Autonomous Systems & Counter-Drone

Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of Defense, announced the launch of Project Meridian, a research program into the technology and warfare models of the future, bringing in Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey, founder of Anduril Industries, and Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, as leaders of the research effort. Hegseth unveiled the plan during a State of the Force speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, saying the project would focus on finding, developing and fielding new weapons and systems to meet the forms of warfare the US military may face in the coming decades. Musk's SpaceX and Luckey's Anduril are both major contractors for the US Department of Defense. The project will be overseen by Emil Michael, a former Uber executive who currently serves as a senior technology official at the Pentagon. Hegseth did not disclose further details on the budget, timeline or structure of the project. Beyond Project Meridian, Hegseth also announced the establishment of an Autonomous Warfare Command to oversee the management and deployment of US drones and military robotic systems, and said he wants major US bases to be able to produce their own energy to preserve operational capability if the country's power grid is hit by a cyberattack. He also announced plans to set up an office for religious affairs for the military and to build partnerships with academic institutions to expand cadet training programs, with the first group of institutions taking part including Liberty University, Hillsdale College, Louisiana State University, Mississippi State University and Tuskegee University. At the same time, the US Department of Defense plans to build a new base inside the country for the first time in four decades, with state governments able to compete to host it; the base is expected to accommodate several thousand personnel, and each site could cover several hundred thousand acres. The plan comes as the Pentagon is considering reducing US troop levels in Europe, with Hegseth saying the military will add tens of thousands more personnel overall while shifting its focus back to homeland defense and the Western Hemisphere.

Powaras, a US drone startup set to go public through a merger with a company backed by President Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and his second son, Eric Trump, aims to bring technology developed overseas, including in Ukraine, to the United States to meet growing demand from the US Department of Defense. Company executives disclosed this in an interview with Reuters. The company plans to expand its business through acquisitions, partnerships with overseas firms, and manufacturing within the United States, aiming to become a partner that brings overseas-developed military technology to the US and produces it domestically. President Brett Velicovich said the company aims to become a "one-stop solution" for the Department of Defense by offering overseas technology under a "US company face," and explained that it is in talks with Ukrainian defense technology companies and wants to add capabilities such as long-range strike drones. Powaras, founded a year ago, plans to merge in early October with Nasdaq-listed Aureus Greenway Holdings, and according to regulatory filings, the Trump brothers will hold an indirect 9.9% ownership stake in the combined new company through the investment fund American Ventures. Powaras's business is still at an early stage, and as of early 2026 it had no revenue-generating operations; earlier this year it assembled a product lineup of aerial and maritime drones through acquisitions, and its revenue for the January-March quarter was 1.2 million dollars. The company recently announced it had won a contract with the US Air Force worth up to 90 million dollars and a 22.3 million dollar commercial contract to protect energy infrastructure in the Middle East for an undisclosed customer.

The U.S. Navy has doubled its fleet capacity to operate the MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aircraft system over a five-month period by standing up a second operational MD-5C Ground Control Station powered by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works MDCX. USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) received the first operational MD-5C in March 2026, followed by USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in August 2026. The MD-5C is a highly complex system-of-systems that includes the government Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence network, Lockheed Martin's MDCX software and hardware, and additional government-produced ancillary equipment. Within the Ground Control Station, MDCX is the mission planning and execution software that enables Navy operators to command and control the MQ-25A Stingray, extending carrier air wing reach and freeing manned aircraft for higher-priority missions. Capt. Daniel Fucito, PMA-268 program manager, said the two operational unmanned air warfare centers aboard CVN 71 and CVN 76 bring the Navy closer to integrating unmanned carrier aviation into the fleet, while MDCX Program Manager Ben Tongue said the team has doubled the number of U.S. Navy carriers ready to fly the MQ-25A Stingray in five months.

Ondas announced on Wednesday that it launched Dronebuster REACH, a long-range counter-drone system, with the first unit contracted to the Office of Naval Research. REACH uses electronic attacks to disrupt drones at longer ranges and higher power, extending the company's existing Dronebuster product line, and integrates with Ondas's detection and command-and-control systems for a layered counter-drone setup. Ondas said its Dronebuster systems have been deployed in more than 50 countries, with over 3K units delivered. On the market side, the stock traded near $7.50.

DroneShield secured access to a three-year U.S. government contract vehicle worth up to $500 million, sending its shares up 9% to a one-month high. The Australian counter-drone technology company said it was awarded an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract supporting Joint Interagency Task Force 401's Domestic Shield initiative, with a maximum value of $500 million over three years. The company stressed that the $500 million is the maximum value of the contract vehicle rather than an immediate order or revenue award, and that the vehicle provides a streamlined procurement pathway for rapid deployment of counter-unmanned aircraft systems across the United States. The award expands DroneShield's exposure to U.S. government procurement and follows a $24.9 million JIATF-401 contract announced in June, which included an initial $19.3 million award plus options. DroneShield has also been installing its DroneSentry-X Mk2 systems under the earlier JIATF-401 program, with acceptance by the U.S. military announced earlier this month.

Codan sharply raised its first-half profit outlook on strong demand from drone manufacturers, sending its shares up 18.85% to a record high of A$61.79. The Australian communications technology company said it expects net profit after tax of at least A$160 million for the six months through December, more than double the A$71.2 million reported a year earlier and close to the A$175.2 million it generated for the full year ended June. The stronger outlook was driven by rising demand for electronic components used in unmanned drones deployed in conflicts including Russia-Ukraine and the Middle East, with Codan supplying a radio-frequency component that enables high-speed video and data transmission to about 50 drone manufacturers across the U.S. and Europe. Codan said demand from conflict regions was exceptionally strong, and its Minelab metal-detection business also started the financial year strongly, helped by sales of its Gold Monster 2000 and GPZ8000 detectors amid a higher gold price. The company said it could not provide a full-year profit forecast because demand from conflict regions is difficult to predict beyond roughly three months, and it is working to address potential supply-chain constraints amid the elevated demand.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions and GE Aerospace announced the successful first ignition of the GEK800 Serial Number 1 turbofan engine on September 21, a milestone in a program the U.S. military has designated the F143-ZZ-100. The test, conducted at Kratos' X-58 facility, achieved a 100% success rate for the development phase and keeps the affordable, high-performance propulsion system on schedule for advanced cruise missiles and uncrewed aerial systems. For Kratos, the milestone supports a Government Solutions segment that posted $379.7 million in Q2 2026 revenue, up 22.0% organically, with Turbine Technologies up 43.3% organically, a consolidated book-to-bill ratio of 1.1x and $2.084 billion in backlog, as the company ramps full-year 2026 revenue guidance to $1.750–$1.810 billion. GE Aerospace's Defense & Propulsion Technologies segment reported $3.4 billion in Q2 2026 revenue, up 16%, and raised full-year DPT operating profit expectations to $1.6–$1.7 billion. Kratos also faces cash conversion pressure, with $11.0 million in Q2 2026 operating cash outflow and $18.9 million in negative free cash flow, while GE's DPT margins face ongoing pressure from investments and inflation.

Amprius Technologies shares rose 11% Monday after the company secured a grant of up to $75 million from the U.S. Department of War to retrofit an existing domestic production line for high-energy density battery cells. The grant, awarded through the DoW's Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program, will fund the conversion of a U.S.-based electric vehicle battery production line operated by a major South Korean manufacturer to produce batteries for unmanned aerial systems. The retrofitted line is expected to have the capacity to produce 12 million Amprius cells annually when completed in early 2028, with the cells intended to meet domestic sourcing requirements of the National Defense Authorization Act. The total conversion project is expected to cost approximately $100 million, including in-kind investments from Amprius and its South Korean partner. CEO Tom Stepien said the DoW grant is intended to establish a primary source of domestic, NDAA-compliant battery production, adding that the company's technology combined with its South Korean partner's U.S. manufacturing prowess positions Amprius to accelerate adoption of standardized, high-performance pouch cells in a fast-growing market.

President Lai Ching-te, Taiwan's leader, said Taiwan needs to tighten cooperation with democratic countries in developing drone technology, which is crucial to waging modern warfare, amid rising military pressure from China. Speaking today at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new drone development center in Chiayi in southern Taiwan, he said that from the battlefields of Ukraine to security in the Indo-Pacific region, drones have become a key fighting force in modern national defense. He called on Taiwan to work with democratic countries to develop a secure and resilient drone supply chain in order to support peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. His remarks came as the Taiwanese government pushes ahead with military upgrades and higher defense budgets as one of its main policies, after China stepped up military pressure on Taiwan earlier this month. Taiwan's Cabinet proposed adding 145.7 billion Taiwan dollars, about 4.59 billion US dollars, to this year's defense budget. The budget covers the procurement of drones and missile interception systems, including more than 600 surveillance and coastal patrol drones, more than 40,000 coastal attack drones, and more than 100 explosive-laden unmanned boats. Lai said Taiwan has strengths in semiconductors, information and communications technology, and high-precision manufacturing bases that can be leveraged to develop a drone industry.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Iran is ready for a doomsday war with the United States but is still keeping diplomatic channels open so as not to miss a chance to build peace. Speaking in an interview on NBC News' Meet the Press after last week's United Nations General Assembly, Araghchi said there is no reason for Iran to return to diplomacy, but he is still trying to negotiate because the opportunity to build peace should not be missed, and he affirmed that Iran is as ready to negotiate as it is to face any challenge, even one leading to a doomsday war. On Friday, Araghchi proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resuming nuclear talks with the United States within seven days if the government of President Donald Trump accepts Iran's conditions, but Trump rejected the proposal, and according to The Wall Street Journal, Trump also said he expects to go back to bombing Tehran again after the US midterm elections in November. Meanwhile, US Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz said in another NBC News interview that Iran's proposal was a self-serving attempt to put something on the table that it knows is unacceptable. On Sunday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it had seized a US Remus 600 unmanned underwater vehicle in the Strait of Hormuz and declared the strait closed to unauthorized traffic, while Major General Amir Hatami, Iran's top military commander, stressed that the war is not over. The war, which began on February 28, has severely restricted energy shipments from the Middle East, sending oil prices sharply higher and adding to global inflation concerns. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 2.3% to close at 92.41 dollars a barrel, and Brent crude dropped 2.1% to close at 104.32 dollars. For the week, US crude fell 7.9%, while Brent was roughly flat. Year to date, WTI is up nearly 61% and Brent is up more than 71%.

GE Aerospace, a unit of General Electric, and Kratos completed a successful ignition test of the new GEK800 cruise missile engine. The milestone advances propulsion systems designed for long range cruise missiles in support of Department of War programs, and highlights fresh engineering and manufacturing capabilities within GE Aerospace focused on high performance, cost focused defense propulsion. The GEK800 ignition ties directly into General Electric's Defense & Propulsion Technologies backlog above US$30b and supports the catalyst around acceleration of next generation engine programs such as adaptive cycle engines and CCA propulsion. For the milestone to matter to shareholders, the next stretch of the GEK800 program needs to hold schedule and convert into volume work, with formal program decisions from the Department of War, a shift from single engine trials to a broader qualification campaign, and signs that GE can fold any eventual production into its FLIGHT DECK supply chain model without adding margin pressure to the wider defense portfolio.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen revealed that it intercepted 2 guided missiles and 2 drones fired into Saudi Arabia by the Iran-backed Houthi group. The two missiles were headed toward the city of Khamis Mushait, while the two drones were headed toward Riyadh. Civil defense authorities issued warning alerts overnight for the Khamis Mushait and Abha areas, but no alert was issued for Riyadh. The attack came after the Houthis announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia in July, targeting Saudi ships in the Red Sea, creating pressure on global oil supplies and risk to Red Sea shipping routes, while navigation through the Strait of Hormuz remains largely blocked. Amid the situation, military commanders of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey, which are defense allies, met in Riyadh just a few hours earlier to review the threats Saudi Arabia is facing, after the three countries signed the joint Mecca defense agreement in August, which states that an armed attack on any one country will be considered an attack on all. Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said he discussed with Asim Munir, Pakistan's army chief, in Riyadh and confirmed the continuation of joint cooperation to counter attacks under the agreement.

Yemen's Houthi group said on the evening of Thursday, September 24, that it had fired missiles and sent drones to attack highly sensitive targets in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, as well as facilities belonging to Aramco in Yanbu, a Red Sea port city. It marks a new round of long-range attacks amid an increasingly intense conflict with Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said France is preparing to send military equipment to help protect Yanbu, a key industrial and energy hub on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast. In other conflicts, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said ending the war that has dragged on for seven months depends on a decision by the United States, while China is pushing all parties to reduce tensions. At the 81st regular session of the United Nations General Assembly, Xinhua News Agency reported that representatives of several countries walked out of the chamber in protest while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his remarks during the general debate. Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the White House on Thursday, September 24, that both China and the United States have the capacity and the responsibility to develop and manage artificial intelligence technology for the benefit of humanity, and must ensure that such technology always remains under human control. Meanwhile, U.S. airlines came out against the idea of adding passenger flights between the United States and China after President Xi Jinping proposed that the two countries increase direct flights. U.S. airlines argued that adding flights would further favor Chinese carriers, since they can still use flight routes through Russian airspace. In financial markets, the yield on 10-year Japanese government bonds jumped to 3.115% today, the highest level since August 1996. And Denmark's defense intelligence service warned that Russia may carry out limited military attacks on NATO member states in the coming months, assessing that the risk has increased although it remains at a low level.

The TISCO Economic and Strategic Analysis Center, or TISCO ESU, assesses that global financial markets are entering a phase of capital competition, as governments around the world need to borrow heavily to expand defense budgets while private-sector big tech and hyperscaler firms seek to raise enormous sums to accelerate the buildout of data center infrastructure, chip fabrication plants, AI facilities, and power plants. This is pushing interest rates and government bond yields up by roughly 0.60 to 0.90 percent. Komson Prapakpol, head of the TISCO Economic and Strategic Analysis Center, said the United States plans to expand its defense budget from 1 trillion dollars to 1.5 trillion dollars, an increase of 50 percent, while Japan aims to raise defense spending from below 2 percent to 3.5 percent of GDP, the highest level since the period from 1970 to 1980. Germany and France are also accelerating increases in their security budgets. Thanaphat Thanachat, an analyst at TISCO ESU, said the United States has public debt exceeding 100 percent of GDP, or more than 40 trillion dollars, and a fiscal deficit as high as 6 percent of GDP per year, driving its interest burden to double that of four to five years ago. France's public debt has risen by nearly 20 percent of GDP between 2019 and 2025, with an annual deficit of 5 percent of GDP. As for the interest rate path of the three major central banks, TISCO ESU expects the Federal Reserve to raise rates one more time, by about 0.25 percent, at its December meeting, ending at 4.25 percent, and to hold at that level through 2027 before cutting in 2028. The European Central Bank is expected to raise rates one more time, by about 0.25 percent, in December, while the Bank of Japan is expected to gradually keep raising rates until they reach 1.75 percent in mid-2027. The yield on 10-year U.S. government bonds is expected in the base case to hold steady at 5 percent through the end of 2026, but if the Federal Reserve fails to control inflation, the worst case could see the bond yield rise to 6 percent.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that ending the war, now in its seventh month, depends on a decision by the United States. Speaking in an interview with Fox News broadcast on Thursday, September 24, he said America must choose whether to end this, after being asked whether the war could end by the end of this year. Fighting continues, with Houthi forces launching a barrage of missiles and drones at targets in Saudi Arabia on the morning of September 25. Saudi authorities said they intercepted six missiles and issued alerts in Mecca, Jeddah and Yanbu. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are preparing an emergency meeting of military commanders to discuss ways to assist Saudi Arabia under the joint Mecca defense agreement, and Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti called on forces to be ready to fight the Houthis until the group is removed from power. Pezeshkian said the Houthis must take responsibility for their own actions and that Iran is not in a state of war with Saudi Arabia. The Iran issue was also raised at the US-China summit in Washington, where Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a three-day visit to the United States, discussed a range of issues with President Donald Trump, including trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and Iran. Zhai Jun, China's special envoy for the Middle East, said the situation in the Middle East was one of the key issues discussed by the US and Chinese leaders, and said the shared views of both sides are important for defusing the conflict. Trump wants China to help pressure Iran to find a way to end the war, after the United States and Iran returned to indirect talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Iranian officials have signaled that the Strait of Hormuz could reopen within seven days if the United States begins to ease its maritime blockade of Iranian ports.

Yemen's Houthi group said on the evening of Thursday, September 24, that it had fired missiles and sent drones to attack highly sensitive targets in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, as well as a facility belonging to Aramco in Yanbu, a Red Sea port city. It marks a new round of long-range attacks amid an intensifying conflict with Saudi Arabia. A statement carried on Al-Masirah television, which is run by the Houthi group, said Yahya Saree, the group's military spokesman, announced that Houthi armed forces carried out two separate operations, one targeting an area in Riyadh and the other targeting the Aramco facility in Yanbu, using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and a number of drones, and claimed that both operations achieved their objectives. Saree, however, did not specify the target in Riyadh and gave no details on damage or the number of dead and wounded. Saree added that this round of attacks was in response to Saudi forces continuing to carry out airstrikes and fire missiles at areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen, and claimed that Saudi forces had carried out a total of 1,018 airstrikes and missile launches since the latest round of conflict began, causing civilian deaths and injuries as well as damage to infrastructure. The Houthi spokesman confirmed that the group will continue its retaliatory operations as long as Saudi military operations continue, reiterating the policy Saree described as escalating violence in response to escalation. Xinhua reported that the latest retaliatory attacks reflect the widening confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, with both sides stepping up long-range attacks in recent weeks alongside increasingly intense ground fighting in Yemen.

It has emerged that negotiators for the United States and Iran are exploring a phased agreement aimed at Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and the United States lifting its naval blockade of Iranian ports. According to people familiar with the talks, the two countries are pursuing discussions aimed at breaking the deadlock on the 24th, on the sidelines of related meetings of the United Nations General Assembly being held in New York, with Qatari officials mediating the negotiations. The phased agreement is expected to take a form similar to a memorandum of understanding signed by the United States and Iran in mid-June, but the ceasefire that was established, albeit precariously, on the back of that memorandum collapsed just a few weeks later. Reuters was first to report on the talks over a phased agreement. A White House official said President Trump remains open to dialogue with Iran, while stressing that the United States has no need to negotiate, as intensified sanctions and the naval blockade are pressuring the Iranian economy and the United States holds the upper hand. Meanwhile, a spokesman for Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi armed group said in a statement on Telegram that it had attacked Saudi Arabia twice using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. The first attack targeted a key site in the Saudi capital Riyadh, and the second targeted a Saudi Aramco facility in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast, according to the spokesman.

Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan's Minister of Information, said on September 24 that the Pakistani military carried out airstrikes on 10 sites in Afghanistan, claiming they were areas used to launch and store drones, after Pakistan's air defence system detected drones sent from Afghan territory the previous day. Tarar said some of the drones were used to attack Pakistan but were tracked and destroyed before reaching their targets, after which the military carried out airstrikes and precise drone strikes on the 10 related locations. He confirmed that the operation was limited to specified military targets and warned that if the Taliban government takes any further action Pakistan views as provocation, Pakistan will respond with firm and decisive measures. However, the Taliban government denied sending drones to attack Pakistan on September 23. Two Taliban spokesmen said Pakistan's strikes today took place in several areas of Khost and Paktia provinces in southeastern Afghanistan, but that there were no deaths from the incidents. The latest strikes come amid tensions between the two countries over armed groups, with Pakistan accusing Afghanistan of harbouring Islamist militants who carry out cross-border attacks, while the Taliban government denies the accusations and says the problem of armed groups in Pakistan is an internal matter. Conflict between the two countries flared again after an attack on a police operations centre in northwestern Pakistan last week that killed at least 24 people, following nearly three months of relative calm. Earlier in the same week, Pakistan's government said it had carried out airstrikes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and killed 28 militants, while the Taliban accused the strikes of killing three Afghan civilians. Tensions between the two countries had previously escalated to the point of more than 400 deaths in March, after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Kabul, which the Taliban government said targeted a drug rehabilitation centre.

Swarmer, Inc has signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with Vectus Air Defense Systems, a company in which Swarmer holds a 20% interest, to manufacture, sell and deploy end-to-end air defense systems in eligible markets, subject to export-control, sanctions, procurement and other governmental requirements. Under the memorandum, Vectus has confirmed its intent to purchase and deploy at least 40 Swarmer-built systems in year one and 80 or more in year two following the start of production at a facility Swarmer intends to establish in Poland. Swarmer U.S. CEO and president Alex Fink said the systems use combat-proven Gatling-type rotary cannons capable of firing 20mm rounds at up to 6,000 rounds per minute as the last line of defense, and he estimates each system will retail at approximately $5 million to $6 million. Erik Prince, who serves as both Vectus CEO and Swarmer board chairman, said the systems should see high demand because they are portable, affordable and designed to destroy targets on impact. Final quantities, pricing, financing, specifications and delivery schedules remain subject to definitive agreements.

XTEND AI Robotics has been awarded Phase III of the U.S. Special Operations Command Modular Kinetic Lethal Drone program, advancing its precision-strike unmanned systems work for U.S. Special Operations Forces. The award is separate from, and follows, XTEND's recent selection as a top performer in the Close-Quarters Battle segment of Gauntlet II under the U.S. Department of War's Drone Dominance Program, where the 10 companies selected are finalists for prototype contracts and awards are not guaranteed. The MKLD solution combines XTEND's Striker, Scorpio 500 and Scorpio 1000 platforms with a common Ground Control Station and the company's XOS operating system, designed to give small tactical units modular, recoverable and reusable precision-strike capabilities across indoor, confined-space, urban and outdoor environments. CEO and Co-Founder Aviv Shapira called Phase III an important milestone in the company's work with the U.S. Special Operations community, saying the focus is on adaptable robotic capabilities that extend Warfighters' reach while shifting risk from the operator to unmanned systems. Phase III builds on previous USSOCOM investment, development, testing and operational feedback and will further mature the MKLD capability.

AEVEX Corp. announced Specter, a new jet-powered autonomous platform under development that will expand its unmanned aircraft systems portfolio with a high-speed, turbojet-powered one-way attack design. The platform is being developed in collaboration with advanced manufacturing company Divergent, whose DAPS digital manufacturing platform is being incorporated into Specter's development to support scalable production and rapid iteration. Specter features a modular, swappable nose section designed to accommodate kinetic, non-kinetic, electronic warfare, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and future payloads, along with a turbojet propulsion architecture enabling both ground-launched and air-launched variants. AEVEX said the design draws on lessons from thousands of operational deployments and its CompassX autonomy architecture. "Specter reflects our lessons learned on capability from delivering thousands of autonomous systems in theater," said Manan Patel, Chief Technology Officer at AEVEX. "We are not optimizing for a fixed requirement, we are building an architecture that adapts."

Saudi Arabia has partially restarted the crude oil pipeline linking the east and west of the country, Reuters reported, citing multiple sources. The pipeline is part of a route that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for crude shipments that has been effectively blockaded, but it had been shut down after being hit by a drone attack on the 10th of this month. It is now operating at reduced flow. According to security sources, it will take several days to restore flow to 40 percent of capacity, and six to eight weeks for a full recovery.

HII has expanded its unmanned systems production campus in Pocasset, Massachusetts, by 10,000 square feet, increasing the existing 40,000-square-foot manufacturing facility's capacity by 25 percent to meet growing global demand for autonomous maritime platforms. The expansion adds production capacity for the U.S. Navy's Lionfish small unmanned undersea vehicle, which is based on HII's commercial REMUS 300 platform and is currently in production, following a Navy option-year contract awarded to HII in July for continued Lionfish production. The facility will also support production of HII's REMUS 620 unmanned underwater vehicle and advance integration of the company's Odyssey Autonomous Control Solutions software, including simulation and modeling capabilities and autonomy hardware for ROMULUS unmanned surface vessels. HII celebrated the expansion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, MA-09, a longtime supporter of the company's Massachusetts operations who also spoke at the 2014 grand opening of the Pocasset facility. HII currently employs approximately 300 people in Pocasset and has added 50 employees year to date in 2026; the REMUS family of unmanned underwater vehicles, which marked its 25th anniversary in 2026, has seen more than 750 vehicles delivered to customers in more than 30 countries, including 14 NATO members, with more than 90 percent of systems delivered over the past 25 years still in active service.

PTT Public Company Limited reported on the oil market situation for the week of September 21-25, 2026, that average weekly oil prices rose across all categories. Brent crude stood at 105.79 US dollars per barrel, up 4.12 US dollars. West Texas crude stood at 102.37 US dollars per barrel, up 4.47 US dollars, and Dubai crude stood at 124.90 US dollars per barrel, up 8.45 US dollars. Meanwhile, 95-octane gasoline stood at 149.14 US dollars per barrel, up 11.22 US dollars, and diesel stood at 193.29 US dollars per barrel, up 18.61 US dollars. The main pressure came from the US-Iran war, which looks set to escalate after US embassies across the Middle East issued security alerts and warned citizens to avoid travel to Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. At the same time, the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi group in Yemen continues to spread. On September 19, 2026, the Houthis used missiles and drones to attack Riyadh, including the area around King Khalid International Airport, causing fires. In addition, Saudi Aramco of Saudi Arabia sold 60 million barrels of crude oil for delivery in September to October 2026 from the Ras Tanura port, using ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman to deliver to customers. Russia claimed it intercepted more than 1,600 Ukrainian drones during September 19-20, 2026, of which 450 were headed for Moscow, the largest attack on the capital since the Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022, leaving at least 3 people dead, at least 20 injured, and about 400 people evacuated from buildings. Meanwhile, the Moscow refinery of Gazprom Neft, with a capacity of 245,000 barrels per day in the Kapotnya district in southeastern Moscow, was attacked and caught fire, but there have been no reports of damage.

The Pentagon announced nearly $1.9 billion in contract awards and potential contract value on September 14 involving Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Boeing received a $562 million fixed-price incentive Navy contract for low-rate initial production of the MQ-25A Stingray, covering three Lot 1 aircraft plus advance funds for long-lead components for three more Lot 2 aircraft, with initial deliveries not expected until 2029. Lockheed Martin was awarded three separate contracts totaling more than $1.3 billion, including a major missile contract, reflecting Pentagon demand for long-range standoff weapons and mobile precision artillery. Lockheed Martin is also the prime contractor for the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System that operates the Stingray fleet. Recent filings showed hedge fund holdings of Boeing falling from 99 to 90 and Lockheed Martin from 83 to 75 between the first and second quarters.

President Donald Trump threatened to destroy Iran's economy or eliminate its leaders if no agreement is reached with the United States before the Iranian delegation travels to the United Nations General Assembly, or UNGA, in New York this week. In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, September 20, Trump said the only options on the table are to obliterate Iran or let its economy collapse if the two sides fail to reach a deal. Iran's military, meanwhile, said its intelligence units had detected signs that the United States and its allies were preparing a new large-scale surprise attack, and warned it would retaliate painfully across the Middle East and would treat any country in the region that supports such an attack as a party to the war. Iranian media, citing the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said that if the United States makes a mistake against Iran, all U.S. bases and interests in the region will be targeted continuously, effectively, and painfully. The move marks a new escalation in the seven-month U.S.-Iran conflict. The Iranian delegation, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, is scheduled to attend the UNGA meeting and hold talks with various world leaders on the sidelines. Trump has not ruled out meeting Pezeshkian, but is still deciding whether to strike Iran decisively. The U.S. State Department issued a security alert warning of the risk of an unexpected escalation in the Middle East, urging Americans to exercise greater caution and prepare for the possibility of flight cancellations and airspace closures.

The US State Department has warned Americans to reconsider travel to the Middle East after the conflict with Iran showed signs of escalating and tensions around the Strait of Hormuz remained high. In a statement on X on Saturday, September 19, it said military conflict could spread rapidly, and urged Americans in the region to raise their level of caution and be aware of the impact on travel, including flight cancellations, airspace closures and disruptions to transport routes. The warning came after the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen claimed to have fired missiles and sent drones at sensitive targets in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on Saturday. President Donald Trump told Fox News on Sunday, September 20, that he remained in continuous contact with the Houthis after the attack and claimed the group had promised not to strike the United States, saying he was in a period of decision-making about war with Iran. Meanwhile, US embassies in several Middle Eastern countries have issued security alerts to Americans in the region. The US government only last week approved the possible sale of nearly 50 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, worth about 24.3 billion dollars.

US President Donald Trump signed into law a sanctions bill on Russia that authorizes expanded sanctions, tariffs and various prohibitions against Russia, while renewing existing sanctions on Iran. The law, named the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, imposes sanctions on Russian officials, Russian banks and vessels used to transport Russian energy, and gives Trump the power to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from the five countries that import the most oil or natural gas from Russia. Meanwhile, the US Congress disclosed that the State Department has approved a proposed military arms sale to Ukraine worth up to 2.7 billion dollars, covering upgrades to air defense systems, weapons and equipment, as well as related equipment and services. The weapons package includes S-300 replica missiles, GAM-67 missiles, longer-range laser-guided rockets, launcher modification kits and mobile firing systems, as well as counter-drone radars. However, the proposal still needs congressional review and no final agreement has been reached. If the sale is completed, Ukraine will use funding from European countries together with the US foreign military financing budget allocated during the administration of former President Joe Biden.