Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger says global rules are needed to ensure humans—not artificial intelligence—make the final decision to use force in war, warning that rapid advances in military AI require clear international limits.
Russia’s Su-57D has completed its first test flight, marking the debut of what is considered the world’s first two-seat fifth-generation fighter aircraft. The new variant is intended to combine combat, training and command-and-control roles, including management of operations involving manned and unmanned aircraft.
Rheinmetall and Deutsche Telekom plan to develop systems to detect and stop hostile drones and cyber threats. The project will combine telecom networks, sensors and laser-based technologies to protect key infrastructure.
The UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory has tested a new digital messaging system called AIM designed to help military forces coordinate sensors, uncrewed systems and weapons more quickly during battlefield “find and strike” operations.
Germany’s armed forces have signed a €1.7 billion contract with Rheinmetall for access to satellite-based reconnaissance data with regular radar images supplied through a partnership with Finnish satellite operator ICEYE.
France’s DGA has selected Airbus Defence and Space for a framework contract of up to €50 million to integrate artificial intelligence into French military systems, beginning with upgrades to the Spationav maritime surveillance network and expanding into intelligence, cybersecurity and communications.
Nokia and Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) have invested €100 million in NestAI as part of a new partnership to develop AI-enabled defence and critical-infrastructure technologies, focusing on unmanned systems and advanced command-and-control capabilities.
Defence Builder of Ukraine and Finland’s 17Tech have formed a strategic partnership to link Ukraine’s battlefield-driven innovation with Finland’s defence technology expertise. The collaboration will support startups from NATO countries, provide access to operational validation environments, enable field testing in Ukraine and expand investor and defence-sector networks across both nations.
Hensoldt has launched MDOcore, a ‘universal translator’ in the form of a software suite designed to enable cross-domain integration of military sensor and effector systems, supporting faster data processing and interoperability across defence networks.
Germany plans to order over 600 Skyranger air defence systems from Rheinmetall in a deal worth more than €9 billion to strengthen its drone defence. The mobile system, now in testing, can be mounted on Boxer and Leopard 1 vehicles and is designed to counter modern aerial threats, including drone swarms.
Supriyo Gupta warns of a coming Artificial Intelligence apartheid, akin to the nuclear, missile and supercomputer apartheid India faced and argues that India should get ahead of AI apartheid through fighter technology.
