Photos

Sailors and Boeing team members prepare to move an unmanned MQ-25 Stingray aircraft into the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush in Norfolk, Va., Nov. 30, 2021. The MQ-25 will be the world’s first operational, carrier-based unmanned aircraft.

Marines watch an R80D SkyRaider drone land at Fort Bragg, N.C., April 20, 2021, Rolling Thunder 21.2, a live-fire artillery exercise to increase the 2nd Marine Division’s combat readiness against a peer competitor.

A Falcon 9 Starlink L-24 rocket successfully launches from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., April 28, 2021.

Air Force Master Sgt. Tristan McIntire signals an F-15EX, the Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft, to a stop at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. March 11, 2021.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Carmen Pontello introduces Hammer, a military working dog, to a Ghost Robotics Vision 60 semi-autonomous robot at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., Dec. 17, 2020. The Vision 60 resembles a dog but is not designed to replace military working dogs.

Airmen perform a function check on a Ghost Robotics Vision 60 semi-autonomous robot dog before a demonstration at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., Dec. 14, 2020. The robot dog uses an adaptive communication system that allows it to operate on a series of preset commands or when operated manually.

The guided missile destroyer USS Chafee launches a Block V Tomahawk missile during an exercise in the Pacific Ocean, Dec. 1, 2020. The event marked the first time a Block V Tomahawk, the weapon’s newest variant, was operationally tested, marking the Navy’s transition to a more advanced capability for the fleet.

A Marine Corps CH-53K King Stallion conducts testing at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., July 17, 2020.

An unmanned aerial vehicle delivers a payload to the ballistic missile submarine USS Henry M. Jackson around the Hawaiian Islands, Oct. 19, 2020, during an event designed to test and evaluate the tactics, techniques and procedures of U.S. Strategic Command's expeditionary logistics and enhance the readiness of strategic forces.

Coast Guard Gulf Strike Team members launch a drone to assess waterways near Lake Charles, La., Sept. 1, 2020, in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. The team, one of three that make up the National Strike Force, is composed of highly trained Coast Guard professionals who rapidly deploy with specialized equipment to a variety of incidents, responses and other emergencies.

Elaine McCusker, acting undersecretary of defense (comptroller) and Navy Vice Adm. Ron Boxall, the Joint Staff's director for force structure, resources and assessment, brief reporters on the president's fiscal 2021 defense budget request at the Pentagon, Feb. 10, 2020.

A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., Nov. 11, 2019, as the Air Force’s 45th Space Wing supports the successful launch of SpaceX’s Starlink mission. The Starlink is a collection of satellites being used to provide fast, reliable internet to areas with little or no connectivity.

A drone operated by airmen flies over a training area at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Oct. 8, 2019, while capturing aerial intelligence during Polar Force 20-1, a two-week exercise designed to test the base's mission readiness.

Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen M. Lord briefs the press on acquisition reform and innovation at the Pentagon, Aug. 26, 2019.

Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen M. Lord briefs the press on acquisition reform and innovation at the Pentagon, Aug. 26, 2019.

David L. Norquist, performing the duties of the deputy defense secretary, speaks to reporters about the Defense Department’s fiscal year 2020 budget request during a briefing at the Pentagon, March 12, 2019.

David L. Norquist, performing the duties of the deputy defense secretary, speaks to reporters about the Defense Department’s fiscal year 2020 budget request during a briefing at the Pentagon, March 12, 2019.

David L. Norquist, performing the duties of the deputy defense secretary, speaks to reporters about the Defense Department’s fiscal year 2020 budget request during a briefing at the Pentagon, March 12, 2019.

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Healy sits in the ice about 715 miles north of Barrow, Alaska, Sept. 30, 2018, during an Arctic research mission.

Army Sgt. Samantha Merryfield launches an RQ-11 Raven as part of an unmanned aerial system operator’s course at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Oct. 10, 2018.