Defense Intelligence
for Decision Makers

An Italian M-346 jet trainer successfully controlled Turkey's Baykar Kizilelma drone in flight during a loyal wingman trial in Turkey, marking a major milestone in European crewed-uncrewed teaming (CUC-T) capabilities. Leonardo developed the algorithms and RF data exchange system used in the trial.

Satellite imagery reveals Russia is building at least 17 large hardened aircraft shelters at Engels Air Base for Tu-160 Blackjack and Tu-95MS Bear-H strategic bombers, an unprecedented shift from decades of leaving high-value bombers exposed following Ukrainian drone strike pressure.

Soldiers from the 125th Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Battalion deployed HAVOC autonomous boats to escort a logistics support vessel during Exercise Salaknib 2026 in the Philippines, demonstrating expanding unmanned maritime ISR capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.

Baykar and Leonardo completed the first live flight trials of their K-SWARM crewed-uncrewed teaming program on June 22, 2026, demonstrating autonomous formation flying between Turkey's Kizilelma UCAV and Leonardo's M-346 Fighter Attack jet. The Kizilelma taxied, took off, and joined the M-346 autonomously before transferring control to the manned crew using Smart Fleet Autonomy algorithms developed by Baykar....

Ukraine is entering ceasefire negotiations not as a supplicant but as a technology partner, with Trump signaling openness to allowing Ukraine to produce its own Patriot interceptor missiles — the first such concession since 2022. Ukrainian official Kyrylo Budanov confirmed Kyiv's interceptor drone capability, which achieved a 92% intercept rate against Russian Shaheds in May 2026, is now a bargaining chip with the U....

A new RAND Corporation study based on an August 2025 wargame concludes that U.S....