🔋 NUE builds low-signature portable power nodes for troops

Bulwark Dynamics is developing Caravel, a family of autonomous resupply vessels built to carry up to 23,000 pounds across 1,100 nautical miles in GPS-denied waters.
A 15-foot prototype completed the full resupply run without human intervention in early 2026, including transit, beaching, unloading cargo, and retracting from shore.
A $6.8M seed round backs 35- and 55-foot variants carrying one or two 20-foot containers, with Onomichi Dockyard partnering to build the series in Japan.

New Use Energy Solutions (NUE) is developing carry-and-deploy energy nodes for austere locations under an agreement with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU).
Unlike conventional generators, the nodes use Ukrainian-developed thermal-management technology to cut signatures that expose positions, though output, weight, and endurance remain undisclosed.
The program treats tactical power as attritable, pushing affordable nodes built at scale and expanded US production of energy components now largely made overseas.

Norway's Kongsberg selected Echodyne's radar platform for air and surface applications, integrating it into its Protector RS4 and RS6 remote weapon stations.
CEO Eben Frankenberg said the radars turn weapon stations never designed for drone threats into effective counter-drone systems, a model Echodyne repeats with many partners.
Echodyne's new $40M Washington plant, built to eventually produce 30,000-plus radars a year, is the template for a possible European site as allies seek local content.

The US Navy selected L3Harris to deliver VAMPIRE counter-unmanned systems for littoral defense, alongside an Army VAMPIRE order worth up to $106M.
More than 350,000 operational hours supporting European combat operations since 2023 back the system, which L3Harris is now ruggedizing for maritime environments.
High-volume production is underway in Huntsville, Alabama, and L3Harris's Wraith Shield radio-as-a-sensor software can pair with VAMPIRE for layered drone defense.

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Elbit Systems of America rebranded as Twenty-Six Defense, a name meant to emphasize the Fort Worth-based subsidiary's American-made identity and US market growth.
The 3,300-employee company, named for iron's atomic number, spans F-16 avionics, helmet-mounted displays, night vision, precision-guided seekers, and laser targeting.
Its domestic business extends beyond defense, including more than $370M in Customs and Border Protection surveillance contracts announced in July and running through May 2029.

Army Chief Technology Officer Alex Miller said the service is not slowing down on drones after reverting a 173rd Airborne Brigade drone battalion to conventional infantry.
Designated an unmanned systems battalion in January, the unit met with Ukrainian drone operators before acting Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve ordered the change in August.
Miller said the unit was never meant to be permanent, arguing that concentrating drone expertise in one battalion would make it harder to spread Army-wide.

Maven Smart System, used by every US combatant command for intelligence and operations analysis, is expanding into logistics, force readiness, supply chain, and budget data.
Chief Digital and AI Officer Cameron Stanley said Maven has already replaced six to ten legacy IT systems as DOD builds one data thread from sensor to decision.
Vendor selection has shrunk from months to single-digit days, but authority-to-operate approvals still push timelines toward 18 months, a bottleneck AI pilots now target.

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