Aerospace Group:

Navy/USMC

Near Earth’s Unmanned Bell 505 Offering Picked For Marines’ Resupply Drone Development Effort

By Matthew Beinart

Thursday, April 30th, 2026

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Near Earth’s Unmanned Bell 505 Offering Picked For Marines’ Resupply Drone Development Effort

Uncrewed Bell 505 helicopter selected as part of Near Earth Autonomy's offering for the Marine Corps' MARV-EL Inc. 2 development effort. Photo: Bell.

Near Earth Autonomy has announced its selection for the second increment of the Marine Corps’ Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle–Expeditionary Logistics (MARV-EL) development program, with plans to work on an unmanned version of the Bell [TXT] 505 helicopter. “The program is to develop an uncrewed aerial logistics aircraft for where the risk and need are highest,” Lyle Chamberlain, Near Earth’s chief technology officer, said in a statement. "We are combining our Captain autonomy architecture with a proven Bell 505 platform to…

Congress

Munitions Fired Represent Most of $25 Billion Spent By Pentagon on Iran War So Far

Munitions fired in the two-month old “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran represent most of the $25 billion cost the Pentagon has incurred thus far in the conflict, the acting Defense […]

Congress

Slotkin: Pentagon Should Use Anthropic’s Mythos To Spot Cyber Security Gaps

The Pentagon should be using Anthropic‘s recently announced Mythos artificial intelligence model to spot gaps in cyber security, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said on Tuesda. “I think the thing that […]

Budd And Shaheen Bill Would Authorize 329 F-15EX Fighters

Two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), have introduced the Airpower Acceleration Act, which would authorize multi-year procurements of […]

Congress

HASC’s Wittman Sees ‘Challenging’ Push For $350B In Reconciliation Funds, Wants Sustained Defense Increase

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.– Congress’ work to pass $350 billion in reconciliation funds to support the Trump administration’s push for a $1.5 trillion fiscal year 2027 defense topline is “going to […]