AUTOWAR25 No. 19P · Afternoon Edition
The Pentagon's Office of Strategic Capital committed up to $450 million in loans to drone maker Neros to build drones and their components in the U.S., with Neros aiming at a million drones a year by 2028. The Army flew its VICTOR drone on a 3D-printed jet-fuel engine and is handing a VICTOR swarm concept to military partners. And NORAD and Northern Command say high-energy lasers are now part of the counter-drone shield around Mar-a-Lago.
1. The Pentagon's Office of Strategic Capital commits up to $450 million in loans to Neros to build drones and their components in the U.S., aiming at a million drones a year by 2028
The Department of War's Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) signed a conditional loan commitment of up to $450 million with Neros, the Torrance, California, maker of low-cost FPV and strike drones, to expand vertically integrated U.S. manufacturing.
- Neros adds $165 million of its own equity, for a $615 million project covering complete drones, ground control systems, motors, radios, flight electronics, thermal sensors and batteries.
- OSC Director David A. Lorch said the money will "turbocharge" production; the commitment ties to Executive Order 14307, Unleashing American Drone Dominance.
- Components will also be supplied to other U.S. and allied drone makers; the deal includes a government equity stake, Defense Daily reports.
- The loan still has to clear financial, legal, technical and due-diligence conditions before closing; Neros competes in the $1.1 billion Drone Dominance program.
2. The Army flies its VICTOR drone on a 3D-printed rotary engine that burns jet fuel, and hands VICTOR and a swarm concept called PULSAR to military partners
DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory says years of research ended in a successful flight of a 3D-printed, air-cooled heavy-fuel rotary engine driving a 400-volt series-hybrid system in VICTOR, a Group 3 vertical-takeoff drone built with Griffon Aerospace.
- The engine runs a generator that powers electric motors, aimed at longer, faster, higher flights with heavier payloads and less fuel logistics, program manager Chol-Bum "Mike" Kweon said.
- Lessons feed PULSAR, a concept for swarms of VICTOR drones for logistics, strike, autonomy and reconnaissance.
- Both will be made available to military partners for more experimentation; the Army didn't release flight date or performance figures.
- The program worked with more than 30 universities, 13 federal labs and 20 companies.
Sources: DVIDS (ARL release) · Defence Blog3. NORAD and Northern Command say high-energy lasers are now part of the counter-drone shield around Mar-a-Lago
A U.S. military spokesperson told the directed-energy outlet Laser Wars that NORAD and USNORTHCOM deployed ground-based air defense, the C-UAS Flyway Kit and "High Energy Lasers (HEL)" in and around Mar-a-Lago at the Secret Service's request.
- Laser Wars identified one system in an Oct. 31 photo as a 20-kilowatt Army AMP-HEL, built around AeroVironment's LOCUST laser, Defence Blog reports.
- It is described as the first publicly known case of the Pentagon fielding a laser weapon to protect a sitting president.
- Avenger systems with Stinger missiles sit on a barge in Lake Worth Lagoon and on the beach; the Anduril-built Flyway Kit uses RF sensing, jamming and interceptor drones.
- The commands had confirmed the wider deployment last week without naming systems.
Sources: Defence Blog · The War Zone4. Ukraine's military intelligence tears down Russia's enlarged Gerbera-2: 1,200 km range, a 25 kg warhead load, and a camera built to spot incoming interceptor drones
Ukraine's Defence Intelligence (HUR) says Russia has started using an upgraded Gerbera-2 strike-reconnaissance drone with a 3-meter wingspan and a 63-liter fuel tank that gives it a 1,200 km range.
- The drone carries a 10 kg OFZBCh-10 fragmentation-incendiary warhead plus bags of incendiary gel, for a total combat load of 25 kg, HUR says.
- Avionics include a 12-channel Kometa anti-jam satellite receiver, a Chinese-made mesh modem and a new "Sosiska" video module on a Chinese single-board computer.
- A dual-lens camera is set up to detect incoming Ukrainian interceptor drones; foreign electronics come mainly from U.S. and Chinese makers.
- An armed Gerbera-2 was recovered on Poland's Baltic coast in September, NV reports, showing its reach beyond Ukraine.
5. South Korea stands up a Defense Drone Headquarters to run drone and counter-drone development across all services, with plans to buy more than 20,000 low-cost combat drones
South Korea's Ministry of National Defense launched the Defense Drone Headquarters on Monday in Pocheon, north of Seoul, replacing the Drone Operations Command as a "drone control tower" for strategy, development, testing and acquisition support.
- Vice Defense Minister Lee Doo-hee presented the unit flag to headquarters chief Kim Deuk-bong; the old command's operational units move to the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, with the Joint Chiefs coordinating operations.
- The ministry plans to rapidly acquire more than 20,000 low-cost, expendable combat drones and speed up K-LUCAS, its long-range loitering munition program, Yonhap reports.
- Seoul is introducing a fast-track certification system modeled on the U.S. Blue UAS list and localizing batteries and motors to cut reliance on China.
- The headquarters will have about 100 personnel, down from roughly 280 at the former command headquarters, the Korea Herald reports.
6. Russia launched more than 4,000 jet-powered drones and 4,740 propeller drones at Ukraine in October, Ukraine's Air Force says
Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said on national television on Nov. 2 that October brought more than 4,000 jet-powered and 4,740 propeller-driven Russian drones, a day after a 193-drone overnight attack forced emergency power cuts in Kyiv.
- Jet-powered drones fly at up to 600 km/h and at higher altitudes, making them harder to intercept, the Kyiv Independent reports.
- In the overnight attack into Monday, 154 of 193 drones were shot down or suppressed, including 58 of 75 jet-powered Shaheds.
- Hits were recorded at 26 locations; one person was killed in Izium and dozens were injured in the Kharkiv and Odesa regions.
Sources: Kyiv Independent · Ukrinform (Air Force report)7. The Saudi-led coalition says it destroyed two drones over the Riyadh region as the Houthis claim drone strikes on Dammam airport
Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said on Nov. 2 that two drones were intercepted and destroyed in the Riyadh region, without naming who launched them, the Saudi Press Agency reports.
- Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree claimed two waves of drone attacks on Dammam airport over 48 hours, plus hits on an early-warning radar and a military plane at Jizan.
- The Houthi claims have not been independently confirmed.
- On Sunday the coalition said it struck Houthi resources used to build ballistic missiles and drones.
8. WHO chief Tedros says drone attacks on civilians have become "tragically frequent" across Ethiopia and are pushing the north's health system toward collapse
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on Nov. 2 for protection of civilians after weekend drone strikes in Amhara and Tigray, UN News reports.
- Children, including a newborn, were reportedly among those killed at the Jaari 2 displacement camp in Amhara; in Rama, Tigray, several people were reportedly killed while seeking food.
- Hospitals face shortages of staff, medicines and equipment, and insecurity is blocking some medical deliveries, he said.
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged an immediate cessation of hostilities; fighting resumed in September.
9. A NATO capability chief says alliance drone defense is now "a sprint," with more than 30 countries and 100 companies testing layered C-UAS and AI targeting in Latvia
Maj. Gen. Arnoud Stallmann, NATO's assistant chief of staff for multi-domain capability, told the Jerusalem Post's Defense & Tech that drone incursions on the eastern flank have forced the alliance to compress innovation cycles from decades to months.
- NATO FUSE in Latvia on Oct. 29–30 combined the Digital Backbone eXperimentation (DiBaX), the Layered Counter-UAS Initiative (LCI-X) and Next Generation Targeting.
- Stallmann said more than 30 countries and over 100 companies took part, and funding is already allocated for this year and next.
- He called for lower-cost intercept options instead of fighter jets and missile interceptors against small drones.
- NATO is exploring a common command architecture that national and industry systems can plug into across borders.
10. Oshkosh Defense teams with Grid Aero to mass-produce the Lifter, an autonomous cargo and ISR aircraft hauling thousands of pounds over thousands of miles
Oshkosh Defense and California startup Grid Aero will work on "design for manufacturability, production planning, supply chain optimization, and ultimately building Lifter aircraft at scale," Breaking Defense reports.
- Grid Aero CEO Arthur Dubois says the Lifter is a modular "pickup truck" for a few thousand pounds over a few thousand miles, for cargo, ISR and other missions.
- The goal is hundreds, if not thousands, of aircraft by the early 2030s; a pilot line at Oshkosh could start in about a year.
- Six to 12 months of prototype testing remain, and the airframe will be redesigned around parts that can be bought in volume.
- The Pentagon is pushing for affordable Group 4 and 5 autonomous aircraft bought in bulk.
Sources: Breaking Defense · Breaking Defense on X11. Reaper pilots flying Africa Command surveillance missions move from Africa to North Dakota
General Atomics opened a remote-split operations center near Grand Forks, North Dakota, where contractor crews will fly MQ-9A Reapers for AFRICOM's counterterrorism mission instead of deploying to Africa, Stars and Stripes reports.
- The move is expected to save AFRICOM more than $10 million a year and create about 50 jobs, Sen. John Hoeven said.
- Small forward crews will still handle launch, recovery and maintenance in Africa.
- AFRICOM deputy commander Lt. Gen. John Brennan said it allows "more agile and sustained" surveillance across Africa.
Sources: Stars and Stripes · GA-ASI12. A pocket-sized Ukrainian receiver pulls live video off Russian drones, including the band Molniya strike drones moved to
Kyiv's CODE380 built the D·Vision SDR, a 290-gram software-defined radio that sweeps 500 MHz to 8.7 GHz for drone signals and turns them into video, Defense News reports.
- It shows analog drone video from up to 10 km away on lower bands and 3.5–5 km on higher ones, per maker figures reported by Militarnyi.
- Its sweep covers the 4.1–4.5 GHz band Russia's Molniya drones began using in June, which many detectors miss.
- It is a passive sensor, so it doesn't give away a unit's position.
- Adviser Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov warns digital video could eventually make such receivers useless.
Sources: Defense News13. Leonardo DRS joins AeroVironment on the Army's first production laser weapon program, aimed at drones
Leonardo DRS won a subcontract to provide "rugged integration expertise" to prime AeroVironment on the Army's Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) program, DefenseScoop reports.
- AV won a nearly $500 million E-HEL contract in September and expects to deliver "well into the dozens" of LOCUST X3 lasers.
- Leonardo DRS will work on vehicle integration and power and thermal management for JLTV, Infantry Squad Vehicle or palletized setups.
- The subcontract's value wasn't disclosed; JIATF-401 plans a directed-energy shoot-off later this year.
Sources: DefenseScoop14. Ukraine's ZIRKA machine-vision interceptor drone downs a jet-powered Geran-5 at 3,500 meters
An upgraded ZIRKA interceptor flown by the "Retro" crew of the 412th Nemesis Brigade's Darknode Battalion destroyed a Russian jet-powered Geran-5 at about 400 km/h, developer ZRK.tech says, LB.ua reports.
- ZIRKA, made by Noctis, uses automatic guidance; its machine vision detects air targets up to 1 km away.
- Developers say the first version flies about 340 km/h, climbs 40 m/s to as high as 6 km, and has a 30 km range.
- A backup positioning system keeps it oriented if radar tracking is lost.
Sources: LB.ua15. Aevex wins $41.6 million in Navy mine-hunting work for systems launched from small uncrewed boats, built for the Strait of Hormuz
Aevex's SightGlass mine-hunting and Fisher mine-neutralizing systems deploy from its GARC, Lynx and Chaser small USVs, Tectonic reports.
- $26 million came through a DIU OTA for Fisher and $15.6 million through the GARC contract for SightGlass, the company said.
- An Aevex executive says the systems have been operating overseas for weeks.
- The awards came days after Bloomberg reported the Navy had suspended GARC orders; Aevex says no orders were halted after delivering 325 GARCs in 2025.
Sources: Tectonic16. Naval Group unveils Seaquest M, a 37-meter uncrewed surface vessel built to run 10 days without human intervention
Naval Group showed the design of its Seaquest M medium uncrewed surface vessel, with a fully containerized combat system and Steeris mission management, ahead of Euronaval, Naval News reports.
- It can operate alone or as a "loyal wingman" to crewed ships, and is derived from a civilian design so several shipyards can build it.
- Renderings show container mission bays and effectors such as the Rampart launcher.
- Sea trials of initial capabilities are planned within a couple of months.
- The French Navy told Naval News armed medium USVs are "later increments" on its roadmap.
Sources: Naval News17. FlightGlobal: the coming Autonomous Warfare Command leaves open who controls the Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft
A FlightGlobal analysis by Lizzie Rix published Monday says AUTOWARCOM could reshape control of the Air Force's CCA program as the Department of War accelerates autonomous warfare.
- The open questions are CCA authority, acquisition and which responsibilities stay with the Air Force, the piece says.
- AUTOWARCOM is planned as a four-star functional combatant command with its own budget and acquisition authorities, targeted for Oct. 1, 2027, under the Sept. 30 Project Agincourt memo.
- The Air Force has ordered General Atomics' FQ-42A and Anduril's FQ-44A into production for CCA Increment 1, aiming for at least 500 by 2032.
Sources: DoW Project Agincourt memo (PDF) · FlightGlobal18. Saab unveils the CB90 CX, an optionally crewed combat boat built for uncrewed operation from day one, with anti-ship, air-defense and ISR versions
Saab has unveiled CB90 Capability X, an 18-meter optionally crewed version of its Combat Boat 90, with Sweden as launch customer and the first boat in final acceptance trials, Naval News reports.
- All CB90 CX boats are prepared for uncrewed operation, run by Saab's Autonomous Ocean Core software from a remote station or through AI functions.
- Configurations: ISR with a Sea Giraffe 1X radar on an 11-meter mast, anti-ship with MBDA Marte ER missiles, and short-range air defense with Rheinmetall's Seasnake 30 gun against drones and loitering munitions.
- Saab is also developing drone-launch options (tube-launched and quadcopters) and torpedoes.
- Payload rises from about 3 tonnes to well beyond 5 tonnes; Saab is doubling production capacity at Docksta.
19. Naval Group shows off SEAQUEST-S, an armed frigate-launched uncrewed boat with a rocket launcher, in a live demo ahead of Euronaval
During the Euronaval 2026 press tour, Naval Group subsidiary Sirehna gave a live demonstration of SEAQUEST-S, a 9.3-meter multi-role combat USV designed to launch from frigates using their existing launch and recovery systems.
- The boat on display carried a single RAMPART-type launcher module configured for 15 rockets; payload options include missiles, small torpedoes, depth charges and containers of loitering munitions.
- It reaches 35 knots, has a 220 nm range (expendable up to 530 nm) and runs in remote-controlled or autonomous modes.
- Naval Group's STEERIS mission system lets one operator in a frigate's combat information center plan and supervise drone missions.
Sources: Naval News20. Anduril says it is ready to pitch its Fury collaborative combat aircraft to India, including possible local production
An Anduril official told India's IDRW that the company would formally pitch the Fury, built as the U.S. Air Force's YFQ-44A, to Indian Air Force headquarters if India shows interest, and is exploring local production in several countries.
- Any export would need U.S. government approval, and an Indian version could need changes to mission systems, software and sensors, plus integration of Astra Mk1/Mk2 missiles.
- The company says it is in talks with Australia, Germany and other European countries; 94% of the YFQ-44A's components are commercially available, per the official.
- India's only active CCA effort, HAL's CATS Warrior, is self-funded and not yet cleared for Ministry of Defence funding, IDRW notes.
Sources: IDRW · Plano Brazil21. Taiwan taps a retired air force lieutenant general to run its Global UAV Academy and folds the foreign ministry's drone-diplomacy task force into it
Lee Ting-sheng, Taiwan's deputy representative to the Philippines and a retired air force lieutenant general, will return to become CEO of the Global Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Academy (GUAVA), the Taipei Times reports, citing a source.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Drone Diplomacy Task Force will merge into the privately funded GUAVA, which the source said frees it from public-sector limits on commercial deals, technology transfer and joint production.
- At GUAVA's opening last week, a former Czech parliament speaker said Czech firms including AVEC Systems, JISER and Farpoint want to assemble drones in Taiwan, the Taipei Times reported Oct. 31.
Sources: Taipei Times · Taipei Times (Czech assembly)22. A Ukrainian interceptor drone kills a Shahed in footage filmed from two drones at once
The interceptor drone company of Ukraine's Raid 413th Regiment released video of its interceptor destroying a Russian Shahed-type drone, recorded both by the interceptor and by a drone from a neighboring unit, Defense Express reports.
- The two-camera view shows a mid-air interception from separate perspectives, a rare look at how drone-on-drone air defense works.
- Interceptor drones are a cheaper answer to Shahed-type drones than missiles, though success depends on detection and tracking, the outlet notes.
Sources: Defense Express23. Ukrainian drones reportedly hit a major oil pipeline station in Russia's Samara region, a day after the Kstovo refinery strike
Ukrainian monitoring channels say drones struck the Samara Linear Production and Dispatch Station in Prosvet, about 835 km from Ukraine's border, overnight on Nov. 2; residents filmed smoke over the area.
- Ukraine's General Staff has described the station as a pipeline node that blends oil from western Siberia into export-grade fuel; it was also hit on Oct. 7.
- The Kyiv Independent says it could not independently verify the target or damage.
- Senior Ukrainian officials told the Kyiv Independent that Kyiv never agreed to pause strikes on Russian oil sites on Oct. 31.
- The Moscow Times also reports the strike on the oil transport hub.
Sources: Kyiv Independent · The Moscow Times24. Ondas pitches its counter-drone portfolio at FEMA's new $250 million C-UAS grant round, now open to all 50 states
Ondas says its Aerial Security portfolio is positioned for FEMA's Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Grant Program, whose second $250 million phase extends eligibility to all 50 states, five territories and D.C.
- The first $250 million went to jurisdictions hosting 2026 FIFA World Cup and America 250 events; the 2028 Olympics and torch relay are priorities for the new round.
- Ondas will join a Nov. 9 drone-security grant forum hosted by the White House Task Force on the 2028 Olympics, DRONERESPONDERS and the Commercial Drone Alliance.
- Its offering includes Sentrycs cyber-over-RF takeover, Dronebuster handheld jammers and the DefenseOS command-and-control layer.
Sources: UAS Vision (Ondas release)25. Neya Systems gets $3.3 million to put autonomy kits on Navy Seabee bulldozers and loaders for airfield and port repair
The National Advanced Mobility Consortium awarded Pittsburgh's Neya Systems a $3.3 million contract, administered for Army Contracting Command–Detroit Arsenal, for an Autonomous Construction Equipment (ACE) kit for the Naval Construction Force.
- ACE goes on existing bulldozers, forklifts, front-end loaders and skid steers.
- It is designed for GPS-denied, degraded and intermittent environments.
- The aim is to keep personnel out of hazardous repair work at airfields and ports.
Sources: Pennsylvania Business Report
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How AUTOWAR25 ranks
Every edition, we scan official channels, news, industry, research, and social posts for the 25 most important developments in autonomous warfare: drones, counter-drone systems, uncrewed vessels and vehicles, and military AI.
Stories rank by source first:
- Official means governments, militaries, and their leaders speaking on the record.
- Premium/Press means established news outlets.
- Industry/Research means companies, think tanks, and published research.
- Social means notable posts from analysts, reporters, and practitioners.
Within each group, newer stories rank higher and engagement breaks ties. A company press release stays out of the top 10 until someone else reports on it. Ongoing marks a developing story, and Carryover marks one from a previous edition that's still moving. Claims from warring parties are labeled as claims, and anything we couldn't independently confirm is marked unverified.
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