Air Force Honors EOD Community with ‘Visible Recognition’ of New Beret
Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians and officers will soon join an exclusive club of troops allowed to sport a beret marking their special community and service.
As Air Force Goes Big on Autonomy, Are Cargo Drones Next?
The Air Force’s plans to field 1,000 semi-autonomous fighter and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance drones within just a few years made headlines at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber conference last month. But beyond the service’s signature Collaborative Combat Aircraft and Massed Modular Aircraft programs, a half-dozen or so firms are pitching another kind of autonomous aircraft: cargo drones to solve some of the thorniest logistics problems.
Northrop’s Talon Blue Collaborative Combat Aircraft Makes First Flight
Northrop Grumman’s Talon Blue YFQ-48A Collaborative Combat Aircraft took its first flight Oct. 3, heightening the competition for the Air Force’s future combat fleet.
Vandenberg Eyes New Launch Support Facilities, Possible On-Site Manufacturing
The Space Force is looking for industry feedback on its plans to create a new “Mission Development Zone” at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., to support launch providers with space for additional payload processing capacity, test and assembly facilities, and potentially rocket and spacecraft manufacturing infrastructure.
Radar Sweep
Threat of Iranian Drone Attack Prompted US to Pull Bombers from UK Base
The Wall Street Journal
The U.S. abruptly moved a dozen B-1 bomber aircraft from a U.K. military base on Oct. 4 because of urgent concerns about a potentially complex drone attack ordered by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to U.S. and European officials briefed on the matter.
7th Air Force Seeks New Counter-Drone Capabilities for Point Defense Modernization in South Korea
DefenseScoop
The U.S. Air Force is conducting market research to support efforts to beef up its point defense capabilities in South Korea against small unmanned aerial systems and other drones. A new RFI released Oct. 5 to support “Project Iron Sentry” noted that 7th Air Force, which is headquartered at Osan Air Base, is seeking “combat-proven, theater-wide C-sUAS/C-UAS capabilities” from vendors eligible under the Pentagon’s Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies program.
Trump Says He Will ‘Certainly Look at’ Establishing US Military Base in Lithuania
The Hill
President Trump said Oct. 5 he will “certainly look at” establishing a U.S. military base in Lithuania a week after the country’s prime minister said he would welcome U.S. service members into the Baltic state.
US OKs Missile Guidance Kits, Patriot Repairs, Javelins for Middle East Partners
Breaking Defense
The U.S. State Department has announced that it has approved a trio of potential foreign military sales to allies in the Middle East, including $1 billion worth of missile guidance kits for the United Arab Emirates and hundreds of millions in repairs to Patriot systems in Kuwait.
Pentagon, FBI Personnel Data Breaches Raise Questions
Defense One
A Pentagon breach that exposed sensitive personnel information for months is raising questions yet again about federal agencies' ability to detect unauthorized access to their records. Information about roughly 3 million people was potentially exposed from October 2025 to July 16, 2026, by a breach of a file-sharing system at the Defense Manpower Data Center, which maintains personnel information used across the military and other government agencies.
Soldiers and Gold Star Families Press Army Leadership After Deadly Iranian Drone Strike
Associated Press
For many, the attack at Port Shuaiba has receded into memory as the war nears its eighth month. But to those there that day and their families, it showed the cost of a hastily drawn conflict. The planning had apparent flaws, and commanders did not take intelligence reports of the Iranian threat seriously enough, leaving wounded soldiers questioning Army leadership and the military medical system.
Pentagon Picks 4 Vendors for Counter-Drone Directed Energy Pilot Program
Breaking Defense
The Defense Department on Oct. 5 announced it has selected four vendors for its directed energy pilot program—an effort aimed at expanding the “operational use” of high-energy laser and high-powered microwave capabilities within the homeland, according to a Pentagon release.
Ukraine War Forcing US Defense Companies to Rethink How Weapons Are Built
The Washington Times
Ukraine is on track to produce 6 million to 7 million small first-person-view drones this year. Meanwhile, the Pentagon’s $1.1 billion Drone Dominance program expects to have ordered fewer than 200,000 by February. The gap has caught the attention of U.S. military planners, but addressing this difference might require more than a mere increase in factory capacity.
Army Grounds Fleet of AH-64Es for Second Time in Three Months
Task & Purpose
The Army has grounded more than half of its fleet of AH-64E Apache attack helicopters over renewed concerns about a new transmission system. The pause in flying is the second safety-related stand-down for the Army’s frontline attack helicopter in two months after an August halt lasted just over a week.
Missiles, Satellites, and Warplanes—Ukraine, Europe Advance Key Arms Projects
Defense News
Ukraine’s drone and missile maker Fire Point is developing an extended-range tactical ballistic missile after its FP-7 weapon was used in combat for the first time on Oct. 1, the company’s CEO Iryna Terekh said during this year’s Helsinki Security Forum.
50 Years Later, SR-71 Blackbird Veterans Return to RAF Mildenhall
Vintage Aviation News
Veterans who flew, maintained, and planned missions for the legendary Mach 3 reconnaissance aircraft returned to the English base that became one of the Blackbird’s most recognizable Cold War homes. More than three decades after the unmistakable shape of an SR-71 Blackbird last departed RAF Mildenhall, some of the people who made those extraordinary flights possible have returned.