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Navy/USMC

DIU Opens Second Phase In USV Prize Challenge

Tuesday, October 20th, 2026

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DIU Opens Second Phase In USV Prize Challenge

Multiple Saronic autonomous surface vessels in formation during testing in Texas. Photo: Saronic

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) this week launched the second phase, or sprint, of a three-phase 12-month prize challenge seeking production-ready maritime counter-air solutions based on Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs). The Suitable Warfighting Adaptive Payloads (SWAP)-USV Sprint 2 competition specifically seeks “mature, production-ready USVs fully integrated with mature hard-kill Counter-Air effectors and clutter-resilient sensor suites to detect, identify, track, and defeat hostile airborne threats. This program addresses a critical gap in affordable maritime air defense and organic fleet self-defense,” the…

Budget

Hegseth Pushes For Reconciliation With At Least $350 Billion For Defense ‘Regardless’ Of Midterms Outcome

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday the Trump administration plans to continue its push for at least $350 billion in defense funds via the reconciliation process “regardless of what happens […]

Congress

Bipartisan Push in Senate to Hasten Export of 155 mm, GMLRS, HIMARS for Ukraine

A small, bipartisan group of senators is backing the Fast Tracking European Investment in Ukraine’s Defense Act, S. 5175, to hasten the export of allied buys of U.S. munitions for […]

Congress

Rep. Himes Signals Increased Contractor Oversight, if Democrats Win House

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, plans to increase the committee’s contractor oversight if the Democrats win control of the House […]

Congress

CBO Estimates Loss of One-Half to Two-Thirds of U.S. Missile Interceptors Since June Last Year

A new Congressional Budget Office report estimates the cost of the Iran war through Aug. 1 as $38 billion and says that the U.S. has likely depleted between one-half and […]