Julien Mercier, Author at DEFENSE-AEROSPACE

U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. James Cason

Additional KC-135 Tankers Arrive In The Caribbean As U.S. Air Operations Intensify Around Venezuela

Photographs and flight-tracking posts over the past two days point to a larger U.S. Air Force KC-135 presence at Las Américas International Airport in the Dominican Republic. The tanker staging coincided with steady C-17 traffic into Puerto Rico and an additional cargo

December 16, 2025

Missiles / Drones / Directed Energy

Army Dark Eagle Boost-Glide Weapon Gets New Public Specs Following Hegseth’s Redstone Arsenal Visit

Video from Redstone Arsenal shows an Army hypersonics director telling Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the Dark Eagle weapon can reach about 3,500 kilometers. Another officer, filmed near the launcher, described its warhead as “under 30 pounds” and said the payload is

December 14, 2025

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jesse Monford

Naval Systems

Congress Wants Navy Drone Ships Built With No Crew Option for MASC Block 0

Draft language released this week for the fiscal 2026 defense policy bill would block the Navy from starting early contracting work for its first Modular Attack Surface Craft batch unless the service commits to vessels built from the start for unmanned operations.

December 10, 2025

Aircraft

Russia’s An-22 Heavy Transport Crashes Near Ivanovo During Test Flight

A Russian Air Force Antonov An-22 heavy transport crashed in the Ivanovo region on December 9, 2025. Russian investigators said everyone on board died. The loss likely removes the last flying An-22 from Russian service. The type already flew rarely and recent

December 9, 2025

Missiles / Drones / Directed Energy

Why New Photos Suggest Ukrainian F-16s Are Now Armed With Laser-Guided 70mm Rockets

A photo that began circulating online in early December shows a Ukrainian F-16AM carrying two seven-shot 70mm rocket pods that match the LAU-131 family, mounted under the wings. A targeting pod appears on the intake station on the right side. The weapons

December 5, 2025

Space Systems

How Inversion Space’s Arc Could Deliver Military Cargo From Orbit in One Hour

Los Angeles-based startup Inversion Space is developing an orbital cargo-drop system for military use. Its Arc orbital supply capsule is intended to send roughly 500 pounds of cargo from low Earth orbit to almost any point on the globe in about an

November 6, 2025

Russia-Ukraine War

Russia Implements Mandatory Drone Production Ratings for Regions Starting in 2026 Using 25-Indicator Evaluation System

Russian authorities have formalized a nationwide “dronification” rating that scores regions on progress in unmanned aviation. Officials presented pilot results in June, then spent the autumn refining the method for a nationwide rollout in 2026. Ministries told regional leaders to plan around

November 6, 2025

Contracts & Deals

Romania Takes Ownership of 18 Dutch F-16s at Fetești Training Center

Romania now owns 18 former Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16AM/BM fighters that had already been flying from the 86th Air Base at Fetești as part of the European F-16 Training Center. The aircraft remain assigned to the training mission at Fetești, where

November 4, 2025

Aircraft

Army Pursues Helicopter Wingman Capability by FY26

Army aviation leaders at AUSA 2025 said they aim to field a collaborative combat aircraft–like capability within a couple of years. The effort runs beside launched effects and other unmanned projects, pairing a loyal wingman with Army rotorcraft in contested theaters. AUSA

October 17, 2025

Aircraft

AeroVironment Expands Switchblade Family with 400, 300 Block 20 Upgrades and VAPOR CLE VTOL Platform

AV announced three updates to the Switchblade line and introduced a compact VTOL helicopter UAS for longer missions with heavier payloads. The reveals at AUSA in Washington tie to Army efforts on loitering munitions and Group 2 drones. Switchblade 400 Targets LASSO

October 13, 2025

Julien Mercier

Additional KC-135 Tankers Arrive In The Caribbean As U.S. Air Operations Intensify Around Venezuela

Army Dark Eagle Boost-Glide Weapon Gets New Public Specs Following Hegseth’s Redstone Arsenal Visit

Congress Wants Navy Drone Ships Built With No Crew Option for MASC Block 0

Russia’s An-22 Heavy Transport Crashes Near Ivanovo During Test Flight

Why New Photos Suggest Ukrainian F-16s Are Now Armed With Laser-Guided 70mm Rockets

How Inversion Space’s Arc Could Deliver Military Cargo From Orbit in One Hour

Russia Implements Mandatory Drone Production Ratings for Regions Starting in 2026 Using 25-Indicator Evaluation System

Romania Takes Ownership of 18 Dutch F-16s at Fetești Training Center

Army Pursues Helicopter Wingman Capability by FY26

AeroVironment Expands Switchblade Family with 400, 300 Block 20 Upgrades and VAPOR CLE VTOL Platform

Authors

Julien Mercier

Clara Nguyen

Priya Shah

Michael Adler

Lena Kovacs

Diego Ramos

Peter Johansson

Lucas Meyer