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Meet the new US Navy high-tech laser weapon, HELIOS
More from Ryan Robertson
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How drones are changing national defense: Weapons and Warfare
This week Weapons and Warfare is all about drones. Host Ryan Robertson talks with some former Air Force leaders and defense and security experts on what U.S. national defense is doing right, and where it needs to improve when it comes to drones in the hands of today’s operators. Also featured in this episode: You… -
Drones are changing combat, US military needs to adapt
In the modern military sense of the word, drones have been around for over a century. In 1907, three French inventors developed the first quadcopter. It took four men to fly it and could only get two feet off the ground, but it marked the launching point for the drones in use today. The first… -
Smaller drones finding a home in the military: Weapon of the week
To say there is a lot of competition in the drone industry is putting it mildly. Hundreds of drone manufacturers compete for a limited number of military contracts. The latest weapon of the week from Performance Drone Works (PDW) has a few key highlights that make it stand out from the rest of the pack.… -
Ukraine stabilizes frontlines, posts notable firsts
Ukraine may be seizing the momentum on the battlefield, or at least making sure Russia loses it. Before the arrival of more Western weapons to Ukraine, Russia spent the last few months making small but extremely costly gains, stretching Ukrainian forces almost to the brink. Now, Ukrainian forces stabilized the northern frontlines. Russia is trying… -
Ukrainian drone spots wounded soldier, prompts rapid rescue
A Ukrainian soldier, shot five times, risked everything to secure his rescue after being ambushed by Russian troops. The soldier managed to crawl away and hide within a tree line in the Kharkiv Oblast. Spotting a reconnaissance drone overhead and unsure if it was friend or foe, he flashed his military ID. Fortunately, it was… -
With Gaza wrapping up, Israel prepares for fight with Hezbollah
Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza could be wrapped up in a matter of weeks. The Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) campaign against Hezbollah, however, may just be getting started. Whenever people talk about conflict or wars in the Middle East, it’s always hard to boil down thousands of years of history into a news… -
US creating new fleet of ‘Doomsday Planes’ that can survive a nuclear attack
For 54 years Boeing provided a critical national security service for the United States Air Force, supplying a fleet of aircraft dubbed “Doomsday Planes.” Now, Boeing is out, and a new company is taking the reins to create the fleet of aircraft that will fly into the next generation, providing protection for U.S. national leaders… -
‘We have the right to defend ourselves’: Philippines, China tensions rise
The Chinese coast guard said Filipino marines pointed guns at them. However, the Philippines Armed Forces said its marines were taking a defensive stance because the Chinese tried to steal supplies meant for the marines aboard a ship used as an outpost in the disputed Second Thomas Shoal. Newly released video appears to show two… -
America’s first parachuting World War II correspondent: Weapons and Warfare
This week on Weapons and Warfare, as the world reflects on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Host Ryan Robertson has a conversation with a journalism professor and documentarian, Barney McCoy, about his latest film, “Running Towards The Fire: A War Correspondent’s Story.” This new documentary centers on the experiences of World War II correspondent Robert… -
The Houthis are reaping Reapers in the Red Sea
Since October, Houthi militants in Yemen have shot down five U.S.-operated MQ-9 Reapers. These unmanned aerial systems, larger than some planes, are primarily used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), but they can also carry munitions, such as Hellfire missiles. Straight Arrow News’ Ryan Robertson spoke to Jonathon Molik, a U.S. intelligence officer with 30… -
Biden OKs Ukraine using US weapons to strike Russia, but with caveats
Following pleas from Kyiv, a major policy reversal from the Biden administration was been announced on Friday, May 31. The White House has reportedly given Ukraine permission to strike inside Russia using U.S.-supplied weapons. However, there are some stipulations. The weapons can only be used near Kharkiv, Ukraine, for countering Russian attacks. The U.S. stopped… -
Russia is struggling to stop Ukraine’s drone planes. So would NATO.
Rockets, missiles, hypersonic glide vehicles: most modern airborne weapons have one thing in common — they’re fast. In Russia, however, a slow-moving threat from Ukraine is making an unexpected impact. Small, propeller planes loaded with explosives are being flown autonomously to sensitive sites deep within Russian territory. These planes damage refineries and destroy radar sites,… -
New tech is built for the evolving nature of combat: Weapons and Warfare
This episode of Weapons and Warfare is taking a look at new tech in the battle space. One company is working to make sure deployed troops have the computing power they need to operate in remote and austere environments as the nature of combat continues to evolve. Host Ryan Robertson provides an up-close look at…