🕵️ Military intelligence budget hit $30.9B for FY26

The Pentagon disclosed a $30.9B Military Intelligence Program (MIP) budget for FY26, about $3B above FY25 but $2.7B below its $33.6B request.

ODNI separately disclosed a $78.1B National Intelligence Program (NIP) budget, nearly $5B over last year yet short of the $81.9B it requested.

Program details stay classified, and neither topline captures total US intelligence spending, since some intel-related platforms like certain drone programs sit outside the MIP.

General Atomics is developing NextGen, a large hybrid-electric flying wing for armed ISR and strike that its engine team says can stay aloft 60+ hours unrefueled.

GA says NextGen is not a Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA); the work will feed the Gambit 4 flying wing concept within its modular Gambit drone family.

Next up is an early 2027 live-fire ground-attack demo from a company-owned Gambit 6, with the FQ-42A Vengeance CCA’s first missile shot due later this year.

BAE Systems completed the first live-fire test of its Adaptable Deck Launcher (ADL), built to complement the Navy’s Mk 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS).

The launcher can be reloaded at sea, fires Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) Mk 25 Quad-Pack canisters, and reuses existing Mk 41 logistics and electronics.

Aimed at carriers, amphibs, and surface combatants, with compact versions in development for medium unmanned surface vessels, ADL lets ships sustain combat loads without returning to port.

TOTE Services awarded Hanwha Defense USA $269M to build one Landing Ship Medium (LSM) at Hanwha Philly Shipyard, with options for up to three more.

It is the first award under the Navy’s vessel construction manager (VCM) model, with TOTE acting as prime, and Hanwha’s first US Navy contract.

Construction starts Q4 2027, but TOTE now expects first delivery in 2030, versus the Navy’s 2029 target; Bollinger and Fincantieri remain in contract talks.

Elistair launched a tethered module for Parrot’s ANAFI UKR micro-drone, linking it to Ligh-T or Safe-T ground stations for continuous power.

The micro-tether eliminates battery swaps, keeping the drone overhead for hours, and the system is flight-ready in under two minutes.

Built for force protection, border, and perimeter surveillance, it adds ground-powered endurance to a portable drone defense customers already operate.

Owl Cyber Defense launched XD Chat, letting military teams pass messages between classified and unclassified networks on their existing chat platforms.

It links XMPP-compatible servers like Cisco Jabber and Openfire, checking every message so only validated, authorized content crosses a network boundary.

Available now on rugged, low-power hardware, the tool targets deployed units on constrained links, where text needs far less bandwidth than voice or video.

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