Ubiquitous drones

taipeitimes.com Sep 29, 2026

Ubiquitous drones

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Sep 29, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

At the Drone Expo in New Delhi, UAS Glory Air showcased a new Russian drone model to visitors, highlighting the company’s growing presence in the global UAV market. Meanwhile, Federal Reserve officials in Philadelphia and New York signaled that further interest‑rate hikes may be necessary to bring inflation back to the 2 percent target, echoing a broader policy shift. In Taiwan, the Nuclear Safety Commission approved a preliminary plan to restart the Ma‑anshan Nuclear Power Plant, potentially as early as 2028, marking a reversal of the ruling party’s anti‑nuclear stance. GlobalFoundries announced plans to expand RF chip production in Singapore and Taiwan to meet AI‑driven demand, while Taiwan’s economy faces a widening K‑shaped divide between booming tech sectors and lagging traditional industries.

💡 Why It Matters

· The drone exhibit underscores Russia’s expanding influence in civilian UAV technology, a sector increasingly tied to national security.
· Taiwan’s nuclear restart signals a strategic pivot toward energy independence amid global supply chain pressures.

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U.S. Government Selects Navitas to Develop Next-Generation 10 kV SiC Power Semiconductors

Navitas Semiconductor has been awarded the U.S. Army’s ALATTIS program to create a domestic manufacturing process for ultra‑high‑voltage (≥10 kV) silicon‑carbide (SiC) insulated‑gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and associated PiN diodes. After a competitive review, the Army selected Navitas for its proven UHV SiC track record, defense‑grade reliability, and a resilient U.S.–based supply chain. The ALATTIS prototype project, funded by the Army Research Laboratory and supported by the Joint Experimentation and Technology Accelerator, will iterate design, fabrication, and testing to validate the novel 10 kV SiC IGBT technology. Navitas’ GeneSiC portfolio already spans 650 V to 6.5 kV devices, and the award expands its leadership from MOSFETs to next‑generation IGBTs for critical defense and infrastructure systems.

💡 Delivering a home‑grown 10 kV SiC IGBT removes a strategic technology gap, giving the U.S. military and critical grids a secure, high‑power semiconductor source.

thequantuminsider.com · Sep 28

Quantum Cyber’s Strategic Focus Includes Quantum Navigation

Quantum Cyber, a Nasdaq-listed autonomous defense firm, announced a sharpened strategy focused on GPS‑deficient warfare. The company will concentrate on three pillars: one‑way attack drones and interceptors, its licensed quantum antenna for unjammable navigation, communications, and power, and the MAHCA swarm‑control OS. Production is centered at a 50,000‑sq‑ft Bridgeport, Connecticut facility, where an 80‑unit 3D printing farm began operating on August 31, 2026, with a target annual output of 100,000 drones. The firm targets border patrol, defense UAS, law enforcement, and quantum navigation markets.

💡 By prioritizing GPS‑independent autonomy, Quantum Cyber positions itself to meet the growing demand for resilient defense systems in contested environments, potentially reshaping how militaries and security agencies deploy unmanned platforms.

kyivindependent.com · Sep 27

Ex-defense minister Fedorov announces new ‘Army of Robots’ initiative in latest move…

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced the “Army of Robots” initiative on September 26, 2026, during a presentation at IT Arena in Lviv and via social media. The program aims to replace human soldiers with autonomous systems, building an ecosystem of defense‑tech companies, R&D projects, and joint military testing. Fedorov, dismissed by President Volodymyr Zelensky in July, previously launched the “Army of Drones” in 2022 and has since focused on tech innovation, including a fund and a new defense‑tech firm backed by Palantir CEO Alex Karp. The initiative seeks rapid scaling of battlefield‑effective solutions.

💡 By institutionalizing autonomous warfare, Fedorov could reshape Ukraine’s combat strategy and influence global military procurement trends. The move signals a shift toward private‑sector‑driven defense innovation amid ongoing conflict.

teslarati.com · Sep 26

SpaceX completes another secret Pentagon launch, adding to suspected Starshield buildout

SpaceX lifted off a classified U.S. Space Force payload, designated USSF‑385, from Vandenberg’s SLC‑4E at 7:00 a.m. PT on Saturday. The Falcon 9 booster B1100, on its tenth flight, successfully landed on the “Of Course I Still Love You” drone ship eight minutes after liftoff. The mission marks the fourth Pentagon launch from the same pad in six weeks and follows a pattern of launches suspected to carry the Starshield satellite constellation, the military variant of Starlink. The payload remains undisclosed, and SpaceX ended its livestream after the landing, as is customary for secret missions. The launch is part of a $1.6 billion contract for 18 Falcon 9 flights through 2027, bringing SpaceX’s 2026 Pentagon commitments above $8 billion and underscores the firm’s role in national security.

💡 The repeat use of a single booster for secret military payloads shows SpaceX’s growing reliability as the Pentagon’s go‑to launch provider, tightening U.S. orbital defense capabilities.

quantumcomputingreport.com · Sep 26

DRDO Signs First High-Value TDF Pact with Startup Zero mK India for…

On 25 September 2026, India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) signed its first high‑value Technology Development Fund (TDF) contract with domestic startup Zero mK India to design and build a 20 millikelvin dilution refrigerator. The project, funded under the expanded ₹500‑crore TDF corpus, aims to secure a domestic supply chain for sub‑kelvin cryogenic hardware critical to quantum computing and defense systems. DRDO’s Solid State Physics Laboratory will mentor and evaluate the work, aligning the effort with the National Quantum Mission to reduce reliance on foreign vendors.

💡 By producing indigenous sub‑kelvin refrigeration, India cuts import dependence on Western cryogenic equipment, directly supporting sovereign quantum‑technology development and strengthening national defense capabilities.

dailypress.com · Sep 26

Federal court says Pentagon can label Anthropic a supply chain risk

A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., ruled 2‑1 that the Pentagon may continue to label AI startup Anthropic a supply‑chain risk, allowing the department to block the use of Anthropic’s Claude models in defense systems. The decision upholds the Pentagon’s February move, prompted by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which warned that Anthropic’s technology could be repurposed for mass surveillance or autonomous weapons. Judges Gregory G. Katsas and Neomi Rao, both Trump appointees, wrote that the department had “ample support” and reasonable fear that Anthropic might alter Claude to evade national‑security functions, despite the company’s own safeguards. The lone dissent, Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson, argued the risk definition was overly broad. The ruling follows a separate California case that found the Pentagon’s earlier punitive actions illegal.

💡 It confirms the government’s authority to pre‑emptively restrict emerging AI tools on security grounds, setting a precedent that could shape how defense agencies vet commercial AI suppliers.