Ukraine

The war that rewrote drone doctrine. FPV strikes, interceptors, jamming, and the industrial race behind them — reported from the open record.

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Oct 5

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Department of Defense

Pentagon’s DOGE Unit Seizes Control Of Drone Program After Replicator Failures, Targets 30,000-Unit Buy

The Pentagon’s Department of Government Efficiency unit is leading a previously undisclosed effort to overhaul the U.S. military drone program, aiming to acquire at least 30,000 cheap drones in the coming months—a dramatic intervention that positions Red Cat, Skydio, and other American manufacturers for significant contract wins after years of bureaucratic delays, according to a…

Haye KestelooOct 31

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

US Army

101st Airborne Soldiers Build $740 Combat Drone After Telling Leadership ‘I Can Build That’

Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division are building disposable combat drones for less than $800 each, dramatically undercutting commercial alternatives that cost up to $11,000 while delivering the same battlefield capabilities. The Attritable Battlefield Enabler, or ABE 1.01, costs just $740 at scale and provides small units with reconnaissance, target acquisition, and the ability to…

Haye KestelooOct 30

Ukraine

ParaZero Lands Another Major Counter-Drone Defense Contract As Global Demand Surges

Israeli aerospace defense company ParaZero Technologies has secured another substantial order for its DefendAir counter-drone systems from an unnamed Tier 1 global defense corporation, according to an announcement from the company. The contract marks the third significant DefendAir order ParaZero has announced in just three months, underscoring the explosive growth in counter-UAS procurement world

Haye KestelooOct 27

Auterion

Norway Deploys First Operational NATO Drone Swarm As Europe Races To Match Ukraine’s Battlefield Innovation

The Norwegian Army has officially received its first Valkyrie autonomous drone swarm system, becoming the first NATO country to field an operational swarm platform as European allies scramble to adopt rapid-iteration defense development models proven effective in Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia. The handover took place on October 16 during LandX, the Norwegian Defence Research…

Haye KestelooOct 27

Canada

Volatus Aerospace Launches NATO-Aligned Drone Manufacturing Hub in Canada to Boost Defense Readiness

Canadian drone manufacturer Volatus Aerospace announced plans to establish a 200,000-square-foot Innovation Center and Manufacturing Hub at Montréal-Mirabel International Airport, marking a significant expansion of domestic defense drone production aligned with NATO requirements. The facility will produce both proprietary Volatus platforms and licensed partner systems to support the Canadian Armed

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

The drone industry moves fast. Stay ahead of it.