Defence AI country monitoring

Only high-level technology, policy and governance are covered below. Wartime and vendor claims are marked as such unless independently verified.

In the United States, CCA programmes and the DARPA-funded RSGS robotic servicing payload advanced. Reports said the US Air Force planned more than 150 combat-capable CCAs by the end of the decade, and NASA confirmed the RSGS launch. Programme facts are solid; detailed capability claims are partly vendor-supplied.

For China, no significant credible official Defence AI update was identified in the reporting period. For Russia, there was no notable official Defence AI update; reports spoke of jet-powered Shahed-derived drones in use, but that is not an official Russian AI announcement and the operational claims are contestable.

Ukraine's Ministry of Defence said Firefly guided munition testing is complete and series production is ready, with onboard path calculation and correction plus terminal guidance; that is an official claim with limited independent verification, and reports could not verify interceptor battlefield metrics. No significant credible official Defence AI update was identified for the remaining monitored countries in the reporting period.