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Sep 15

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Fuel storage tanks burning at a Russian oil depot after a Ukrainian drone strike, with firefighters working in the snow

Aerovironment · Ukraine

Ukraine's Drones Broke The Diesel Market. Trump Wants Them Stopped.

European gasoil margins hit about $94 over Brent as Ukrainian drones cut Russian refining to a 24-year low. US diesel just passed $6 a gallon.

Haye KestelooSep 153 min read

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…

Rafael SuárezApr 24

Skydio

Pentagon Requests $75 Billion For Drones In FY27, With DAWG Getting The Largest Year-Over-Year Boost Of Any Defense Program

Pentagon’s FY27 budget earmarks $75B for drones, with $54.6B for DAWG, the largest year-over-year boost of any defense program. Full analysis and what’s next.

Haye KestelooApr 21

FAA's ICE NOTAM Gets Teeth: Change 13 Is the Enforcement Escalation Drone Pilots Should Fear - FAA Cracks Down on Drone Violations with $341,413 in Proposed Penalties - FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024: Key Changes for Drones and Advanced Air Mobility

Aerovironment

FAA Clears Military to Use Anti-Drone Lasers in U.S. Airspace After Two-Month Standoff

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave the U.S. military formal clearance on Friday to use high-energy lasers against suspected drones in U.S. airspace, ending a two-month interagency dispute that twice shut down commercial flight operations over the Texas-Mexico border. FAA administrator Bryan Bedford said in a joint statement with the Defense Department that the agency…

Haye KestelooApr 11

Aerovironment

AeroVironment Acquires ESAero in $200M Deal

AeroVironment just announced on a press release that has acquired Empirical Systems Aerospace in a transaction valued at approximately $200 million, adding a certified aerospace prototyping and manufacturing operation to a company that has spent the last twelve months aggressively reshaping itself into something much larger than a drone maker. The deal closed March 16…

Rafael SuárezMar 20

Aerovironment

Army’s AMP-HEL Laser Passes FAA Safety Test At White Sands — A Stray Airliner Made The Case

The Army’s AMP-HEL counter-drone laser passed a joint FAA safety evaluation at White Sands Missile Range on March 7-8, 2026 — and an unplanned commercial aircraft triggered the automated shutoff that made the strongest case for the system’s safety. Here’s what the test revealed and what it means for U.S. airspace.

Haye KestelooMar 17

Aerovironment

Trillium HD40 LVV Joins Army P550 ISR Fleet

The U.S. Army’s decision to pair Trillium Engineering’s HD40 LVV imaging payload with AeroVironment’s P550 uncrewed aircraft system offers a clear look at how future reconnaissance missions are being shaped, as Unmanned Systems Technology reported. This is not a case of simply mounting a capable camera onto a capable drone. It is a deliberate alignment…

Rafael SuárezFeb 4

Skydio

FCC Exempts Blue UAS Drones From Foreign Ban, But the Clock Is Already Ticking

I predicted the FCC would need to walk back parts of its sweeping foreign drone ban. Sixteen days after adding all foreign-made drones to the Covered List, the Pentagon has carved out exemptions for Blue UAS platforms and domestically assembled drones. But here’s what the headlines aren’t telling you: these exemptions expire on January 1,…

Haye KestelooJan 8

Aerovironment

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