DARPA

The DARPA Lift Challenge has set a new benchmark in vertical lift aviation. Taking place at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, the national competition concluded on Aug. 9 after teams demonstrated novel drone designs with the potential to transform vertical heavy-lift aircraft into a more accessible option for both the U.S. military and commercial industry.

Quantum technologies promise to harness the fundamental laws for how matter behaves at the smallest possible scale to enable unprecedented, industry-defining performance for timing, sensing, and computing. Proof-of-concept quantum systems have demonstrated the ability to detect extraordinarily tiny gravitational shifts for potential applications to navigate without GPS, maintain precise time for millions of years, or even measure the magnetic field of a single neuron.

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla. July 22, 2026 – A DARPA-SpaceLogistics partnership launched the first privately owned, operational in-space servicing mission in geosynchronous orbit, paving the way for a new commercial market that will enhance the resilience and sustainability of both commercial and U.S. Government space assets.

For decades, personal protective equipment has relied on the same basic principle: create a barrier between people and potential threats. While effective, traditional gear can severely restrict mobility and cause heat stress, forcing operators in high-threat environments to choose between protection and operational effectiveness. DARPA’s Personalized Protective Biosystem (PPB) program set out to challenge that trade off.

Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. — A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet, recently modified to serve as an autonomous flying testbed, is undergoing in-air testing using an artificial intelligence (AI) agent to autonomously control flight. This milestone advances state of the art technological infrastructure designed to enable rapid, scalable combat AI development across the joint force.

This August, more than 100 teams will gather at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force to attempt to achieve unprecedented payload-to-weight ratios in vertical flight. If successful, these new designs would revolutionize heavy vertical-lift aviation, advancing the goals of the Department of War’s Drone Dominance initiative and making heavy vertical flight more economical for broader use. This selection follows the first wave of invites and includes an additional 30+ teams.

Identifying the exact source of a biological threat — whether it stems from a naturally occurring outbreak, an accidental containment failure, or an intentionally engineered pathogen — is a complex but vital national security challenge. Rapid and precise attribution requires investigators to sift through an overwhelming amount of genomic and environmental data to pinpoint microscopic anomalies.

DARPA’s Multi X Office (MXO) is headed to Chicago from Nov. 2-4, 2026, to host MXO Spark Tank, an in-person event designed for prospective proposers, future collaborators, and innovative thinkers. Launched in May 2026 as the next generation of DARPA’s former Microsystems Technology Office, MXO builds upon the successes of its predecessor to expand beyond traditional microsystems and microscale technologies.

What better place to showcase aviation history in the making than at the world's largest military aviation museum! | 0:30 Novel Drone Designs Lift Beyond Limits DARPA Challenges incentivize researchers from across academia, government, commercial, and defense communities to develop non-traditional or unexpected solutions to grand national security challenges, through cash prizes.

For two decades, DARPA’s Young Faculty Award (YFA) program has been a catalyst for scientific and technological innovation. The program has supported over 500 rising research stars from more than 60 universities, driving breakthroughs aligned with national security areas of interest. The YFA program identifies and engages early-career scientists at U.S. academic institutions, connecting these exceptional individuals to Department of War (DOW) needs and DARPA's mission.