The war that rewrote drone doctrine. FPV strikes, interceptors, jamming, and the industrial race behind them — reported from the open record.
U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll announced plans to purchase at least 1 million drones over the next two to three years, marking a dramatic 20-fold increase from current acquisition levels as the Pentagon races to catch up with adversaries who produce drones by the millions. Driscoll detailed the massive ramp-up in an exclusive interview with…
Germany’s parliament has approved approximately $563 million to develop and procure MBDA’s DefendAir counter-drone interceptor missiles, funding a weapon system that won’t reach serial production until 2029—more than four years away—even as small drone threats continue to escalate across Europe. The German Bundestag’s budget committee approved roughly €490 million ($563 million USD) to develop and
Apium Swarm Robotics has joined Red Cat Holdings’ Futures Initiative following successful U.S. Army testing of autonomous drone swarm technology that enables single operators to control multiple drones without centralized ground control. The partnership, announced November 4, 2025, comes as the Pentagon accelerates procurement of autonomous systems for contested battlefield environments. The colla
Russia has purchased 18,000 drones for 500 schools at a cost of 8.38 billion rubles ($82 million USD) in 2024 as part of a program training teenagers to operate unmanned aerial vehicles for combat, according to Ukrainian intelligence reports. The program, which began in 2023, targets students from grades 8-9 and aims to develop “understanding…
Ukraine’s military has transformed drone warfare into a competitive video game where verified kills earn points redeemable for advanced weapons, resulting in 18,000 Russian casualties in September alone. The gamified “Army of Drones Bonus System” has gone viral among Ukrainian units and now extends beyond drone strikes to artillery, reconnaissance, and logistics operations, fundamentally reshaping
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…
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
Based on reporting by Dan Barkin for Business North Carolina A first-of-its-kind drone competition in rural North Carolina is quietly prototyping how America might finally close its innovation gap with Ukraine’s battlefield laboratories—by letting military commanders “audition” new systems at civilian facilities and buy them within months instead of years. Dan Barkin attended and reported…
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