Drones

Matternet has launched commercial drone deliveries between two Central London NHS hospital campuses, marking its UK debut and the first urban deployment of an FAA Type-Certified delivery aircraft on British airspace.

Test pilot Paul Stone flew Vertical Aerospace's VX4 prototype through a vertical takeoff-to-wingborne flight transition at Cotswold Airport on April 2, marking a first for a piloted, full-scale eVTOL under UK Civil Aviation Authority oversight.

Clemson University researchers demonstrate an AI system that estimates wildfire temperatures from standard camera images, while Dryad Networks tests an autonomous drone that detected and extinguished a fire in under 12 minutes with no human intervention.

Kleiner Perkins leads the largest defense tech raise of 2026, more than doubling Saronic's valuation as the company expands shipyards and targets 20 vessels a year by 2027.

Defense AI startup Shield AI closes a $1.5 billion Series G and $500 million in preferred equity, more than doubling its valuation to $12.7 billion while acquiring simulation firm Aechelon Technology.

The DOD orders 30,000 small attack drones at $5,000 each from 11 vendors — including a British company that topped the leaderboard — as the first phase of a $1 billion program to field 300,000 domestically produced combat drones by 2027.

The DOT and FAA chose eight state-led eVTOL pilot programs covering 26 states, enabling companies like Joby, Archer, and BETA Technologies to begin passenger and cargo air taxi operations as early as summer 2026.