🎯 Skyfall unveils faster interceptor for jet-powered Shaheds

BETA Technologies unveiled the MV250, a militarized unmanned version of its electric A250 VTOL aircraft, at the Farnborough air show this week.
GE Aerospace built a new hybrid-electric propulsion system for the aircraft, while Sikorsky's MATRIX autonomy suite was integrated onto a related BETA aircraft within two weeks.
BETA expects military exercises next year and production by 2028, targeting the US Army, Air Force and Marines along with foreign buyers.

Honeywell Aerospace and Shield AI signed a memorandum of understanding to combine Honeywell's certified Anthem avionics with Shield AI's Hivemind autonomy software.
The deal follows Shield AI's acquisition of simulation firm Aechelon Technology, giving it control over both training environments and autonomy software for its aircraft.
The companies will pursue joint unmanned aircraft programs globally and explore bringing AI-piloted autonomy to commercial aviation and other transportation uses.

The Pentagon will soon open applications for its next APFIT (Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies) round, which fast-tracks direct procurement funding.
CTO Emil Michael said the round will prioritize unmanned, autonomous and AI-driven systems that can be produced cheaply at scale, citing Ukraine and Iran operations.
APFIT has delivered over $2 billion in awards to more than 100 small businesses since 2022, though further congressional funding remains undecided.

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The House passed its version of the $1.15 trillion fiscal 2027 defense authorization bill 216 to 212, largely along party lines.
The bill authorizes a 5 to 7 percent troop pay raise, $500 million for a second destroyer, and new right-to-repair provisions.
The Senate approved its own $1.14 trillion version in June, but a floor vote has stalled, leaving the bill's path forward unclear.

Northrop Grumman's Mission Robotic Vehicle and three Mission Extension Pods launched Tuesday night aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral.
The MRV will move into geosynchronous orbit and attach fuel-carrying pods to three aging commercial satellites, extending their operational life by years.
The system builds on two earlier Mission Extension Vehicles and adds a Space Force-approved refueling module, as the service pushes wider adoption of on-orbit servicing.

Ukrainian firm Skyfall unveiled the P1-SUN JetKiller, a high-speed interceptor built to hit jet-powered Russian Shahed drones now reaching 500 km/h.
The JetKiller flies up to 370 km/h with a 30-kilometer range and 500-gram warhead, and has already scored combat intercepts.
Serial production starts in August, with Skyfall targeting up to 50,000 interceptors a month as Russia expands its jet-powered Shahed fleet.

The Space Force raised its Phase 3 Lane 1 launch contract ceiling by $11.4 billion, tripling it from $5.6 billion to $17 billion.
The increase covers 110 additional launches, raising total expected missions under the contract from 60 to roughly 170 over the next decade.
SpaceX has won the bulk of task orders so far, while Blue Origin's New Glenn explosion in May damaged its Cape Canaveral launch pad.

The Defense Brief