All articles
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Defense & Combat
Watchkeeper WK450: Britain's £1.35 Billion Tactical Drone, Explained
The British Army's Watchkeeper WK450 spent fourteen years reaching full operational capability, lost eight of fifty-four airframes, and cost £1.35 billion before being retired nearly two decades ahead of schedule. A deep read on what went wrong — and what it means for Western tactical-UAS procurement.
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Policy & Regulation
Coast Guard's First Multi-City Counter-UAS Deployment Guards the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The U.S. Coast Guard is running its first-ever simultaneous multi-city domestic counter-drone operation, covering 13 World Cup matches across Boston and San Francisco plus Sail 250 celebrations in four cities, backed by $150 million in C-UAS investment and 140 trained personnel.
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Counter-UAS
France Selects Origin Robotics' BLAZE Interceptor and Brings Production Home
France's DGA has chosen Latvia's Origin Robotics BLAZE autonomous interceptor for its armed forces, with French integrator DSV establishing local assembly under a technology transfer deal — making France the fourth European operator of the combat-proven C-UAS system.
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Tech & Builds
KNDS Debuts ISO-Container Drone Swarm Launcher at Eurosatory, Marrying Strike and Intercept in One Box
French-German defense giant KNDS unveiled a containerized drone launcher prototype at Eurosatory 2026, fitting dozens to 100+ Helsing strike drones and Tytan interceptors inside a single standard shipping container — one year after Ukraine proved the concept in combat.
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Industry & Contracts
Red Cat's Hellcat sUAS Debuts at Eurosatory — Shaped by Ukrainian Warfighters in the Field
Red Cat Holdings launched the Hellcat small UAS at Eurosatory 2026, a battlefield-refined successor to the Army-fielded Black Widow co-developed with Ukrainian drone operators, featuring a three-camera payload, GPS-denied operation, and 6.8-mile range.
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Defense & Combat
Ukraine's Lyutyi Drones Set Moscow's Largest Oil Refinery Ablaze on Night Nine of Capital Strikes
Ukrainian Lyutyi strike drones hit the Gazprom Neft Moscow Oil Refinery in Kapotnya on June 16–17, 2026 — the ninth consecutive night of drone attacks on the Russian capital — igniting the ELOU AVT-6 processing unit and halting operations while G7 leaders debated ceasefire terms in France.
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Policy & Regulation
ITAR, MTCR, and the Rules That Gave China a Decade’s Head Start in the Armed-Drone Market
The United States spent nearly two decades applying WMD-era missile controls to modern ISR drones, effectively banning sales to most partners while China and Turkey filled the market. A 2020 speed-based carve-out and a 2025 fighter-aircraft review standard are the belated correction.
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Policy & Regulation
The Sound Standard Drone Delivery Doesn't Have Yet
Drone noise sits in household-appliance decibel territory but is measurably 4–10 dB more annoying than jet aircraft at equal sound pressure. A patchwork of bespoke FAA rulings and an unfulfilled congressional mandate have left communities in Texas and Australia with no effective regulatory recourse.
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Policy & Regulation
From ISM Bands to Part 88: How U.S. Drone Spectrum Regulation Works
Most commercial drones fly on unlicensed ISM spectrum shared with Wi-Fi and baby monitors — a structural problem for BVLOS operations that require aviation-grade, interference-protected command links. Here is how a 2012 ITU allocation became Part 88, and what remains unresolved.
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Policy & Regulation
Europe’s U-Space Framework: What the Three 2021 Regulations Actually Require
The EU’s U-space package — three implementing regulations adopted April 2021 and applicable since January 2023 — makes digital airspace services a legal prerequisite for drone operations in designated zones. Here is how the certification regime, four mandatory services, and risk methodology actually work.
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Policy & Regulation
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024: What It Mandates for Drones
Public Law 118-63, signed May 16, 2024, mandates a BVLOS rule, rethinks Remote ID, and funds a five-year runway for aerial autonomy. Here is what every operator and developer needs to know.
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Policy & Regulation
The FAA's Four-Category Rules for Flying Over People, Explained
The FAA's Operations Over People rule, effective April 21, 2021 (as corrected), replaced a blanket waiver requirement with a four-category framework that stratifies access by kinetic energy risk. Here is how the categories work, what Remote ID unlocks — and what it doesn't.
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