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U.S. Central Command shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, then struck Iranian coastal radar sites in response, the latest kinetic exchange to test a ceasefire that has held in name only since April. The drones were headed for the world’s most important oil chokepoint, the same…
Ukraine has quietly crossed a new line in military drone history. The Raybird reconnaissance UAV, developed by Ukrainian manufacturer Skyeton, has become the world’s first hydrogen electric drone confirmed to fly real combat missions, as UNITED24MEDIA reported. According to Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi, Skyeton announced on January 15 that the hydrogen electric version of the…
On June 1, 2025, Ukraine executed Operation “Spiderweb,” a drone-led assault targeting five Russian airbases, destroying dozens of strategic bombers hundreds of miles from its border. Reported by Ukrinform, this operation underscores Ukraine’s emergence as a global leader in drone warfare, showcasing its ability to innovate and defend against Russian aggression with homegrown technology. Spiderweb
In Ukraine’s evolving battlefield, fiber-optic kamikaze drones are emerging as a formidable weapon, capable of bypassing electronic jamming and striking targets with unprecedented precision. The Guardian reports that these wired first-person-view (FPV) drones, trailing 10-20 kilometers (6-12 miles) of fiber-optic cable, are reshaping military tactics and prompting urgent countermeasures. A New Bre
What began as a Chinese boy’s dream to simplify flying helicopters in the 1990s spiraled into DJI, a global drone empire that reshaped aerial photography, surveillance, and modern warfare. From a forgotten 2005 customs bust in Japan to the battlefields of Ukraine, where DJI drones drop bombs on tanks, Frank Wang’s journey is a tale…
The sophisticated deployment of drone technology by Syrian rebel forces, led primarily by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), proved decisive in their lightning offensive that culminated in the capture of Damascus and the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, ending 50 years of Assad family rule. The rebels’ locally developed “Shaheen” drones, combined with Ukrainian technical expertise,…
A fascinating new book uncovers how the U.S. military’s decades-long practice of converting manned aircraft into remotely piloted vehicles laid the groundwork for today’s drone technology. Author Frederick A. Johnsen details this largely overlooked aspect of aviation history in “Q-Birds: American Manned Aircraft as Drones.” The military’s drone conversion programs, which began in the 1920s,…
Syrian rebels reportedly received covert drone support from Ukrainian intelligence operatives just weeks before toppling the Assad regime, marking a significant escalation in the intersection of global conflicts. According to a Washington Post report citing unnamed sources familiar with Ukraine’s military operations, Ukrainian operatives sent approximately 150 first-person-view (FPV) drones and de
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