Airbus has completed the first flight of its Bird of Prey interceptor drone, which autonomously located, identified, and destroyed a medium-sized one-way attack drone during a test at a military training site in northern Germany, nine months after the program launched.

The prototype, based on a modified Airbus Do-DT25 airframe with a 2.5-meter wingspan and a maximum takeoff weight of 160 kg, carried four Frankenburg Technologies Mark I missiles for the demonstration; operational models are designed to carry eight. The Mark I is high-subsonic and fire-and-forget, with a 1.5 km engagement range and a weight under 2 kg, making it the lightest guided interceptor currently developed.

The Bird of Prey integrates into NATO air defense architecture through Airbus' Integrated Battle Management System (IBMS), enabling plug-in connectivity to existing command-and-control infrastructure. Airbus and Frankenburg plan live-warhead follow-on trials through 2026 to demonstrate the system to international defense customers.

The Navy spent at least six months in early 2025 restoring its "one-of-a-kind" 150 kW Solid State Laser Technology Maturation (SSL-TM) demonstrator — previously deinstalled from USS Portland in fiscal year 2023 after nearly $50 million in development — so it could participate in the Pentagon's Crimson Dragon counter-drone exercise, where it successfully downed four drone targets.

The SSL-TM's return exposes a persistent gap in the military's directed energy portfolio: with the Army's four 50 kW Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD) systems fully demilitarized, the Marine Corps' CLaWS units returned to Boeing, and the Navy's HELIOS system struggling, the Pentagon has few available high-energy laser weapons for large-scale exercises needed to develop tactics.

The picture the SSL-TM's resurrection paints is blunt: despite years of demonstrations and high-profile testing, the U.S. military is still pulling retired prototypes out of storage to keep counter-drone experimentation moving while the fielding of combat-ready laser weapons at scale remains years away.

Saronic Technologies has closed a $1.75 billion Series D round led by Kleiner Perkins, more than doubling its valuation to $9.25 billion from the $4 billion it hit after a $600 million raise in early 2025; new investors include Advent International, Bessemer Venture Partners, and DFJ Growth, alongside continuing backers Andreessen Horowitz and 8VC.

The Austin, Texas-based maker of autonomous surface vessels plans to use the capital to scale its supply chain and shipyards, targeting production of more than 20 ships per year by 2027, including at its new Port Alpha facility in Texas; its Franklin, Louisiana shipyard is undergoing a $300 million expansion that the company says will quintuple production over the next 12 months.

Saronic holds a $392 million Navy production contract and makes six autonomous surface vessel variants, from the six-foot Spyglass reconnaissance platform to the 40-metric-ton Marauder, whose first hull was completed in less than six months. With Operation Epic Fury accelerating Pentagon demand for cheaper, lower-risk maritime systems, the round reflects how the war is reshaping investment in the autonomous naval sector.

The Army has opened a formal investigation after a video posted by singer Kid Rock on March 29 appeared to show two AH-64 Apache attack helicopters from Fort Campbell's 101st Airborne Division hovering in front of his estate near White Creek, Tennessee, roughly 60 miles from the post, as he clapped and saluted.

Army Maj. Jonathon Bless confirmed to Task & Purpose that "Fort Campbell leadership is aware" of the video and that "the command has initiated an investigation to review the circumstances surrounding this activity." Separately, the Apaches may also have flown over a Nashville "No Kings" protest the same day, though the Army stated any proximity to that event was "entirely coincidental."

The incident raises questions about how two gunships from one of the Army's most operationally committed divisions came to conduct what appears to be an unsanctioned low-altitude pass of a celebrity residence during a politically charged weekend, at a moment when the service has emphasized aviation safety and professional standards.

Overnight, Iran struck and set fire to a large Kuwaiti oil tanker off Dubai; the UAE Ministry of Defense said it was actively defending against Iranian missiles and drones, while Saudi Arabia also reported drone attacks. By Tuesday morning, Dubai officials confirmed the blaze had been extinguished with no oil spill or injuries, but the episode underscored how the conflict is increasingly drawing Gulf states into direct exposure.

President Trump took to social media to berate European allies that have not joined the war effort, telling the United Kingdom and others blocked from the Strait of Hormuz to "build up some delayed courage" and "get your own oil." He separately accused Spain of refusing U.S. military aircraft overflight rights and threatened trade consequences; Secretary of State Rubio publicly called Spain's position a "betrayal" of NATO obligations.

Inside Iran, the internet blackout entered its 32nd consecutive day; Iran reported executing four people on espionage and opposition charges and arrested 46 individuals for selling Starlink connections. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dan Caine were scheduled to hold their first press briefing since March 19, as the White House signaled negotiations with Iran are ongoing ahead of the President's April 6 deadline.

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