This week’s defence AI news is defined by a decisive shift from experimentation to operational deployment: the US Air Force moved faster than any programme in half a century to put semi-autonomous combat aircraft into production, the UK launched a dedicated taskforce to force military AI past the pilot stage, and Congress moved to embed strict AI obligations into US defence law. Across the Atlantic and beyond, AI is no longer a future capability — it is a procurement reality.
Top story: The US Air Force awarded production contracts for its first AI-piloted ‘loyal wingman’ combat jets to Anduril and General Atomics, four months ahead of schedule.
US Air Force Puts AI Drone Wingmen Into Full Production
Defense News · Strategy
The US Air Force awarded production contracts to Anduril (FQ-44) and General Atomics (FQ-42) for its Collaborative Combat Aircraft programme — semi-autonomous jets designed to fly alongside crewed fighters, absorb risk and expand combat power. The contracts arrived four months early, and Anduril claims it marks the fastest path from prototype to production for a fighter aircraft in over 50 years. The Air Force separately opened a competition among six vendors — including Shield AI and Lockheed Martin — to supply the autonomy software that will serve as the aircraft’s ‘brain’, with a primary provider to be selected by summer 2027.
UK Launches RAID Taskforce to Deploy Military AI at Startup Speed
Gov.uk · Regulation
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the Rapid AI Delivery (RAID) Taskforce at London Tech Week, a new body reporting directly to the Chief of the Defence Staff with powers to bypass standard financial and procurement controls to accelerate AI deployment across the armed forces. The taskforce’s initial priorities include AI systems for processing intelligence data in real time and integrating AI into military planning. Industry founders and investors broadly welcomed the move but warned it ‘still sits on top of a system that was never designed for that pace’, with MoD procurement delays remaining a structural barrier for AI startups.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-taskforce-to-put-ai-on-the-uks-frontline
US Congress Bakes AI Security Mandates Into $1.15tn Defence Bill
GovInfoSecurity · Regulation
Both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have advanced their versions of the FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act, each authorising $1.15 trillion for national defence and introducing significant new AI and cybersecurity obligations for Pentagon contractors. The bills would tighten CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) expectations and impose fresh AI security guardrails on the defence industrial base. The contrast is stark: military cyber spending has grown from roughly $14.5 billion in FY2025 to $15.1 billion in FY2026, even as the civilian cyber agency CISA faces steep budget and staffing cuts.
https://www.govinfosecurity.com/ndaa-drafts-bolster-contractor-cyber-ai-rules-a-32029
IDF Scales AI-Targeting Weapon Stations Across Dozens of Platforms
All Israel News · Tools
The Israel Defense Forces announced a new NIS 7.4 million ($2.5m) procurement of Smart Shooter’s SMASH Hopper — a lightweight, AI-assisted remote-controlled weapon station — to extend the system across dozens of additional military platforms. The move reflects the IDF’s deepening operational reliance on AI following its recent conflict with Iran, where AI-enabled solutions played a significant role in missile, rocket and drone defence. Smart Shooter also holds contracts with the US, UK and German militaries, making it a bellwether for allied adoption of AI-assisted targeting at the platform level.
https://allisraelnews.com/idf-takes-another-step-into-the-artificial-intelligence-revolution
Billions Flood Autonomous Defence as AI Drones Outperform Human Pilots
EE Times · Finance
A new aerospace and defence white paper reports that nearly 10,000 AI-enabled drones deployed in Ukraine have achieved strike accuracy three to four times higher than human-piloted systems, accelerating a surge of both public and private investment in autonomous defence. Global private equity and VC investment in the sector reached $10.63 billion in 2025 — more than double 2024 — while global public defence spending hit a record $2.89 trillion. The UK pledged over £140 million for drone and anti-drone weapons alongside a £4 billion autonomous systems package, and the US DoD has requested $54 billion from Congress for autonomous drone warfare initiatives.
https://www.eetimes.com/billions-pour-into-autonomous-defense-as-ai-redefines-warfare/