56 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2026
MIL/AERO007
Boeing, U.S. Navy Achieve Successful
MQ-25A Test Flight ⊲
During the two-hour flight, the unmanned aircraft
successfully demonstrated its ability to autonomously
taxi, take off, fly, land, and respond to commands
from the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control
System MD-5 Ground Control Station (GCS). Once
airborne, the Stingray executed a pre-determined
mission plan that validated its flight controls, naviga-
tion, and safe integration with the GCS.
EDIP Opens the Door: EU Funding
Now Available for Defence Electronics
Including PCBs and Substrates ⊲
The European Commission has published a call
for proposals under the European Defence Indus-
try Programme (EDIP), and for European electron-
ics manufacturers the message is clear: This is
real money for real capacity, and PCBs and IC
substrates are explicitly in scope.
Fincantieri to Build Spectre, a New
Class of High-Speed Unmanned
Surface Vessel ⊲
Spectre is a new class of high-speed, multi-
mission unmanned surface vessel (USV), devel-
oped by Saildrone. Spectre has been conceived
to address the rapidly evolving operational
requirements of modern naval forces and reflects
the growing demand for autonomous naval plat-
forms, capable of being deployed in numbers.
Boeing, Millennium Scale Space
Production to Meet Growing Demand ⊲
"We're aligning our space business to meet a
market that is moving faster and asking for more
flexibility," said Kay Sears, vice president and
general manager of Boeing Space, Intelligence
& Weapons Systems. "That means increasing
production throughput, broadening the portfolio,
and giving customers more options for how they
field and scale capability over time."
Thales Secures Military Navigation
with TopStar Smart Receiver ⊲
Thales launches the TopStar Smart Receiver,
a three-in-one ultra-compact solution providing
land forces with resilient positioning, naviga-
tion, and timing capabilities, while maintaining
radio communications in increasingly contested
electronic warfare environments. TopStar Smart
Receiver can be integrated into land vehicles,
drones and munitions.
Northrop Grumman Delivers
GPS-Jamming-Resistant Airborne
Navigation System ⊲
Northrop Grumman delivered the first production
unit of the EGI-M navigation system, designed to
provide military users with accurate positioning,
navigation and timing (PNT) data. The system is
now modernized to support successful missions
in high-conflict areas across the globe. Military
customers will benefit from a unified hardware
and software navigation solution that can be
seamlessly integrated into platforms.
Lockheed Martin Wins $105M U.S.
Space Force Contract for GPS Ground
Control Upgrade ⊲
These upgrades strengthen the end-to-end
GPS enterprise, ensuring continuous service for
national defense and commercial users. Launch
capabilities provided under this contract will allow
for more M-Code-enabled GPS IIIF space vehicles
to be available on-orbit, increasing signal resil-
iency for military users.
Leonardo DRS Launches Maritime
Counter-UAS Capability to Defeat Aerial
Threats at Sea ⊲
Leonardo DRS, Inc. has successfully integrated
its Maritime Mission Equipment Package (M-MEP)
on an autonomous unmanned surface vessel
(AUSV), delivering a new counter-unmanned
aerial system (C-UAS) capability designed
to detect, track, identify, and defeat aerial
unmanned threats operating in the maritime
domain. The solution provides a mission-ready
layer of protection for ships, ports, littoral infra-
structure, and expeditionary forces facing an
increasingly complex drone threat environment.
