Recap: Highlights from the US Army’s 2025 conference in Washington
The Army continues to transform, with efforts focused on next-gen weaponry, long-range artillery, unmanned systems and much more.
Unmanned
Pentagon stages first ‘Top Drone’ school for operators to hone skills
Industry and military drone operators flew tethered and untethered first-person drones through a course designed to test endurance and maneuverability.
Biden to send Ukraine ammo for HIMARS as Kyiv, Congress push for more
The Pentagon announced Monday it will send $550 million’s worth of new lethal aid for Ukraine, including ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System as well as 75,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition.
Senators seek $2 billion Space Force budget boost for missile defense, responsive launch
In a report released with its bill, the committee labeled space as one of its top priorities, noting that the proposed increase is focused on hypersonic missile tracking capabilities and would support the Space Force’s shift to a more resilient, distributed architecture.
Army pursues shared software among uncrewed vehicles
The Army will focus on light robotic combat vehicles.
Biden pick for Pentagon acquisitions role vows to cut weapons system costs
The Pentagon is struggling to control costs associated with sustaining its weapons systems. For the Lockheed Martin-made F-35 jet, sustainment costs are on track to become so expensive that the Air Force will either have to cut its planned buy or flying hours, the the Government Accountability Office found.
They’re ‘all different’: Air Force adviser says services diverge on JADC2
“I’ve looked at all of the documentation associated with all three,” she said, referencing Project Convergence, Project Overmatch and the Advanced Battle Management System.
US Army sets timeline for demo of new, hard-to-detect mobile command post
“Project Convergence is probably in our future,” said Tyler Barton, a computer scientist and project lead with the C5ISR Center. “Probably not next year.”
Battle from the skies: How aviation advances empower the Corps’ new combat plan
The “air” part has remained in a holding pattern as top aviators rethought how the air side will fit into the new Force Design 2030 plan.
US Army tests aerial tier communications in Jersey Devil’s stomping ground
“We really saw how the aerial tier could extend our network, but we wanted to do some further evaluations,” said Army Brig. Gen. Jeth Rey, the director of the Network Cross-Functional Team.
Up, up and away: Airbus’ Zephyr drone breaks flight record high above Arizona
Army Futures Command launched a record-breaking test of the Zephyr, a UAS designed by Airbus.
