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…

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 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…

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…

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,…

In April 2024, Ukraine launched an attack hundreds of miles into Russian territory that took out a Russian radar system. The Ukrainian drones had struck a facility housing a 29B6 Container Radar, a Russian early warning system designed to detect incoming threats from thousands of miles away, including long-range ballistic missiles. Watch the above video…

The United States is sending a significant amount of weaponry to Ukraine. However, the White House is not allowing the Ukrainian military to use these weapons to their fullest potential against targets in Russia. From the start of the war in 2022, the Biden administration unilaterally put mandates in place prohibiting the use of U.S.-made…

While people may not recognize the name Mayman Aerospace, they might know the man the company is named for. David Mayman is best known for his adventures around the world – while wearing a jetpack. Mayman’s interest in vertical takeoff and landing technology started a new pursuit with national defense in mind. That technology is…

Iranian officials provide updates after the country’s president is killed in a helicopter crash. And President Joe Biden delivers a commencement address at Morehouse College. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Monday, May 20, 2024. Iranian President killed in helicopter crash Iranian state media confirmed Monday morning that Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi…

Ukraine launched a massive two-day counter-attack targeting locations in Russian-annexed Crimea and multiple sites on Russian soil, causing significant destruction. Ukraine’s forces focused the offensive on three key areas. Satellite imagery shows damage from a long-range strike on the Moscow-controlled Belbek airbase in Crimea on Wednesday, May 15. Three Russian warplanes and a fuel facility…