Russia

Shaheds, Lancets, fiber-optic FPVs and the counter-drone scramble — Russia’s drone war, tracked.

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Aug 10

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Brazen Drone Incursion Over US Nuke Base - Has NATO Already Lost the Drone War?

Police

Belgium Authorizes Military To Shoot Down Drones After Three Nights Of Suspected Espionage At Nuclear Weapons Base

Belgium’s chief of defence has authorized military personnel to shoot down unauthorized drones flying over the country’s military bases following three consecutive nights of suspected espionage operations at Kleine-Brogel Air Base, which houses U.S. nuclear weapons and F-16 fighter jets. The shoot-down order marks a significant escalation in Belgium’s response to what defense officials characteriz

Haye KestelooNov 4

Helsing Unveils AI-Powered Attack Drone, Claims 'Counter-Invasion Shield' Capabilities

Anduril

Germany Awards $950M Drone Contract Despite Disastrous Test Results

Germany plans to award contracts worth up to €900 million ($950 million USD) for kamikaze drones to two defense start-ups and an established contractor, even as one company’s systems failed spectacularly during recent military trials. The Financial Times reports that Helsing, Stark, and Rheinmetall will each receive approximately €300 million ($317 million USD) to supply…

Haye KestelooNov 3

Ukraine

EU’s Drone Defense Plan Sidelines Ukraine’s Proven Manufacturing Edge, Analyst Warns

The European Union’s ambitious drone defense roadmap is taking the wrong approach by limiting cooperation to EU-only initiatives rather than leveraging NATO structures and Ukraine’s battle-tested manufacturing capabilities, according to a Reuters Breakingviews analysis published today. Pierre Briancon, a Reuters Breakingviews columnist covering European business and economics, argues that Brussels

Haye KestelooNov 3

Anduril

Peter Thiel-Backed Stark Defence Fails All Four Strikes In Military Trials, Exposing Silicon Valley’s Defense Tech Reality Check

A German defense drone startup valued at $500 million suffered a catastrophic public failure during October 2025 military trials when its AI-powered strike drones missed all targets across four separate attempts, raising serious questions about whether venture capital can replicate battlefield-proven innovation. Stark Defence’s Virtus loitering munitions—marketed as autonomous strike drones capabl

Haye KestelooOct 31

North Korea

North Korean Hackers Target European Drone Makers in Sophisticated Espionage Campaign

North Korean state-sponsored hackers are actively targeting European defense contractors in a cyberespionage campaign designed to steal drone manufacturing secrets, security researchers revealed this week. The attacks, linked to the notorious Lazarus Group, focus specifically on companies developing unmanned aerial vehicle technology that’s currently being deployed in Ukraine. ESET researchers dis

Haye KestelooOct 27

Ukraine

Russia Deploys Ring-Wing “Kometa” Drones Over Ukraine As Experimental Design Triples Range

Ukrainian forces have spotted unusual Russian drones with circular ring-wing designs operating over front lines, marking the first combat deployment of an experimental aerodynamic configuration that could extend strike range by up to three times compared to conventional quadcopters. The Kometa drones, manufactured by Russian company Shag Vpered, represent Moscow’s latest attempt to gain tactical…

Haye KestelooOct 26

Ukraine

From Film Casting To Billion-Dollar Defense: Ukraine’s Fire Point Faces Corruption Probe As Drone Industry Matures

Three years ago, Fire Point was scouting locations for Ukrainian film productions. Today, it’s a $1 billion defense contractor producing long-range strike drones and cruise missiles that are pounding Russian infrastructure. But the company’s meteoric rise has triggered a corruption investigation examining inflated pricing, quality concerns, and alleged ties to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s former

Haye KestelooOct 26

Ukraine Emerges as NATO’s Drone Warfare Teacher as Europe Rushes to Learn Battle-Tested Tactics

Bell

Ukraine’s AI Drone Revolution Hits Hardware Reality: Full Autonomy Remains Years Away Despite Battlefield Success

Ukraine’s rapid advances in AI-powered drone warfare are running into a fundamental obstacle that no amount of software innovation can overcome: the physical limits of what computing power a small drone can carry into battle. A comprehensive investigation by the Kyiv Independent reveals that despite deploying thousands of AI-enabled systems and achieving dramatic improvements in…

Haye KestelooOct 26

Russia

The drone industry moves fast. Stay ahead of it.