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🔷 Saved Rounds 1.20.26

🔷 Saved Rounds 1.20.26

January 20, 2026

Welcome to Tuesday's Saved Rounds, where we send out all the goodies we couldn't squeeze into our Sunday newsletter.

In that Number

408 mph

A father-son duo from South Africa reclaimed the Guinness World Record for the fastest quadcopter after their 3D-printed drone reached an average speed of 408 mph.

Zoom in

We’re mixing it up with some tech history this week!

The F-16XL was a remarkable evolution of the F-16 that was ahead of its time. It featured a cranked wing that could super cruise, had long range, enhanced maneuverability, and a whopping 27 hardpoints. Only 2 F-16XLs were built and tested in the Air Force’s Enhanced Tactical Fighter (ETF) competition in the 1980s. They ultimately lost to the F-15E, but the F-16XLs remained with NASA for flight-test research until 2009.

Zoom in here to explore this aviation oddity.

creative commons

They Said It

“And the danger in that was that we thought that it was some holiday that we had until 2027 for ourselves. But there could be a war of, quote, necessity, anytime between now and Aug. 1 of 2027, and there can be a war of choice anytime after August of 2027. We have to be ready now, we have to be ready in 2027, we have to be ready in 2028.”

— Adm. Samuel Paparo, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, on the ‘Davidson Window’ and the emphasis for readiness ahead of the PLA's 100th anniversary

New Episode!

We chat with Christine Fox—the person portrayed as ‘Charlie’ in Top Gun—on special university organizations that help national security called FFRDCs and UARCs.

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Saved Rounds

India is experimenting with NRT’s small solar-electric drone that can do ISR for 24+hrs
Lockheed Martin test-fired a JAGM at a 90-degree launch angle to intercept a drone
Destinus unveiled its Ruta Block 2 stealth cruise missile
China is moving the J-35 stealth fighter into mass production
Pakistan may sell JF-17 fighters to Bangladesh
SpaceX won a $739M contract for 9 Space Force missions
Bell, M1, & Lockheed Martin made the next phase of the Army’s training helicopter competition
The Navy completed the second test of AI-enabled BQM-177 drones for manned-unmanned teaming
Orbion delivered 33 electric thrusters to York Space for military satellites
Second Front & StirlingX partnered to accelerate UK drone deployments
South Korea completed KF-21 flight tests, with deliveries starting later this year
Germany & NATO are buying 8 MQ-9B drones from General Atomics
The Canadian Space Agency opened a $12M fund for space tech innovation
SNC purchased another Bombardier jet, which will be the Army’s first production HADES aircraft
Turion Space acquired Tychee Research Group to accelerate autonomous orbital missions
Defense Unicorns raised a $136M Series B funding round for air-gapped software delivery
EOS is buying MARSS to boost its counter-drone C2 capabilities ($36M acquisition)
India is buying 6 used Boeing airliners to convert to 767 tankers
Redwire retired the Edge Autonomy brand, restructuring into space and defense segments
Intuitive Machines finalized its $800M acquisition of Lanteris Space Systems
HII doubled its UK facility to increase underwater drone production capacity
Northrop Grumman won a $233M Navy contract for advanced lightweight torpedoes
The Air Force's MH-139 Grey Wolf helicopters flew their first missile convoy mission
Lockheed Martin completed the first flight test of its next-gen short-range interceptor (NGSRI, a potential Stinger replacement)
NASA & DOE signed an agreement to develop lunar nuclear reactors by 2030
Parsons announced its $375M acquisition of Altamira to expand space intelligence capabilities
Slingshot won a $27M Space Force contract for an AI-based training system
General Atomics’ MQ-9B became the first drone to employ MAC sonobuoys (submarine detection)
The Army unveiled its first M1E3 Abrams tank prototype
Skyeton’s hydrogen-powered Raybird drone completed combat missions in Ukraine
Northrop Grumman delivered its 1,500th F-35 center fuselage
Atomic-6 announced its Space Armor will launch on a 2026 SpaceX mission
Interstellar Technologies raised $130M to develop its orbital launch vehicle
The MDA awarded 340 more spots on the Golden Dome $151B SHIELD contract
Trust Automation won a $490M Air Force contract for drones and C-UAS
Kratos expanded its Alabama operations with a new 40,000 sq ft facility (total campus is now 150,000 sq ft)
EDGE & Indra agreed to establish a manufacturing hub in Spain to build loitering munitions