{"id":9257,"date":"2026-04-08T17:55:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T17:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/range\/defense-business-brief-doubling-down-on-c-uas-hypersonic-flight-could-ai-help-the-navy-build-hulls-faster\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T17:55:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T17:55:25","slug":"defense-business-brief-doubling-down-on-c-uas-hypersonic-flight-could-ai-help-the-navy-build-hulls-faster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/range\/defense-business-brief-doubling-down-on-c-uas-hypersonic-flight-could-ai-help-the-navy-build-hulls-faster\/","title":{"rendered":"Defense Business Brief: Doubling down on C-UAS; Hypersonic flight; Could AI help the Navy build hulls faster?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Pentagon wants to buy almost $1 billion\u2014$994.1 million to be precise\u2014worth of counterdrone tech in 2027, according to\u00a0budget documents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The request, under other Army procurement for counter-small unmanned aerial systems, is close to double the $596 million enacted for 2026, which includes atypical funding from budget reconciliation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That funding spike extends to research and development too. The Army is asking for $26.5 million for counter-small unmanned aerial systems in applied research, which is more than double what is set aside for 2026. Plus, funding for c-UAS development could jump from $140 million in 2026 to $359.2 million proposed in 2027 if finalized by Congress, the documents show.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While some of the increases may reflect budget line consolidation, the proposal comes as U.S. military counterdrone tech spending is expected to grow. That could mean more contracts domestically and abroad as drone threats proliferate and militaries continue to look to the Russia-Ukraine war for best practices and tech.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Pentagon\u2019s counterdrone task force says it wants to buy $600 million in c-UAS tech to support the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, FIFA World Cup protection, and to protect critical infrastructure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Drone threats and systems used to defeat them could be at an \u201cinflection point,\u201d Brett Velicovich, who co-founded the startup, Powerus, which helps deliver Ukrainian drone tech to the U.S. military, told Defense One<\/em>. \u201cThe question is no longer detection, but kinetic, interception solutions at scale\u201d and the proposed budget could be \u201ca chance to prioritize affordable, deployable interceptor solutions\u2026that can actually stop threats in real time.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a numbers game.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ukrainians, as an order of magnitude, consider that they need to lose four drones for every one that they take down,\u201d said Doug Abdiel, a Marine Corps reservist and global vice president at Advanced Navigation, which focuses on GPS alternatives and autonomous systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But being able to buy drones in large quantities is only part of the challenge.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s also a mindset shift around agility, and\u2026how you use these assets,\u201d he told Defense One<\/em>, including \u201cthe notion that you would buy a drone to then do a kinetic kill on another drone. Or that you are going to have so much in your radar pattern that you’re going to be unable to process all that information.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Welcome<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve reached the Defense Business Brief, where we focus on what the Pentagon buys, who they\u2019re buying from, and why. Send along your tips, feedback, and streaming recommendations to lwilliams@defenseone.com<\/strong>. Check out the Defense Business Brief archive here<\/strong>, and tell your friends to subscribe<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

A new defense tech unicorn is born.<\/strong> Hypersonic aircraft maker Hermeus hit $1 billion valuation after a $350 million Series C funding round\u2014and it plans to use that money to speed up production and make more prototypes.\u00a0<\/p>\n