Signal Watch: Week Ending 31 May 2026

Three forward signals frame the period. Joint Interagency Task Force 401 awarded Perennial Autonomy a $500 million counter-drone IDIQ, the Pentagon's largest single C-UAS award, for interceptors that cost roughly half the drones they kill. The FAA's Part 108 BVLOS rule moves toward a spring-2026 final rule and second-half implementation, the most consequential near-term unlock for commercial drone delivery. And Amazon Prime Air and Wing converged on the Greater Houston market, the first time two operators have contested one US metro, with Wing's comment window closing 3 June. The period's two largest defence-capital and autonomy developments, Anduril's $61 billion round and the Shield AI Hivemind selection for LUCAS, are covered in dedicated dossiers.