The Pentagon last month held its first “Top Drone” school for drone pilots to demonstrate their skills in a threat-representative environment. Lt. Col. Matt Limeberry, commander of the Pentagon’s Rapid Assessment or Prototype Technology Task Force, told Defense News in an interview Monday that DOD plans to host at least two Top Drone schools each…
LONDON — Incorporating combat experience from Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion, Estonian company Threod Systems is expanding its range of drone launchers and unmanned aerial vehicles employed in the war. “Whenever you see a long-range drone hit a target inside Russia, it is likely that our launcher was used by the Ukrainian military to facilitate…
LONDON — The United Kingdom will scale up interceptor-drone technology developed by Ukraine and plans to deliver thousands of drones to the embattled country every month, Defence Secretary John Healey said at the DSEI UK defense show here on Thursday. Under Project Octopus, Ukraine will share intellectual property related to an interceptor drone that has…
LONDON — Empowering the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force to reintroduce a nuclear-strike capability as soon as possible will be a key priority for the service in the coming years, according to Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth, the country’s Chief of the Air Staff, who took over the role in August. “The RAF will soon…
LONDON — Future air defense for naval vessels and combat armor may include a defensive escort of uncrewed vehicles equipped with electronic warfare measures or drone-killing cannons, according to the technology director at BAE Systems, Europe’s largest defense company. The logic follows lessons learned from recent naval engagements that dance around the sweet spot of…
BERLIN — German arms giant Rheinmetall is poised to deliver its Skyranger short-range air defense system to Ukraine by the end of the year, according to the company’s chief executive. Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger told German public media earlier in the week that a contract to that effect would be signed on Wednesday at the…
LONDON — General Dynamics Land Systems United Kingdom has released a new infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) variant of its Ajax tracked vehicle at the 2025 DSEI UK show in London, promoting what the company describes as the product’s enhanced protection level for the crew and numerous new features. “The Ajax IFV is the missing variant…
LONDON — Poland, Finland, and Baltic nations are racing against time to operationalize a multi-layered initiative aimed at fortifying their borders against potential Russian drone threats, but have faced political delays and logistical challenges. The ambitious project, dubbed the “Baltic Drone Wall,” was introduced by the Estonian Defense Industry Cluster earlier this year and aims…
TALLINN, Estonia — The last time Russia and Belarus held major joint military drills in 2022, Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine just days later. Now the two close allies are conducting war games again, raising tensions anew in the region The war games, dubbed “Zapad 2025,” or “West 2025,” take place in Belarus starting…
The Air Force may be forced to keep operating its already half-century-old Minuteman III nuclear missiles until 2050, as the replacement Sentinel program continues to run into delays, government auditors said Wednesday. The service had previously expected the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile to reach the end of its service in 2036, the Government Accountability…
