Unmanned Vehicles

Also see related article

https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-fielding-cruise-missiles-cargo-planes-pallets-2027/

After years of testing and development, the Air Force Research Lab’s groundbreaking Rapid Dragon concept is finally becoming operationalized as the new Dragon Cart Program. And just in case you’ve never heard of this effort, it turns cargo aircraft like the C-130 and C-17 into long-range stand-off bombers that can flood enemy airspace with air-launched cruise missiles deployed from well beyond the reach of enemy air defenses.

Rapid Dragon ushers in probably one of the biggest shifts in strategic military power from technology in the last 30 years, palletized unmanned vehicles, missiles and rockets meant to bring payloads to space will all increasingly be deployed straight from the airlift aircraft that were previously moving them to some other platform to be launched.

For powers like Brazil with the Embraer C-390 this represents a quantum leap in resilient high volume firepower that can serve as a deterrant in depth projecting power from friendly airspace to extended distances, it represents a physical example of military and industrial power becoming more multipolar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4Y9A-3WmWs

ASELSAN also emphasizes swarm-enabled operational concepts for the KILIÇ family. This approach reflects a broader evolution in autonomous naval warfare where distributed sensing and coordinated attacks increasingly replace isolated single-vehicle operations. In practical terms, multiple autonomous underwater vehicles operating simultaneously can complicate acoustic tracking and create uncertainty regarding the primary threat direction. Even relatively small underwater vehicles may become operationally disruptive if they force an adversary to slow maneuver cycles, alter routes, or maintain continuous anti-submarine vigilance in congested maritime chokepoints.

The Sudanese Air Force has released footage of the interception of an Akinci heavy strike drone manufactured by Turkish company Baykar, which is reported to belong to the Ethiopian Air Force. The incident would be unremarkable were it not for the fact that the Sudanese Air Force used another Akinci to carry out the intercept.

The larger Bumblebee interceptor is designed to operate at operational-strategic depth.

It reaches speeds of up to 350 km/h, has a range of up to 30 km, and a flight duration of 14 minutes. The operating altitude is up to 4 km.

...

This smaller interceptor [the Vertex] is equipped with a 500 g warhead.

It can remain airborne for up to 15 minutes and has a range of 7-10 km.

The State Border Guard Service emphasized that electronic warfare systems remain among the most effective countermeasures against hostile drones. Anti-drone rifles, in particular, function by emitting powerful radio frequency signals that sever the communication link between the drone and its operator. Once disconnected, most UAVs are unable to maintain controlled flight and are either forced to land or crash.