Taiwan's debate over drone procurement is being closely watched because the successful use of unmanned systems by Ukraine and Iran have underscored the ways in which the technology can be used to defend territory against larger adversaries. Taiwan's main opposition party has outlined plans to develop the drone industry just days after stalling a similar proposal from Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's government, amid a debate on unmanned systems with crucial implications for the island's defense. The Kuomintang will submit legislation that could allocate 240 billion New Taiwan dollars (U.S.$7.5 billion) over six years for government procurement and industrial development of unmanned systems, KMT lawmaker Lin Pei-hsiang said during a briefing on Tuesday. Taiwan's debate over drone procurement is being closely watched because the successful use of unmanned systems by Ukraine and Iran have underscored the ways in which the technology can be used to defend territory against larger adversaries. The People's Republic of China has threatened to use force to push its claims of sovereignty over Taiwan, even though it has never controlled the self-governing democracy. Unlike the Cabinet's proposal, which would provide upfront authorization for NT$210 billion for drone procurement over multiple years, the KMT's legislation would fund the program through the annual budget process.

Future planetary exploration rovers must operate for extended durations on hybrid power inputs that combine steady radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) output with variable solar photovoltaic (PV) availability. While energy-aware planning has been studied for aerial and underwater robots under battery limits, few works for ground rovers explicitly model power flow or enforce instantaneous power constraints. Classical terrain-aware planners emphasize slope or traversability, and trajectory optimization methods typically focus on geometric smoothness and dynamic feasibility, neglecting energy feasibility. We present an energy-constrained trajectory planning framework that explicitly integrates physics-based models of translational, rotational, and resistive power with baseline subsystem loads, under hybrid RTG-solar input. By incorporating both cumulative energy budgets and instantaneous power constraints into SE(2)-based polynomial trajectory optimization, the method ensures trajectories that are simultaneously smooth, dynamically feasible, and power-compliant. Simulation results on lunar-like terrain show that our planner generates trajectories with peak power within 0.55 percent of the prescribed limit, while existing methods exceed limits by over 17 percent. This demonstrates a principled and practical approach to energy-aware autonomy for long-duration planetary missions.

From loitering munitions and multisensor platforms to large autogyro cargo drones -- this year's Singapore Airshow hosted an array of unmanned aerial vehicles and tech that could benefit Japan at a time when the Self-Defense Forces are planning to replace their aging aircraft and helicopters with UAVs. The airshow, which wrapped up earlier this week, highlighted the growing international demand for unmanned systems as they become increasingly indispensable for modern militaries, particularly against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, where they have played a significant role on the battlefield. Japan's defense establishment is well aware of how drones are transforming warfare, which is why Tokyo is envisaging a growing role for unmanned systems in the SDF, especially in the air and maritime domains, as the country faces an increasingly tense regional security environment.

As Ukraine approaches the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, it plans to produce more if its own ammunition and key weapons systems. The goal of greater self-sufficiency comes as Ukraine's Western allies meet increasing political resistance to military aid and Russia ramps up weapons production. Last month, Ukraine's prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, said the country plans to increase its domestic weapons production sixfold this year. Ukraine's defence industry has already begun to expand. Strategic industries minister Oleksandr Kamyshin said Ukraine last year doubled its ammunition production for NATO-calibre artillery systems.

Artificial intelligence is proving essential to enhancing and accelerating modern military forces and the US Navy's Office of Naval Research (ONR) is seeing the advantage AI can provide to maintain dominance over increasingly capable adversaries. In 2019 Brett Vaughan became the Navy Chief AI Officer and AI Portfolio Manager at the Office of Naval Research to further take advantage of the strategic value AI can provide. Brett has 30 years of Defense Intelligence and Technology expertise with strengths in military support, strategic communications, GEOINT, Naval Intelligence and Navy R&D allowing him to bring his diverse background to this role to help shape the Navy's current and future plans for AI use, as well as AI development and adoption. The potential of AI is almost infinite, since anything involving data and information has the potential for AI applications. However, the US Navy has limited resources, and pursuing every possible path of AI development is not a viable option.

An artificial intelligence algorithm destroyed a seasoned US fighter pilot in a simulated dogfight last week, a result some expert observers say was to be expected. "I was not surprised by that outcome," Guy'Bus' Snodgrass, a former US Navy pilot and TOPGUN instructor, told Insider, arguing that the set-up of the engagement gave the AI an advantage. John "JV" Venable, a former US Air Force F-16 pilot, said the same. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) held the last round of its third and final AlphaDogfight competition Thursday, putting an AI system designed by Heron Systems against a human pilot in a "simulated within-visual-range air combat" situation. The AI algorithm, which had previously defeated other AI "pilots," achieved a flawless victory, winning five straight matches without the human pilot -- an experienced Air Force pilot and Weapons Instructor Course graduate with the call sign "Banger" -- ever scoring a hit.

An AI algorithm piloting an F-16 Fighting Falcon in a simulated dogfight against a seasoned US Air Force pilot achieved a flawless victory with five straight wins in a fierce competition Thursday, according to multiple reports. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) held the final round of its third and final AlphaDogfight competition Thursday, putting an AI system designed by Heron Systems against a human pilot in a "simulated within-visual-range air combat" situation. Heron's AI went head-to-head with a graduate of the Air Force's Weapons Instructor Course with the callsign "Banger," according to Breaking Defense. A expert commentator, DARPA's Justin Mock, said that the AI algorithm demonstrated "superhuman aiming ability" during the dogfight. During the fight, the human pilot never scored a single hit.

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. U.S. Army leaders are quite vocal and clear about the service's six major modernization priorities, however, a close look across the spectrum of current major programs raises a pertinent question: Could the Army now be building ten new platforms? The 1980s-era "Big Five" weapons platforms are well known and often discussed as defining elements of the modern Army. These five systems are all combat tested and were massively upgraded over the years with new sensors, networking, weapons and computer systems.

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. The Chinese Army is preparing to deploy small, new, tracked war-robots armed with machine guns, night vision, missile loaders, and camera sensors to conduct attacks while leaving manned systems at safer stand-off distances. Citing a China Central Television segment on the robots, People's Online Daily reports that the "thigh-high robot looks like a small assault vehicle. Target practice results showed the robot has acceptable accuracy."

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency wants warfighters to better trust artificial intelligence, so it's putting it to work in dogfights. DARPA's Air Combat Evolution program, currently out with a presolicitation notice, is working to deploy AI in "within-visual-range maneuvering," more commonly known in the air combat space as dogfighting. The ultimate goal is to not only to get AI into the cockpit -- the Defense Department doesn't foresee dogfights being the fighting style of the future -- but to train warfighters to trust computers the way they trust other humans. DARPA is seeking proposals for AI that can be gradually implemented into high-tempo, highly dynamic environments through simulation and eventual deployment, according to the notice. The Air Combat Evolution program is a part of a broader push for AI working alongside warfighters called Mosaic Warfare.