Science & Tech

Navy Drone Refuels Fighter Jet, a Key Step Toward Adding UAVs to Carrier Wings

The MQ-25 T1 Stingray is slated for tests on an aircraft carrier later this year ahead of a planned 2025 deployment.

Science & Tech

Army SOF Units Are Getting Smaller, More Self-Reliant as Focus Shifts to China, Russia

New adversaries, warfare concepts, and gear are also driving special operators to become more tech-savvy.

Science & Tech

Red Cross Calls for More Limits on Autonomous Weapons

Experts said the group’s unique stature might get governments to the negotiating table at last.

Ideas

Redraw the Limits on Lethal Force Against Terror Groups

As the Biden administration reviews policies for use of lethal force outside war zones, it must be certain it’s not perpetuating a cycle of “forever wars.”

Science & Tech

Drones Could One Day Make Up 40% of a Carrier Air Wing, Navy Says

The Department’s new unmanned plan directs focus not just on drones but on their “enabling technologies.”

Business

AI-Powered Drones Emerge as R&D Priority for Boeing

As the company cuts costs in other areas, a new drone flew for the first time last week.

Science & Tech

Russia Is Working to Pair Combat Jets and Drones, Too

In moves to match the U.S. military, experiments are aimed at producing mixed air regiments that are tied into a wider battlefield network.

Science & Tech

Intel Agency Worker Pushed His Own Drone Company, Report Details

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency inspector general found one of its employees accessed classified and proprietary data, trying to cheat competitors.

Policy

Trump Restricted Drone Imports In Final White House Days

The executive order encourages federal agencies to divest from unmanned aerial systems manufactured by China, Russia and Iran.

Threats

Feds Can't Buy Chinese-Made Drones Through GSA Anymore

By Feb. 1, all but five unmanned aerial vehicles will be removed from the General Services Administration’s offerings.

Ideas

Why German Troops Won’t Get Armed Drones

The reasons, which go back to Angela Merkel’s East German upbringing, are leaving the Bundeswehr dependent on allies and partners.

Policy

Trump Says He Wanted To Assassinate Syria’s Assad

The revelation further undermines the president’s assertion that he has stood firmly between the Pentagon and war.

Ideas

In a Robot War, Kill the Humans

Even if advances in robotics mean fewer humans on the battlefield, the fight will increasingly focus on those that remain.

Ideas

Build a National Counter-Drone Network

Defensive drones stationed at airports and other likely points of attack could be teleoperated from one or more central facilities.

Science & Tech

A Medical-Delivery Drone Service Gets US Approval Amid Coronavirus

ZipLine, whose drones have delivered more than 100,000 packages in Africa, will begin flights in North Carolina.

Science & Tech

The Flying Car Of the Future Looks to Flying Cars of the Past

The Air Force is close to testing an experimental vertical takeoff prototype under its new program.

Science & Tech

Will Flying Cars Help the US Beat China? The Air Force Hopes So

Service officials say giving American manufacturers first-mover advantage is just as important as the military benefits of vertical-lift buses.