As the global military threat landscape evolves, the missile threats to the U.S. have shifted as well:  Hypersonic glide vehicles maneuver unpredictably at extreme speeds, cruise missiles fly below radar horizons, and adversaries bombard air and missile defense networks. These opponent systems compress warning timelines and seek to exploit legacy defense architectures.

While there is not a huge program of record or one nation’s war department mandating adoption of a modular open systems approach (MOSA) in Europe, systems integrators are building with modularity in mind and acquiring technology based on open standards like the Sensor Open Systems Architecture, or SOSA, Technical Standard. I discussed this trend with MOSA proponents during Eurosatory in Paris, France, this week.

EUROSATORY: Paris, France. When you’ve been to hundreds of trade shows booth displays can often look the same after a while; the folks at TE Connectivity this week got creative with how they show where their different products would be found in an uncrewed aerial system (UAS).

Each issue, the editorial staff of Military Embedded Systems will highlight a different organization that benefits the military, veterans, and their families. We are honored to cover the technology that protects those who protect us every day.

Modern military operations demand adaptable, interoperable, and resilient communications systems that keep pace with evolving mission requirements and technological advancements.

The fastest growing part of the SOF Week exhibits floor over the last few years has been companies focused on autonomous systems – air, ground, and sea – many carrying artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. The 2026 event, for which we are again the Official Show Daily and Show Guide producer and where this issue is distributed, promises even more growth in these areas.

Each issue, the editorial staff of Military Embedded Systems will highlight a different organization that benefits the military, veterans, and their families. We are honored to cover the technology that protects those who protect us every day.

Only recently, Iran jammed satellite internet signals to restrict access inside its own borders, while Russia has constantly interfered with satellite broadcasts that support Ukraine – these are just some of the more visible demonstrations of the fact that space systems can be disrupted and that they are considered targets in modern conflict.

In the early days of avionics, software operated in silos, or isolated computing environments with little to no outside connectivity. Today, modern airborne systems are increasingly linked to maintenance systems, passenger networks, and cloud-based analytics.

Russia's use of low-cost Shahed and Geran drones in Ukraine has exposed a gap in Western defense. NATO and allied forces have no efficient counter to cheap, high-volume aerial threats. Each swarm attack forces defenders to use interceptors that cost hundreds of times more than the incoming drones. Stockpiles deplete and production cannot keep up. Current propulsion systems are either too expensive, too slow to manufacture, or lack the performance to complete the mission. The solution requires propulsion systems that deliver performance and reliability at a price point and production scale that matches the threat. Turbojet engines with start times less than 20 seconds, speeds as fast as 0.9 Mach, and proven manufacturability enable a path forward.

There’s a major technology evolution happening that impacts everyone’s internet access – but no one is talking about it. It’s not AI or an emerging cyber threat, but the transition to the most recent version of the Internet Protocol (IP), IPv6.

Modern light military vehicles were originally engineered with off-road mobility and protection against ground-based threats as their primary purpose. As the war in Ukraine has demonstrated, however, the battlefield is rapidly changing.

Software decides future wars. Every aircraft, tank, and communications system runs on embedded software. From targeting to telemetry, code defines capability and determines who wins. Once deployed to production, the software on those systems is open to adversaries’ exploitation. There is no safe harbor. Delay a patch by months, and you haven’t just slipped schedule – you’ve left the warfighter defenseless.

As embedded systems continue to demand higher performance for data-intensive workloads, system designers are under increasing pressure to add compute capability without redesigning the entire platform. Many deployed mission systems were designed at a time when deterministic signal processing and traditional image fusion dominated requirements. While those architectures continue to perform well for legacy workloads, they struggle to support today’s artificial intelligence (AI)-driven classification, perception, and decision-support algorithms at operational tempo. XMC [switched mezzanine card] modules can offer a proven, modular approach for scaling compute performance while preserving system flexibility, size, and life cycle stability.

By now, “Ukraine success = UAVs + AI” [artificial intelligence] is not only a meme to American warfighting planners and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) leadership, it’s the principal catalyst for how the U.S. military wants to speed up program and product development.