AI Takes Flight: Five Companies Advancing Defense and Aerospace Intelligence

Issued on behalf of Starfighters Space, Inc.

VANCOUVER, Feb. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — USA News Group News Commentary – The U.S. Department of Defense recently requested $66 billion in IT spending for its fiscal 2026, signalling a $1.8 billion increase from the prior year, with artificial intelligence topping the priority list across every service branch^[1]. A new industry forecast projects the global AI in defense and aerospace market will grow from $4.2 billion to $42.8 billion by 2036, a tenfold expansion driven by autonomous systems and real-time intelligence processing^[2]. Five companies operating at the intersection of aerospace, AI, and national security are Starfighters Space (NYSE American: FJET), Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR), AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV), Redwire (NYSE: RDW), and V2X (NYSE: VVX).

The global space economy reached $626 billion in 2025 and is projected to surpass $1 trillion by 2034, with defense and sovereignty emerging as the dominant growth drivers^[3]. NASA continues to advance the medical knowledge base for long-duration spaceflight, with ISS crew members conducting real-time cardiovascular monitoring and psychological assessments to prepare for deep-space missions^[4].

Starfighters Space (NYSE American: FJET) recently announced it is moving forward to Critical Design Review for STARLAUNCH 1 with support from GE Aerospace. The CDR is intended to confirm design maturity and support the program’s transition into its next phase of build and test planning.

In aerospace development, a Critical Design Review is a structured program milestone used to provide a detailed, integrated review of a system’s design before proceeding into full-scale fabrication, integration, and formal test execution. The review will evaluate design documentation for the launch vehicle and its interfaces with the carrier aircraft, with a focus on configuration control, manufacturability, verification plans, and test readiness.

The milestone builds on Starfighters‘ recently completed subsonic and supersonic wind tunnel testing for STARLAUNCH 1, which demonstrated clean separation behavior at Mach 0.85 and Mach 1.3 across ten successful runs. Results showed strong agreement between computational fluid dynamics predictions and experimental data, and the company has since initiated procurement of instrumented drop test articles to evaluate separation dynamics under actual flight conditions.

“We execute StarLaunch as a series of practical, documented steps to space,” said Tim Franta, Director and VP Development at Starfighters. “A critical design review is where we confirm that the design is ready for the next phase. Our team is dedicated and focused on the mission, and we are staying disciplined as we progress STARLAUNCH 1.”

GE Aerospace has supported Starfighters‘ StarLaunch development through prior engineering work and flight test activities, including a recent supersonic flight test campaign carrying an advanced propulsion test vehicle during three captive carry missions from Kennedy Space Center. That work supports GE Aerospace‘s Atmospheric Test of Launched Air-breathing System (ATLAS) program, focused on advancing solid fuel ramjet propulsion technology with funding from the U.S. Department of Defense under Title III of the Defense Production Act.

STARLAUNCH 1 is being developed as a sub-orbital vehicle designed to support short-duration microgravity missions and serves as a pathfinder for future air-launched concepts. In parallel, the company’s validated separation work supports its broader aerospace testing services, including programs where clean separation is required for advanced and hypersonic vehicle testing.

Starfighters operates the only commercial fleet in the free world capable of carrying underwing test payloads at speeds greater than Mach 2, or more than 1,500 miles per hour. The company’s growing range of collaborations across defense and space positions its F-104 platform as a versatile high-performance testbed serving both government and commercial partners.

In other industry developments:

Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) recently announced plans to develop and deploy the next generation of artificial intelligence technologies for aviation using the NVIDIA IGX Thor platform. At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, the company unveiled three core development areas: real-time sensor fusion for enhanced pilot situational awareness, predictive health monitoring enabling proactive aircraft system maintenance, and autonomy-ready flight controls pairing the IGX Thor computing architecture with Archer‘s proprietary avionics and control software to support future autonomous and semi-autonomous operations.

“CES has always been a launchpad for technologies that reshape industries, so we’re proud to announce our AI collaboration with NVIDIA here,” said Adam Goldstein, Founder and CEO of Archer Aviation. “NVIDIA‘s AI compute capabilities and software stack give us the foundation to accelerate toward safer, smarter aircraft systems and modernize how aviation interfaces with the world’s airspace.”

The company is developing Midnight, a piloted electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft designed for commercial urban air mobility operations. Archer holds FAA Part 135 air carrier certification and has secured commercial launch agreements with partners including United Airlines and Soracle, targeting initial commercial operations in select U.S. metro markets. The NVIDIA partnership represents a significant step toward building a next-generation computing architecture for the company’s aircraft fleet.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) recently received a $75 million task order from the U.S. Air Force to advance biotechnology and smart materials under the Functional Responsive Experimentation for Systems and Humans (FRESH) program at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Under the 60-month period of performance, the company will develop and evaluate new materials, processing methods, and modeling techniques to create advanced polymers and responsive materials that enhance the performance and resilience of Air Force assets across air, space, and weapons systems, expanding the company’s ongoing work with the Air Force Research Laboratory.

“We’re entering an era where biology and materials science are converging,” said Dr. John Hogan, Vice President of Defense and Interagency Services at AeroVironment. “Our work under this program explores that frontier, creating responsive systems that enhance human performance, reduce maintenance burdens, and ensure operational dominance for the Air Force.”

The company’s research will leverage artificial intelligence to speed discovery, testing, and environmental evaluation, with applications spanning cognitive and physiological monitoring, flexible electronics, additive smart materials, and synthetic biology. AeroVironment continues to expand its defense technology portfolio beyond its established Switchblade loitering munition and Puma unmanned aircraft platforms.

Redwire (NYSE: RDW) recently announced its selection for the Missile Defense Agency‘s Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) contract, an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity vehicle with a ceiling of $151 billion. The multi-award contract encompasses a broad range of work areas that allows for the rapid delivery of innovative capabilities to the warfighter with increased speed and agility across multiple defense mission areas.

“Redwire‘s proven space and defense technologies, including unmanned aerial systems, advanced sensors, maneuverable spacecraft platforms, and agent-based modeling and simulation, position us to deliver resilient, multi-domain solutions for national security missions,” said Peter Cannito, Chairman and CEO of Redwire. “We are excited to continue advancing capabilities that help protect the homeland and support mission partners across the Department of Defense.”

The company employs approximately 1,300 people across the United States and Europe, focused on building the future of aerospace infrastructure, autonomous systems, and multi-domain operations leveraging digital engineering and AI automation. Redwire‘s capabilities span unmanned platforms, advanced sensor systems, and the development of next-generation maneuverable spacecraft for both government and commercial partners. The SHIELD contract positions the company to contribute across the full spectrum of homeland defense modernization initiatives.

V2X (NYSE: VVX) recently secured a position on the Advanced Technology Support Program 5 (ATSP5), a $25 billion multiple-award contract administered by the Defense Microelectronics Activity under the Office of the Secretary of Defense. ATSP5 is one of the Department of Defense‘s most comprehensive engineering development and technology transition initiatives. The scope includes engineering development from system studies and prototyping through testing, integration, and limited production, covering full lifecycle technology support for embedded systems, network-centric warfare systems, and large-scale defense integrations.

“Winning a position on the ATSP5 enables V2X as a leader in transformative engineering solutions,” said Jeremy C. Wensinger, President and Chief Executive Officer of V2X. “Our selection places us at the forefront of defense modernization, allowing us to deliver advanced capabilities that don’t simply respond to threats and system obsolescence, but anticipate and evolve with them.”

The company brings decades of expertise in rapid acquisition, systems engineering, microelectronics supply assurance, and the intelligent application of advanced technologies including AI. The ATSP5 program creates pathways for modernization, overcoming obsolescence challenges, and extending the lifecycle of aging defense equipment while advancing AI-optimized systems and large-scale AI orchestration capabilities to address emerging national security threats.

Article Source: USA News Group

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SOURCES:

1.   https://www.washingtontechnology.com/opinion/2026/02/dods-66b-it-budget-pivots-ai-and-efficiency/411370/

2.   https://www.openpr.com/news/4372960/ai-in-defense-aerospace-market-size-growth-trends

3.   https://spacenews.com/global-space-economy-reaches-626-billion-marking-a-new-phase-of-growth/

4.   https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2026/02/10/cardiac-and-psychology-research-on-station-as-crew-12-adjusts-launch-date/

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