Military Embedded Systems

TAMPA, Florida. Annapolis Micro Systems displayed its WILDSTAR SAF2 Small Form Factor Module at SOF Week this week, with the company pitching the system as a portable, high-performance signal processing solution designed for special operations forces operating in austere environments.

TAMPA, Florida. The head of Shield AI says that operating in GPS-denied environments remains a top challenge for the autonomous military systems industry, arguing that the vast majority of autonomous systems on the market cannot function in the communications-jammed environments that define modern battlefields.

TAMPA, Florida. The commander of Special Operations Command Africa said his command is looking at using the continent's operating environment to develop and refine emerging capabilities that cannot be tested in higher-end theaters without exposing them to adversary observation.

TAMPA, Florida. Senior special operations commanders cautioned this week against wholesale adoption of tactics and technologies from the war in Ukraine, arguing that future fights will require a different framework even as the conflict offers critical organizational lessons.

TAMPA, Florida. L3Harris Technologies has delivered 18 of its OA-1K Skyraider II armed overwatch aircraft to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), with the program now under contract for 45 aircraft and targeting combat deployment in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2027, Jason Lambert, ISR sector president for L3Harris, told reporters during SOF Week.

TAMPA, Florida. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) officially unveiled the name of the AGM-190A small cruise missile as "Havoc Spear" at SOF Week 2026 on May 19, marking a milestone in the command's Enhanced Precision Effects (EPE) modernization initiative, the command announced in a statement.

TAMPA, Florida. Legion Intelligence is showcasing two new products at SOF Week 2026: a set of role-specific AI agent packages called Mission Packs and a new ultra-small form factor edge AI system called Centurion III.

TAMPA, Florida. BlackSea Technologies displayed its Comet unmanned surface vessel at SOF Week 2026 this week at Dock 18 on the Tampa Convention Center waterfront, the company announced in a statement.

TAMPA, Florida. AeroVironment (AV) is showcasing MAYHEM 10, a modular, multi-role launched weapon designed for contested environments, at SOF Week 2026 this week.

TAMPA, Florida. U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) will not tolerate closed, proprietary systems -- and is actively working to reopen legacy platforms that have become locked to single vendors, Melissa A. Johnson, acquisition executive at USSOCOM, told industry attendees during her keynote at SOF Week 2026.

TAMPA, Florida. The January seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during Operation Absolute Resolve has set a new benchmark for how U.S. Special Operations Forces will operate in future conflicts, said U.S. Navy Adm. Frank M. Bradley, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), during his keynote address at SOF Week 2026.

TAMPA, Florida. Emil Michael, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the Department of War's Chief Technology Officer, will headline a panel discussion on lethal artificial intelligence and autonomous systems at SOF Week 2026 on May 20, joining senior industry leaders to address what organizers are calling the evolution of America's "asymmetric edge" in special operations.

TAMPA, Florida. SOFWERX, the nonprofit innovation lab that helps small and non-traditional defense firms do business with U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), has contracted $503 million through 1,824 purchase orders and commercial agreements -- more than quadrupling the $116 million figure reported at SOF Week 2023, said Leslie Babich, director of SOFWERX, during a session at SOF Week 2026.

TAMPA, Florida. Learning how to operate in a radio frequency (RF) environment that is heavily contested is one of the chief challenges facing U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and figuring out autonomous trust will be key to that effort, said David Breede, Deputy Director for Acquisition at USSOCOM, during his keynote at SOF Week 2026.

TAMPA, Florida. L3Harris will highlight counter-uncrewed aerial system (C-UAS) technology, tactical communications, electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) systems, night vision equipment, fiber-optic cables, tethered intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and its Red Wolf vehicle during SOF Week, company officials told Military Embedded Systems.

TAMPA, Florida. Doodle Labs will showcase wireless networking technology for uncrewed and autonomous systems operating in contested environments at SOF Week, according to a company official.

TAMPA, Florida. Red Cat will showcase autonomous systems for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), first-person view (FPV) drones, and uncrewed maritime operations at SOF Week, according to a company official.

TAMPA, Florida. Cubic Defense will use SOF Week 2026 to showcase command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C5ISR) technologies aimed at special operations forces operating in distributed and communications-limited environments, a company official told Military Embedded Systems.

WILMINGTON, Massachusetts. Analog Devices Inc. released the ADRV9006, a dual-channel narrow-band and wideband radio frequency (RF) transceiver intended for portable and battery-powered communications equipment, the company announced in a statement.

ARLINGTON, Virginia. The U.S. Air Force and Boeing have agreed to a plan to improve KC-46 Pegasus tanker readiness and speed up delivery of aircraft upgrades to the fleet, the Air Force announced in a statement.