This mission is the thirteenth overall launch of the NRO’s multi-phenomenology proliferated architecture and second proliferated launch of 2026. NROL-172 is also the second mission in partnership with SSC SYD 80 under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 Launch Service NRO Task Order awarded in October 2024. NSSL, a government launch acquisition partnership program between SSC and the NRO aimed at ensuring continued assured access to space for national security missions, is overseen and operated by SSC headquartered at Los Angeles Air Force Base in California.

NRO’s ability to leverage multiple acquisition approaches demonstrates NRO’s commitment to delivering critical national systems on orbit faster than ever before. The NRO’s proliferated architecture, in addition to our other ISR systems, supports multiple missions across the intelligence and Department of War (DoW) communities, including the ground moving target indicator mission as part of the DoW’s space-based sensing and targeting architecture.

Through sustained launch activity and accelerated deployment of next-generation systems, NRO fields the most advanced and capable government constellation our nation has ever delivered with hundreds of satellites now on orbit. Building on this momentum, 2026 is poised to be another dynamic year with a robust launch schedule. Many of these missions will advance the NRO’s proliferated architecture, with additional proliferated launches planned through 2029 to ensure sustained growth and innovation.

Source: NRO

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The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) has issued an RFI to identify qualified vendors and gather input on potential solutions to support the ability of Allied Command Operations (ACO) to orchestrate ISR data procured or accessed on the unclassified network.

The Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space (APSS) program represents NATO’s commitment to establish a persistent, federated space-based ISR capability through the Aquila virtual constellation, integrating national satellites, commercial providers, and publicly available data sources. As APSS transitions from Initial Operational Capability (IOC) toward Full Operational Capability (FOC), ACO requires a unified service to orchestrate collection tasking, manage data ingest, and ensure timely exploitation of ISR data on unclassified networks. NCIA seeks to provide collection managers within ACO with a capability to search, order, manage, process, view and task nationally, commercially, and publicly available Information on the unclassified network. The RFI seeks to elicit the view of industry partners on the scope of the envisioned services and facilitate NCIA’s insight into best-in-class industry solutions, including current market capabilities, and pricing models of services offered.

This RFI is issued for planning purposes only and is not a request for bids. It is part of NCIA’s effort to ensure it has a clear understanding of the marketplace, available capabilities, and potential acquisition strategies to deliver ACO capabilities as APSS moves towards FOC, supported through the Intel and ISR Functional Services Data Management Project.

Review the NATO ISR collection RFI.

Source: SAM

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The milestone confirms the aircraft’s design, mission systems integration and operational performance, marking the transition from development and testing to operational service in support of Army mission requirements.

“SNC’s early investment in ATHENA enables accelerated delivery of timely, actionable intelligence to commanders,” said Andrew Evans, director of strategy and transformation within the Army G-2. “Delivering advanced A-ISR capabilities into the hands of warfighters strengthens the Army’s ability to sense, understand and respond across contested environments, preserving decision advantage for the force.”

Built on the Bombardier Global 6500 aircraft and powered by SNC’s RAPCON-X open architecture, the ATHENA platform delivers high-altitude, long-endurance sensing capabilities designed to provide commanders with enhanced situational awareness and faster decision making in complex operating environments.

“Completing testing and beginning ATHENA service represents a significant milestone for our Army customer,” said Josh Walsh, vice president of programs at SNC. “This achievement reflects the extraordinary work of our engineers, operators and maintainers who delivered an integrated aircraft and mission system ready to perform in demanding operational environments. ATHENA now provides the Army with a proven high-altitude ISR capability that strengthens its ability to sense, understand and act across the battlespace.”

ATHENA integrates SNC’s advanced mission system capabilities, including AI/ML-enabled processing, exploitation and dissemination tools, enabling faster intelligence delivery and improved multi-domain awareness.

“ATHENA demonstrates the strength of SNC’s integration expertise and our ability to rapidly deliver operational capability to the warfighter,” said Tim Owings, executive vice president at SNC. “By leveraging proven commercial platforms and integrating advanced mission systems, we are accelerating the fielding of critical ISR capabilities while informing the future architecture of the Army’s deep-sensing fleet.”

Operational experience from ATHENA aircraft also supports the Army’s High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) program, helping inform the development of next-generation deep-sensing capabilities designed to provide persistent intelligence advantage in future conflicts.

Source: SNC

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AV’s JUMP 20-X Group 3 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) will equip the Navy with expanded ISR capabilities tailored to support diverse land and maritime missions. The platform enables multi-domain missions with fully autonomous, hands-free operation and more than 13 hours of flight time, a 115-mile (185 km) range, and 30 pounds of payload capacity. With more than 70 different payload integrations, JUMP 20-X is uniquely configurable to meet mission-specific requirements. The system is engineered to eliminate the need for bulky launch and recovery equipment, simplifying logistics and enabling rapid deployment while reducing required operational space.

“We are honored to be selected as a partner to help the U.S. Navy expand its ISR services and enhance mission-critical awareness for warfighters around the globe,” said Shane Hastings, vice president of medium uncrewed systems at AV. “We have the people and product to deliver a superior capability across the fleet and are committed to supporting our customers with a flexible, scalable, full lifecycle ISR solution–any mission, any domain.”

“This is a win for AV and a win for the US Navy,” said Hastings. “Our technology is deployed, proven, and mature. Our team is ready to deliver. We are reshaping our nation’s ISR capabilities.”

Source: AeroVironment

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This next-generation modem uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically switch between satellite beams or between satellite constellations. The modem is ruggedized, designed to meet TRANSEC security requirements, and built to withstand high shock and extreme temperatures. These capabilities provide reliable, resilient, and uninterrupted connections.

“In order to carry out airborne ISR and other critical missions, the U.S. Department of War must have flexible, AI-driven connectivity solutions, ensuring the right information is always available for mission advantage worldwide,” said Raghunandan Janardhan, vice president of the defense and government systems division at Hughes. “The HM400 meets the low size, weight and power (SWaP) requirements of modern manned and unmanned aircraft and provides reliable and resilient connectivity for airborne missions, even in challenging weather environments.”

Source: Hughes

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The partnership builds on Ondas’ recently announced strategic investment and partnership agreement with World View, positioning the strategically aligned companies to accelerate development of next-generation multi-domain ISR capabilities that leverage AI-driven insights to make faster in-mission decisions over traditional ISR toolsets.

World View’s Stratollite platform represents a fundamentally new class of sensing capability, operating in the stratosphere, the critical layer between satellites and aircraft to deliver persistent, long-dwell intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions at significantly lower cost and complexity than traditional assets. When combined with Ondas’ unmanned aerial, ground, and counter-drone systems, the companies are building a multi-domain intelligence architecture designed to deliver persistent awareness and rapid response across complex mission environments for its defense, homeland security and allied security customers.

As demand for multi-domain sensing and persistent ISR grows, scaling this unified intelligence capability requires an operational software foundation capable of coordinating increasingly complex missions. Through this partnership, Ondas and World View will apply Palantir’s Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) to the production, mission planning, and edge operations that underpin these systems, helping enable a new generation of scalable, software-defined stratospheric intelligence capabilities.

These Palantir-powered programs will enable Ondas’ and World View’s multi-domain autonomous fleets to communicate with each other across domains and with their operators on the ground to create a unified intelligence infrastructure. This integrated workflow marks a paradigm shift from the traditional ISR model that is focused on data collection. Instead, through this partnership, the companies are building an interconnected intelligence ecosystem that delivers decisions – not just data – to operators.

“Persistent sensing platforms like World View’s Stratollites and Ondas’ suite of autonomous systems, represent a new frontier in operational intelligence,” said Dr. Alex Karp, co-founder and CEO of Palantir Technologies. “By combining Palantir’s software platforms with World View’s unique stratospheric capabilities and Ondas’ broader autonomous ecosystem, we’re building the operational backbone required to scale these missions.”

Together, the companies will develop three foundational programs aimed at transforming how multi-domain ISR missions are produced, executed and managed. Work to optimize World View’s stratospheric systems and operations has already begun and will begin to integrate across Ondas’ multi-domain portfolio as early as the fourth quarter of 2026.

Source: Palantir

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Ibeos’ highly trained and specialized team brings decades of unique expertise in radiation-hardening and thermal optimization for a range of power systems, high-performance processing solutions, and energy storage products that will complement Trident’s leadership position in on-orbit mission data processors and networking solutions.

“This strategic acquisition is an important step in building an integrated space electronics platform focused on high-performance, high-reliability capabilities delivering next-generation power, computing, and networking solutions at scale.” said Lorin Hattrup, CEO of Trident. “By adding Ibeos’ power and battery technologies and combining our edge processor product portfolios we are better positioned to support the demand for increasingly complex space missions with flexible, scalable, and interoperable solutions. This enables our partners to outpace threats, integrate faster, and accelerate mission success.”

The combined organization will offer customers a more comprehensive electronics portfolio while maintaining the reliability, performance, and mission assurance required for the demanding space environment. Trident will further expand its established presence supporting high-value national security space missions such as Golden Dome, space domain awareness, ISR, and space superiority, as well as civil and commercial customers.

“Our customers are looking for a trusted partner of choice who can deliver more complete interoperable electronics solutions without added risk or complexity,” said Daniel Hibbard, president of Trident Space Electronic Systems (SES). “This acquisition brings together exceptional engineering talent and complementary technologies allowing us to advance Trident’s leadership in designing and building at scale modular space-rated power systems, batteries, and computers; expand our portfolio with new intellectual property; simplify procurement; improve system integration; and innovate faster across different power and processing architectures.”

Trident SES is now capable of offering FPGA, GPU, and GPP mission data processing capabilities, payload control, network processors, data compression and storage, high-density batteries, and power supplies through one integrated platform.

Ibeos will continue to serve its existing customers and programs, while benefiting from Trident’s operational scale and maturity, high-volume production capabilities, investment resources, and platform infrastructure. The Trident/Ibeos will enable closer collaboration between engineering teams and support the development of next-generation, radiation-hardened solutions.

“The combination of Trident and Ibeos creates a space electronics provider positioned to provide best-value solutions at scale for the next generation of proliferated satellite architectures.” said John Bevilacqua, founder and CEO of Ibeos. “Bringing the two companies together allows us to leverage our core strengths, scale together, and increase agility to meet the fast-moving and evolving requirements of our national security and commercial customers.”

Source: Trident

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Built with the U.S. Navy’s need for covert, assured access and sea denial operations, LampreyMMAUV can arrive in theater with a fully charged battery. Mimicking nature, it can hitch a ride on a host surface vessel or submarine, utilize hydrogenators to charge batteries and arrive in theater ready for operational missions. Lockheed Martin’s LampreyMMAUV can perform a wide range of missions including delivering undersea and air kinetic and non-kinetic effects; performing intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, targeting, and multi-intelligence collection; and deploying equipment to the seafloor.

“The modern battlespace demands platforms that hide, adapt and dominate,” said Paul Lemmo, vice president and general manager of sensors, effectors and mission systems at Lockheed Martin. “LampreyMMAUV was internally funded, letting us iterate at lightning speed and hand the Navy a true multi mission weapon that detects, disrupts, decoys and engages on its own.”

By providing persistent, autonomous undersea presence at dramatically lower cost than manned platforms, LampreyMMAUV denied areas and control the seabed.

Source: Lockheed Martin

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AFLCMC/WISN is conducting market research to identify possible sources capable of providing a reliable navigation system for operations in Global Positioning System (GPS)/ Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) degraded or denied environments.

The required capability is a compact electronic navigation system that integrates supplemental sensors, such as magnetic, inertial, gravity, visual, celestial, radar/lidar, ground signals of opportunity, terrain, local timing, quantum and atomic clock’s ability to synchronize, pulsar/celestial time synchronization, improved/accurate reference maps. The system must be versatile for use on aircraft, land vehicles, maritime platforms, and man-portable applications. The system must provide precise location data compatible with the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK) for real-time situational awareness and mission planning. The system must provide continuous location tracking, even in the absence of GPS/GNSS.

Review the AFLCMC/WISN RFI.

Source: SAM

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“The Secretary of the Army has challenged the industrial base to take risks, invest private capital and innovate on behalf of the nation,” said Andrew Evans, director of strategy and transformation within the Army G-2. “SNC has unequivocally answered that call. SNC’s willingness to ‘lean-forward’ on the HADES program sets a new standard for how industry can partner with the Army to deliver next-generation capabilities at the pace of need.”

This milestone reflects direct alliance with the Army’s strategy for innovation and readiness. HADES builds upon data from initial Army Theater-Level High Altitude Expeditionary Next Airborne (ATHENA) ISR platforms, whose experimental capabilities informed design of the advanced HADES solution. In addition, the first three HADES aircraft currently undergoing modification are prototypes, the first of which is scheduled for delivery into Army operational service in 2026. These HADES prototypes are critical for reducing program risk and maturing key technologies using a modular open systems approach (MOSA).

“HADES is more than an aircraft; it is a program built on urgency, discipline and mission focus,” said Josh Walsh, vice president of programs at SNC. “By investing early and executing ahead of schedule, our teams are reducing risk, accelerating capability delivery and ensuring the Army receives a proven, operationally relevant A-ISR solution when it matters most. This is what disciplined program execution in service of the warfighter looks like.”

HADES capitalizes on a proven, commercially available aircraft that acts as the foundation upon which HADES is built. Utilizing the Global 6500 in this manner allows SNC to focus on perfecting and integrating the program’s highly specialized mission systems, concentrating resources where they create the most decisive advantage. SNC’s procurement of the fourth jet will accelerate HADES flight testing, facilitating faster operational deployment and advancing the Army’s mission readiness, the company said.

“These investments are more than just technologies—they reflect SNC’s alignment with the Army’s vision and unwavering commitment to modernization,” said Tim Owings, executive vice president at SNC. “Leaning forward is essential for staying ahead of emerging threats, and we’re proud to support the Army’s pivot to next-generation systems with HADES leading the way in battlefield superiority. Across programs, we now have seven jets in our facility undergoing modernization for global A-ISR missions.”

Source: SNC

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