Sandia National Laboratories unveiled "Aires Tide," an 11-foot, AI-designed and 3D-printed flight-test vehicle built to measure the extreme heat and vibration a nuclear weapon endures in flight.

Engineers optimized the nickel-chromium-iron fuselage with AI, printed it on a Velo Sapphire XC system, and ran simulations on the NNSA's Venado and El Capitan supercomputers.

The vehicle completed two high-altitude drops from 32,000 feet in May, marking the first public demonstration of the Energy Department's AI-focused Genesis Mission.

Ukraine's Center of Innovative Technologies Program revealed "DART," a rocket dropped from stratospheric balloons at altitudes of up to 18 kilometers to hit deep targets while reducing detection risk.

The 1.8-meter, 13-kilogram rocket carries a modular 3.5- to 10-kilogram warhead and switches to a solid-fuel engine below 6 kilometers, maintaining a fixed path that resists electronic warfare.

Ukraine has fielded more than 1,000 balloons in the war, and developers expect DART to undergo Defense Ministry codification for future use in ballistic and air defense.

Israeli firm Smart Shooter won a $3.4 million Marine Corps follow-on order in June, with an executive saying that most US service branches now hold contracts for its counter-drone systems.

VP Scott Thompson called dismounted counter-UAS the common denominator across recent awards, including a $10.7 million Army order and the first Navy and JIATF 401 deals.

The branches want the fire-control system for different missions, from Marine Expeditionary Units to Navy critical-infrastructure protection, signaling troop-level drone defense is becoming standard.

The Pentagon unveiled "Agent Network," an agentic AI tool that continuously scans intelligence and operational systems to provide commanders with targeting options within seconds.

The system presents options but does not autonomously select or strike targets, with Lumbra and Palantir, which runs the Maven Smart System, named as key contractors.

Agent Network is one of seven pace-setting projects from January's Pentagon AI strategy, though experts warn agents can act confidently even when wrong, raising governance concerns.

Will Ruger, the deputy director of national intelligence for mission integration, was placed on administrative leave as acting Director Bill Pulte removed roughly 50 staffers from ODNI.

An estimated 15 to 20 mission integration personnel detailed from other agencies were sent back, weakening the office that coordinates the 18-agency intelligence community.

The moves follow Tulsi Gabbard's departure and a plan to cut 40% of ODNI's workforce, drawing warnings from lawmakers against major changes under an acting director.

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