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Oct 13

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Nose and cockpit of a gray US Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber taxiing across a concrete flightline

US Air Force · United Kingdom

MI5 Chief: Iran Hasn't Shown the UK Drone Reach That Sent B-1s Home

MI5 chief Ken McCallum says Iran's UK operations have been nowhere near the drone capability feared at RAF Fairford, where the US pulled its B-1s.

Haye KestelooOct 134 min read

US Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber taking off with afterburners lit, spraying water off a runway lined with autumn trees

Department of Defense

Feared Iran Drone Attack Sent All 12 US B-1s Home From RAF Fairford

US and British officials say a feared IRGC drone attack, which some liken to Ukraine's Spiderweb raid, led the US to pull all 12 B-1s from RAF Fairford.

Haye KestelooOct 6

Gray drone wing and fuselage lying across the bow of a center-console fishing boat while two men look back from the helm

Department of Defense

Air Force Loses Shahed Clone Off Eglin, Fishing Charter Reels It In

A Pensacola charter hauled a US Air Force Shahed-136 clone out of the Gulf near Eglin. The base confirms a test article went down but won't name it.

Haye KestelooSep 21

No Drone Zone warning sign mounted on a brick perimeter wall

Counter-Drone

UK Bases Logged 340 Drone Incidents in a Year. The MoD Names Nobody

MoD figures show 340 drone incidents at British military sites in a year, up from 126 in 2024. The ministry credits better detection and names no culprit.

Haye KestelooSep 19

A US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft in flight against an overcast sky

Iran

Pentagon Counts 30 Reapers Lost in Iran War, No Line to Rebuild

The first official Pentagon accounting of the Iran war lists as many as 30 MQ-9 Reapers destroyed, more than every crewed aircraft loss combined.

Haye KestelooSep 15

Three B-52H Stratofortress bombers parked in the open on the flight line at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana

Department of Defense

STRATCOM Calls Ukraine's Spiderweb Raid 'Utterly Eye-Opening' as Drones Circle US Nuclear Bases

A STRATCOM official calls Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb 'utterly eye-opening' as the command running America's nuclear triad studies counter-drone defense.

Haye KestelooAug 26

Shield AI's X-BAT fighter drone standing tail-first on its launch trailer in a jungle clearing

Industry

Navy Puts $50 Million On Shield AI's X-BAT While The Air Force Watches

The Navy and Defense Innovation Unit are investing $50 million in Shield AI's X-BAT, a tail-landing fighter drone that has never flown. The Air Force is deliberately sitting this one out, and the hard part is the landing.

Haye KestelooAug 20

Red Cat Black Widow drone seen head-on, showing its forward camera payload and folding arms

Interview

Red Cat Has Air Force Black Widows Built as Army Tests AiN

Red Cat's entire $2.49 million Air Force Black Widow order is built and waiting, Divisional CEO Mitch McDonald told DroneXL, as the Army assesses the company's new Palantir-equipped AiN payload on its own factory floor.

Rafael SuárezAug 18

US Air Force

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