21 with new engines, new pad, new propulsion guts

SpaceX's Starship Flight 12 targets May 21 with Block 3 vehicles, Raptor 3 engines, and orbital Pad 2 debut, the first flight of a clean-sheet upper-stage propulsion system designed for off-Earth refueling.

Anduril lands $100M Space Force mesh network contract modification

Anduril's IDIQ ceiling for space domain awareness mesh networking doubles to $200M, extending the company's AI-powered infrastructure into orbital layers of next-gen integrated defense.

Echodyne radar locked into $490M Air Force counter-drone program

Echodyne's EchoShield radar becomes primary sensor across Trust Automation's SUADS platform under $490M Air Force IDIQ, marking first SOSA-compliant counter-UAS architecture with no prime contractor.

Shield AI Enters Navy's $800M ISR Contract Pool With V-BAT

Shield AI won selection to compete for up to $800 million in U.S. Navy COCO ISR task orders using its V-BAT vertical-launch drone, marking a program-of-record entry against established competitors like AeroVironment and Textron.

Shield AI wins Navy COCO contract, enters program of record

Shield AI secured a same-day program-of-record entry with the U.S. Navy for contractor-operated ISR services using its V-BAT drone, competing for task orders under an $800 million multi-vendor ceiling alongside AeroVironment, Insitu, and Textron.

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.

China's New Supply Chain Law Penalizes Western Corporate Exit

China enacted Order No. 834 on April 7, immediately effective, creating the first dedicated regulatory framework to penalize foreign companies that reduce China exposure — no intent required, applies to subsidiaries globally, and directly conflicts with U.S. export controls and IRA domestic content rules.

Pentagon Locks Maven to Army, Sets Sept 30 Deadline for Program Status

Deputy SecDef Feinberg's March 9 directive to make Palantir's Maven Smart System an official DoD program of record is now confirmed across four combatant commands, with a Sept 30 hard deadline that experts call aggressive and a $10B Army backstop contract already in place.

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.

Artemis II Crew Boards for Moon Launch Today; Heat Shield Untested at Reentry

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, plus Canadian Jeremy Hansen, are boarding Orion for a crewed lunar flyby launch at 6:24 p.m. EDT today—the first humans beyond low Earth orbit in 54 years, and the first real test of a redesigned heat shield that failed post-flight analysis on the uncrewed Artemis I.

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.