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Contracts · Autonomy

Army lab awards Havoc an SBIR Phase III for autonomous air and ground resupply

Havoc says the contract builds on its work in the Army's xTechOverwatch competition. Its announcement didn't give the contract's value, ceiling or length.

The Army Applications Laboratory has awarded Havoc a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III contract, the Providence, R.I., collaborative autonomy software company announced Monday. The award will fund continued development of Havoc's software for logistics resupply across multiple hardware platforms. Under the contract, Havoc says, it will expand its multi-domain capabilities to orchestrate resupply deliveries to soldiers by air and ground.1

The contract builds on Havoc's work under xTech Overwatch

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III contract from the Army Applications Laboratory (AAL)

xTech Overwatch's Pegasus Charge III exerciseend-to-end autonomous resupply missionactual

Rune Technologies successfully integrated TyrOS with Havoc's autonomous drones

Army Applications Laboratoryair and ground platformsplanned

Havoc will expand its multi-domain capabilities to orchestrate the delivery of critical resupply to Soldiers via air and ground platforms

Source: Havoc releases, Sept. 3, 2026 (with Rune Technologies) and Oct. 12, 2026. Data as of Oct. 12, 2026.

Sources
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Havoc's chief executive, Paul Lwin, said the Phase III designation means any federal agency, "not just the Department of War, can now bring Havoc on board through a streamlined, non-competitive path."1 Phase III is the SBIR program's commercialization stage, where a company can market what it developed in Phase II to government or commercial buyers.2 Havoc's backers include defense contractors: the company raised a $100 million Series A in May, with SAIC joining existing investors including Lockheed Martin.4

The Army lists Havoc as a winner of xTechOverwatch, a competition that sought concepts for autonomous aircraft, ground vehicles and sensor networks from small businesses.2 In August, during the competition's Pegasus Charge III exercise at Fort Hood, Texas, Havoc and Rune Technologies completed an end-to-end autonomous resupply mission with Havoc's drones and Rune's TyrOS software, the companies said.3 Havoc says the expanded air and ground work responds to a need identified by its 1st Cavalry Division customer at Overwatch/Pegasus Charge.1

A Phase III award to Havoc from a buyer other than the Army Applications Laboratory would show the path Lwin describes in use.1

Sources (4)
  1. Havoc: Havoc Awarded SBIR Phase III Contract by Army Applications Laboratory for Multi-Domain Mission Collaborative Autonomy (Oct. 12, 2026) www.prnewswire.com
  2. U.S. Army xTech: xTechOverwatch competition page www.xtech.army.mil
  3. Havoc: Havoc and Rune Technologies Announce Integration to Deliver Autonomous Logistics at the Edge (Sept. 3, 2026) www.havocai.com
  4. Havoc: Havoc Raises $100M Series A to Power the Future of All-Domain Collaborative Autonomy (May 12, 2026) www.havocai.com
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Capital · Drones

Badland Batteries' Navy-backed drone cell plant opens after its 2025 production goal passed

The Fargo, N.D., plant will make lithium-ion cells for unmanned systems. Its cell timetable has moved since 2024.

· Corrected

Badland Batteries, a subsidiary of drone battery maker Packet Digital, opened its battery cell plant in Fargo, N.D., on Oct. 8.1, 4–5 The facility will manufacture lithium-ion cells, from electrode manufacturing through formation and aging, and Badland will be able to assemble packs at its facility a mile away.1, 6 The company says it has the capacity to increase production based on industry growth.1

Badland's Fargo cell schedule moved before the Oct. 8 plant opening

Company-stated cell goals and targets by date stated, then the opening; Fargo, N.D., drone battery cell plant

End of 2025April 2024 goal: make battery cells for customers
2026April 2026: plant will begin production of U.S.-made battery cells
OctoberSept. 23, 2026: set to begin production
Oct. 8Badland celebrated the plant's opening

The Oct. 8 releases from Badland and Sen. John Hoeven say the plant will manufacture cells; neither says production has begun or names a customer.

Badland Batteries releases, April 18, 2024, and April 8, Sept. 23 and Oct. 8, 2026; Sen. John Hoeven release, Oct. 8, 2026.

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Badland called the opening the completion of the building.1 When Packet Digital announced the factory in April 2024, it aimed to make cells for customers by the end of 2025.5 In April 2026, Packet Digital said cell production would begin that year; on Sept. 23, Badland put the start in October.2, 4 The company's Oct. 8 release says the plant will manufacture cells, without saying production has begun or naming a customer.1

North Dakota's Clean Sustainable Energy Authority made a $17.4 million award toward the plant.5 Chief Executive Terri Zimmerman said the company invested nearly $100 million.1–2

Navy money runs through the project. After a Navy contract phase covering plant design and construction, the company announced in May that it was awarded $9.8 million for Phase 3.3 In April it announced a $27 million Small Business Innovation Research Phase III contract from the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division to scale cell manufacturing.4

Phase 3 focuses on scaling volumes, qualifying production equipment and ramping throughput "to meet Navy requirements."3 Customer deliveries of Fargo-made cells, and progress toward the 2028 maximum-capacity goal set in 2024, will show whether the opening becomes output.5

Correction, November 4, 2026: An earlier version of this brief described the plant as an 80,000-square-foot pouch-cell facility, reported the company's statements that it could produce more than 15,000 cells a day and that more than 90% of the U.S. drone battery supply chain relies on Chinese-made cells, and cited Sen. John Hoeven's figure of $52.6 million in Navy funding. The company's current announcements do not include those details and Sen. Hoeven's release is no longer available, so we removed them.

Sources (6)
  1. Badland Batteries: Badland Batteries Cuts Ribbon at Battery Cell Manufacturing Facility (Oct. 8, 2026) www.badlandbatteries.com
  2. Badland Batteries: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Rep. Julie Fedorchak tour battery cell manufacturing facility (Sept. 23, 2026) www.badlandbatteries.com
  3. Badland Batteries: Packet Digital Awarded $9.8 million U.S. Navy Contract to Scale Battery Cell Production (May 5, 2026) www.badlandbatteries.com
  4. Badland Batteries: Packet Digital awarded $27 million Phase III SBIR contract to bolster domestic battery manufacturing (April 8, 2026) www.badlandbatteries.com
  5. Badland Batteries: Packet Digital to build battery cell factory in North Dakota (April 18, 2024) www.badlandbatteries.com
  6. Badland Batteries: Battery Cell Plant www.badlandbatteries.com
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Contracts · Space

Viasat wins contract for Space Data Network’s mission operations hub

The award includes a $115 million initial task order to design, field and scale the center, under a contract with a $450 million ceiling.

Space Systems Command (SSC) awarded Viasat a competitive indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the Space Data Network Backbone’s Mission Operations Center, the command announced Nov. 5, 2026. The contract carries a $450 million maximum ceiling and a $115 million initial task order to design, field and scale the center.1

Viasat, Inc. will serve as the network and mission system integration partner

Mission Operations Center (MOC) for the Space Data Network Backbone

maximum ceiling$450 millionactual

contract to Viasat, Inc., with a maximum ceiling of $450 million

initial task order$115 millionactual

to design, field, and scale the MOC

Source: Space Systems Command, Nov. 5, 2026

Sources
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Viasat will serve as the network and mission system integration partner as SSC expands its open-architecture ecosystem across multiple space-segment providers. SSC plans to bring mission integration, network operations and data transport management together through the center.1

The effort builds on the multi-vendor acquisition strategy demonstrated in the Space-Based Sensing and Targeting portfolio’s earlier Delivery Order 2 and Delivery Order 3 work. That work involved Amazon LEO for Government, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Rocket Lab and York Space Systems.1

Breaking Defense reported that the center will serve as the network orchestration hub for the backbone, a low Earth orbit constellation being built by SpaceX. The network’s near-term focus will be supporting the Golden Dome missile defense initiative, the outlet reported.2

DefenseScoop reported that earlier this year the Department of War awarded SpaceX a $2.3 billion contract to deliver a fully operational backbone prototype by the end of 2027.3

The center is intended to integrate mission systems across multiple constellations and providers.1 Breaking Defense described network orchestration as autonomously shifting data among satellite constellations and ground stations when congestion or jamming slows transmission.2

Sources (3)
  1. SSC release, Nov. 5, 2026 www.ssc.spaceforce.mil
  2. Breaking Defense breakingdefense.com
  3. DefenseScoop defensescoop.com
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