Sotereon.AI is planting deeper roots in Florida’s growing tech corridor with the opening of a new office at Tampa International Airport. The AI and spatial intelligence company has embedded its development team directly within the airport’s SkyCenter to accelerate real-world testing and deployment of its Overwatch™ platform—technology that delivers real-time situational awareness across transportation, logistics, and critical infrastructure environments.
The move positions Sotereon.AI at the center of Tampa Bay’s fast-growing innovation ecosystem, surrounded by partners in defense, aviation, and smart city development. By working side-by-side with airport operations, the company aims to refine its AI and LiDAR-based systems in live environments, helping transform how airports manage operations and enhance customer experience. Sotereon.AI’s Tampa expansion highlights how public-private collaboration can speed up the path from prototype to practical impact in the era of intelligent infrastructure.
Layoffs: Rand
The RAND Corporation is making major workforce cuts, announcing plans to lay off 73 employees at its Santa Monica headquarters—nearly a third of its remaining local staff—effective November 2. The move is part of a broader reduction of nearly 200 jobs across RAND’s global operations as the research organization scales back to “staffing levels of a few years ago.” RAND leaders said the decision, while difficult, won’t disrupt ongoing research or commitments to government and private sector clients.
The layoffs come as RAND reevaluates how it uses its 326,000-square-foot Santa Monica facility, which now sees only about 225 employees on site each day—far below its pre-pandemic design capacity. With much of its workforce continuing remote and hybrid work, the think tank is exploring options to lease or sell its landmark headquarters.
Hiring: Akima
Akima is deepening its footprint in Huntsville, Alabama, with the opening of a new 35,000-square-foot office aimed at bolstering support for defense, aerospace, and technology missions. The expansion, celebrated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony with local and federal leaders, reflects Akima’s long-term investment in The Rocket City’s growing national security ecosystem. The new facility will enhance Akima’s ability to deliver mission-critical solutions for customers at Redstone Arsenal and beyond—supporting commands across the Army, Missile Defense Agency, and FBI—while also driving innovation and collaboration within Huntsville’s tight-knit defense community.
The expansion comes with a strong hiring focus. Akima plans to grow its local workforce across key areas such as aerospace, IT, engineering, logistics, and mission support—adding to Huntsville’s already robust pool of cleared and technical professionals. The company is also investing in the next generation of talent, with its subsidiary Pinnacle Solutions contributing $100,000 to the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering to support STEM education. Akima’s presence in Huntsville goes beyond business; it’s actively supporting community events, local associations, and workforce development, underscoring its role as both an employer and civic partner in one of America’s fastest-growing defense hubs.
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Opportunity to Watch
AeroVironment is moving to scale the Switchblade from niche tactical munition to mass-produced, modular capability. The company says it will open a new Salt Lake City production facility in late 2026 or early 2027 to boost monthly output from roughly 500 units to “several thousand,” and it’s updating the product line to be more plug-and-play — adding modular radios, GPS, and secondary payload bays so customers can swap components for different missions. On the product side, AeroVironment rolled out updated 300, 400 and 600 variants: a revised Switchblade 300 with an armor-piercing EFP intended to defeat heavier targets, a 400 tailored for the Army’s LASSO effort, and a Block 2 Switchblade 600 with M-code GPS, improved radios and automated target recognition slated for deliveries starting in early 2026.
Beyond factories and hardware, the company is experimenting with new launch and control concepts — from mounting launchers on vehicles and ships to a recent in-flight test that launched a Switchblade 600 from an MQ-9 Reaper and used the Reaper’s satcom link for control. Taken together these moves show AeroVironment positioning Switchblade as a family of adaptable loitering munitions designed for higher production rates, wider mission sets, and greater integration with manned and unmanned platforms.
