What's next for the Pentagon after the Replicator programme?
Although the Replicator initiative has made several accomplishments, there are still multiple gaps to plug across the US Department of Defense (DoD) and its services.
Hazon Solutions has surpassed a milestone of having inspected more than 100,000 linear feet of railway bridges using UAS, the company announced on 22 August.
Over the last 18 months, Hazon has conducted 64 bridge inspections across the eastern US. The inspections include complete coverage of the entire bridge using high-definition still frame, video and thermal imaging cameras. Hazon inspection teams fly within 15ft of the rail bridges, as well as under and inside bridge spans collecting imagery from angles previously unavailable.
The company has been performing the UAS-based inspections since early 2016 under contract with Norfolk Southern.
David A Culler, CEO and co-founder, Hazon Solutions, said: ‘This milestone is great for Hazon, but also great for the entire drone industry. Norfolk Southern has proven that UAS technology is a safe and effective tool for critical infrastructure inspections.
‘The experience and expertise that Hazon has gained on the UAS inspection front have been invaluable; it has allowed us to move beyond proof-of-concept and into the transition period of integrating drones into the daily workflow. It's a very exciting time for the entire drone ecosystem and the customers we serve.’
Although the Replicator initiative has made several accomplishments, there are still multiple gaps to plug across the US Department of Defense (DoD) and its services.
Cummings Aerospace presented its turbojet-powered Hellhound loitering munition at SOF Week 2025, offering a man-portable solution aligned with the US Army’s LASSO requirements.
PDW has revealed its Attritable Multirotor First Person View drone at SOF Week 2025, offering special operations forces a low-cost, rapidly deployable platform for strike and ISR missions, inspired by battlefield lessons from Ukraine.
Teledyne FLIR is highlighting the emerging requirements for 'recoverable and re-usable' loitering munitions across the contemporary operating environment during this week’s SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida.
High-performance maritime industry player Kraken Technology Group, based in the UK, has used the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida this week to debut its K3 Scout uncrewed surface vessel (USV) to the North American market.
Red Cat and Palladyne AI recently conducted a cross-platform collaborative flight involving three diverse heterogeneous drones.