This Monday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the Pentagon's proposed Defense Autonomous Warfare Group, a Qatari Boeing 747 being modified for use as Air Force One, plus unfunded priorities list coverage and more.

We start off with coverage of the Pentagon's "Drone Dominance" initiative:

Pentagon budget books offer few details on $55B drone warfare request

The Defense Department is seeking nearly $55 billion in fiscal year 2027 for a sweeping new "drone dominance" initiative aimed at rapidly scaling autonomous warfare capabilities, but the request is raising questions among budget analysts and lawmakers over its size, structure and lack of specificity.

Document: OSD's FY-27 RDT&E budget justification book

A Boeing 747-8i jet donated by the Qatari government has been modified by L3Harris and undergone testing and is being painted red, white and blue to become the next Air Force One:

Air Force touting Qatari jet as 'VC-25B Bridge,' plans rollout this summer

The Air Force has dubbed the Qatari-government-donated jet the "VC-25B Bridge" and plans to begin using it as Air Force One this summer, the service announced late last week.

Beyond the two fully funded, rapid-prototype Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft in development, the service also has five additional aircraft on contract with Boeing for the engineering and manufacturing development phase:

Meink offers to work with Congress on E-7A Wedgetail funding

The E-7A Wedgetail may still have a future as Air Force Secretary Troy Meink opened the door to working with Congress on further funding the program, despite the zeroed-out budget lines for the aircraft in the fiscal year 2027 request.

More coverage of the Pentagon's various unfunded priorities lists:

Air Force UPL calls for $1.7B for 40 MILCON projects

The Air Force listed 40 military construction projects as priorities left out of the fiscal year 2027 budget request, according to documents obtained by Inside Defense.

Document: Air Force's FY-27 unfunded priorities list
 

Most COCOMs sending Congress empty UPLs amid historic budget request

Several combatant commands have opted against identifying unfunded priorities for Congress this year as the Trump administration pitches lawmakers on its plans for a $1.5 trillion fiscal year 2027 budget, according to documents obtained by Inside Defense.