ABAD Daily NewsAcquisition, military and joint-force developments.

Marines award $15.7 million to put Pulsar-L jammers on ACVs

BLUF The Marine Corps awarded Anduril $15.7 million to integrate Pulsar-L sensor-jammers on Amphibious Combat Vehicles, citing an urgent need for a system that fits the vehicle's space, weight and power limits. Deliveries are planned to start in January 2027. The public notice does not disclose quantity, test schedule, acceptance criteria or fleetwide fielding scope.

DefenseScoop / System for Award Management · Original reporting traced to an official award notice

Award made earlier in September; DefenseScoop report published September 28, 2026; first deliveries planned for January 2027

Sources: Marine Corps award notice / Anduril Pulsar-L product announcement

EU clears five joint defense projects spanning counter-drone and IAMD

BLUF The EU approved five collaborative industrial projects, including DECODER for scaling drones and counter-drone technology and EU-FIAMD for federated air and missile defense, early warning and coordinated command. The projects are now eligible for initial EDIP funding and possible later Competitiveness Fund support. Approval is not a disclosed contract award, deployment schedule or readiness declaration.

Council of the European Union · Official multinational decision

Council approval announced September 28, 2026 at 10:55 without a stated time zone

Navy adds $52.3 million in proximity fuzes to upgrade APKWS

BLUF A $52.32 million Navy modification funds proximity fuzes for APKWS upgrades through November 2027, adding an industrial step behind the rocket's expanding counter-drone role. The full amount is obligated from Defense-wide operations, prior-year operations and Army ammunition accounts. The notice does not disclose fuze quantity, intended platforms, delivery cadence or a new operational qualification result.

U.S. Department of War · Official contract notice

Contract modification announced September 28, 2026; work scheduled through November 2027

Raytheon gets a $20.7 billion ceiling to ramp AMRAAM production

BLUF A five-year AMRAAM multi-year contract with two option years carries a not-to-exceed value of $20.699 billion and is intended to support annual production of at least 1,900 missiles. The award covers U.S. and 16 foreign customers through June 2033. Only about $154.35 million was obligated at award, so the ceiling is not current spending or delivered inventory.

RTX / U.S. Department of War · Manufacturer announcement traced to an official contract notice

Contract awarded September 25 and announced by the government and manufacturer September 28, 2026

Sources: U.S. Department of War contract notice · 2026-09-28

Navy funds a $72.2 million Aegis processing refresh for destroyers

BLUF NAVSEA's $72.22 million action refreshes the Aegis Linear Processing System on guided-missile destroyers, with $36.11 million obligated now and work extending to March 2030. The notice identifies a processor-technology effort rather than new ships, radar arrays or interceptors. It supplies no performance gain, hull count, installation schedule or operational-availability claim.

U.S. Department of War · Official contract notice

Contract action announced September 28, 2026; work scheduled through March 2030

Falcon Peak leaves Yuma with permanent counter-drone test lanes

BLUF Falcon Peak 26.2 has moved from a periodic demonstration to persistent test infrastructure: Yuma's new counter-drone lanes will remain open for vendors and defense partners, while standardized performance data feeds JIATF-401's acquisition repository. This is a substantive result beyond the prior urban-test plan and Lattice integration reports; the government did not publish system rankings or purchase decisions.

Headquarters Department of the Army / DVIDS · Official exercise result

Falcon Peak 26.2 concluded before the September 27 report; DVIDS posted the report at 12:47 without a stated time zone

Sources: Prior ABAD News coverage · 2026-09-27

25th Infantry Division validates cloud-to-edge C2 under field friction

BLUF Lightning Surge 5 pushed a cloud-to-edge common operating picture, new communications gear, sensors and command nodes through jungle field conditions where latency, power and connectivity competed with the opposing force. The September 23 air assault tested synchronization, and Soldier feedback is shaping Lightning Surge 6 at JPMRC 27-01. The report documents validation work, not Army-wide fielding.

U.S. Army · Official exercise result

Lightning Surge 5 phases ran September 14–25; culminating air assault occurred September 23, 2026

Sources: Official exercise photograph and caption · 2026-09-26

Drone Shield tests more than 30 ground robots against repeatable Army tasks

BLUF Czech Drone Shield moved more than 30 ground robots from display stands onto a repeatable TEVV range, where soldiers and specialists assessed mobility, obstacle handling and selected autonomous functions against future user tasks. The exercise is building a data and requirements base for reconnaissance, logistics and hazardous work; it did not select a winner or authorize a purchase.

Army of the Czech Republic · Official allied experimentation report

Three-day UGV program conducted September 22–24, 2026 at the NATEP UGV range in Lipník nad Bečvou

Cape Canaveral identifies Lattice and a laser as its next counter-drone layer

BLUF Cape Canaveral's commander now identifies Lattice as the planned sensor-and-command layer and says an AFRL-tested laser system will provide a kinetic option without the spacecraft risks of broad RF jamming. This materially advances the earlier reinforcement plan, but the laser model, value, quantity and fielding date remain undisclosed; neither addition is reported operational yet.

Florida Today / Space Launch Delta 45 · Original local reporting and installation-commander interview

Commander interview published September 22, 2026; installation schedule and exact fielding date were not disclosed

Sources: Earlier commander interview on JIATF-401 reinforcement · 2026-09-18 / Prior ABAD News coverage · 2026-09-19