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Rafael Suárez

Rafael Suárez

Rafael Suárez is a drone journalist and content creator with more than 20 years behind the lens. He began in film photography in 1998, moved to digital in 2005, and has been flying and filming with drones since 2016. As a commercial videographer he has produced work for premium brands including BMW, Porsche, and MINI, and his documentary work champions a #flysafe mentality across the industry. Based in Quito, Ecuador, he covers drone news, hardware, and the policy and business shaping the industry for DroneXL, and shares reviews and cinematic flight on his YouTube channel. A dad and a lifelong aviation nerd, he's happiest when something is in the air.

1,178
Articles
144
Beats covered
2025
Writing since
Aug 13
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Navy's First Carrier Laser Test Destroys Multiple Drones
Counter-Drone

Navy’s First Carrier Laser Test Destroys Multiple Drones

The US Navy just put a laser weapon on an aircraft carrier for the first time. On October 5, 2025, a palletized AeroVironment LOCUST system detected, tracked, and destroyed multiple drones in a live-fire test aboard the USS George H.W. Bush, as reported by News Nation Now. The Navy sat on the news for 197…

Airbus A400M to Launch 12 Cruise Missiles or 50 Drones
Airbus

Airbus A400M to Launch 12 Cruise Missiles or 50 Drones

Airbus just turned its A400M transport into something much more dangerous. On April 18, 2026, the company confirmed a new mothership variant that can launch up to 12 cruise missiles or around 50 drones straight out of the cargo ramp, as reported by Interesting Engineering. The payload stays internal, so the aircraft keeps its range…

Australia Bets $5B on Laser and Interceptor Drone Defense
Ukraine

Australia Bets $5B on Laser and Interceptor Drone Defense

Australia just unveiled a decade-long counter-drone push worth up to $7 billion AUD (about $5 billion USD), anchored by two Melbourne companies building hardware the Defence Industry Minister compared to Star Wars, as The Sydney Morning Herald reported. The initial $31 million AUD ($22 million USD) in contracts went to AIM Defence for a high-powered…

Army Opens Flightwerx Drone Hub Next to Fort Rucker
US Army

Army Opens Flightwerx Drone Hub Next to Fort Rucker

The U.S. Army opened Flightwerx on April 20, a new drone innovation facility in Daleville, Alabama, sitting right outside Fort Rucker. The site is built to train soldiers on unmanned systems, connect them with industry and academia, and feed the Army’s push to close a documented gap in small drone and FPV warfare, as The…

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8,400+
Articles published
340+
Beats & desks
2020
Covering drones since
100%
Independent