Drones News Review

From the archive: The mystery of the Gatwick drone – podcast

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 00:00:38 -0400

We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors.

This week, from 2020: A drone sighting caused the airport to close for two days in 2018, but despite a lengthy police investigation, no culprit was ever found. So what exactly did people see in the Sussex sky? By Samira Shackle

‘No choice’: Ukraine eyes Kerch bridge in Crimea for drone attack

Luke Harding in Kyiv — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 09:41:10 -0400

Third attack on Kerch bridge between Russia and occupied Crimea ‘inevitable’, say Ukraine’s military intelligence

They have become a familiar sight in the skies above parts of Russia: long-range enemy drones, buzzing their way to another target. In the biggest Ukrainian onslaught inside Russian territory since Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion two years ago, Ukraine has in recent weeks carried out a series of attacks on Russian oil refineries and ports. On Tuesday, it hit a refinery and drone factory in the industrial region of Tatarstan - more than 800 miles from the border.

The Ukrainian spy agency behind these drone strikes has its eyes on another target: the 12-mile long Kerch bridge connecting occupied Crimea with Russia. Senior officials from Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence service indicate it is plotting a third attempt on the bridge, after two previous attempts to blow it up, claiming its destruction is “inevitable”.

Fireball erupts as Ukraine targets drone factory in Russia – video report

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 09:59:44 -0400

Ukraine has launched a series of drone strikes against targets in Russia more than 800 miles from the border. In Yelabuga, two drones appeared to target a facility assembling Shahed drones, which have been used on the frontline. Several people were injured, the head of the region, Rustam Minnikhanov, said. It was not immediately clear if they were drone production workers. Media reports from Kyiv said Ukraine’s military intelligence agency was behind the strikes aimed at disrupting Russian drone production

Ukrainian drone attacks target oil refinery and factory deep inside Russia

‘I’m not profiting from misery. I’m averting more’ – Thales’s UK boss on making missiles for Ukraine

Alex Lawson — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 10:00:16 -0400

Whether manufacturing drones or printing British blue passports, the defence contractor is flying high in a geopolitically risky climate

For a “ferocious remainer”, Alex Cresswell is remarkably proud of his blue passport. For some, the dark rectangle on his office table is a sad symbol of Britain’s departure from the EU. But while the Thales UK boss describes watching the Brexit squabbles in Westminster from his decade-long posting at the company’s Paris HQ as “excruciating”, he smiles at the travel document.

His aerospace-to-defence-and-security business is four years into a Home Office contract to produce the passports, after Gemalto (acquired by Thales) undercut the furious incumbent, De La Rue, to win the contract.

Australian military buys $5m laser-based anti-drone system

Isabelle Oderberg — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 16:33:05 -0400

Battery-powered system can down a drone travelling at 100km/h, according to its developers, Melbourne-based AIM Defence

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The Australian Defence Force has purchased a $5m laser-based counter-drone system.

It acquired the Fractl:2 system, which its Australian developers say has the precision to shoot down a drone travelling at 100km an hour and can be operated remotely.

Australia joins 'drone coalition' agreement to aid in Ukraine war effort – video

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 21:53:06 -0400

Australia will join with the UK and Latvia in providing drones for the Ukrainian effort to repel Russian forces, as part of a 'drone coalition' agreement. The defence minister Richard Marles made the announcement in a joint press conference with UK secretary of state for defence Grant Shapps. 'Today we also announce that Australia will participate in the drone coalition which is being led by both the United Kingdom and Latvia,' Marles said. 'This is a really important opportunity for us to continue making our contribution to the effort to have Ukraine stay the course and be able to resolve this conflict on its terms'

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‘The Russians have more of everything’: Ukrainian forces struggle to hold back enemy in Mariinka

Luke Harding in Kurakhove. Photographs by Alessio Mamo and agencies — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 01:00:43 -0500

Drone team has bombed tanks, armoured fighting vehicles and ammunition dumps but still Russians are on the move

At night, Sasha and his drone team go in search of the enemy. They set off in a dirt-covered vehicle towards the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariinka, occupied by Russia since December. They unload a large drone. And then they fly it in darkness across the frontline, above a ghostly landscape of fields and ruined houses, towards the twinkling city of Donetsk. The drone carries a deadly arsenal of six grenades.

Sasha, who uses the call sign “Tourist”, has bombed more than 100 pieces of Russian military equipment. The list includes tanks, armoured fighting vehicles and self-propelled guns, as well as hidden ammunition dumps. Russian howitzers are another key target. Recently his special operations unit forestalled a large-scale attack. It spotted seven Russian tanks massed for a dawn raid and disabled two of them.

Why no one is winning the war in Ukraine – video explainer

Andrew Roth Monika Čvorak Bryony Moore Joseph Pierce — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 08:23:14 -0500

It has been two years since Russian troops invaded Ukraine, sparking a deadly war that many say is far from over. Western officials have estimated that hundreds of thousands of people have died in the conflict, which has evolved into what experts call the world's first full-scale drone war, with hundreds of drones firing explosives every day. But in the past 12 months, the frontline has barely moved and some say a stalemate has been reached. The Guardian's Andrew Roth explains why the frontlines seem to be frozen and why the war drags on

Academics in US, UK and Australia collaborated on drone research with Iranian university close to regime

Jonathan Yerushalmy and Johana Bhuiyan — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 09:00:46 -0500

Exclusive: work by researchers from western universities and counterparts at Sharif University considered potentially ‘very dangerous’ by experts

Academics in the UK, Australia and the US collaborated on research related to drone technology with an Iranian university that is under international financial sanctions and known for its close ties to the military, the Guardian can reveal.

The collaborative research was described by one security expert as having direct military applications, while another called it potentially “very dangerous”. Iranian-made drones have been responsible for a number of deadly attacks in the Ukraine and Middle East conflicts, and their development is known to be a top priority for the government in Tehran.

The Guardian view on the new drone wars: as prices fall, casualties mount | Editorial

Editorial — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 14:16:10 -0500

Never before have unmanned aerial vehicles been used so intensely in conflict, with even commercial devices enlisted in battle

Three days into his presidency, Barack Obama ordered his first drone strikes. Over the next eight years, he oversaw a massive expansion of the US programme of targeted killings using armed drones. The initial appeal was that the US did not risk its personnel, and strikes could be carried out without attracting much attention and, supposedly, with more precision – though civilian deaths were ignored or played down.

But in the ensuing years, drone wars have undergone a dramatic evolution. Never before have so many drones been used, so intensely. The US programme relied on expensive Predator drones costing about $12m (£9.5m). But much cheaper drones made by Turkey, Iran and China have been credited for victories, including Ethiopia’s reversal of the rapid advance of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, and for damaging attacks by non-state actors. In 2021, Gen Kenneth McKenzie, then commander of US Central Command, observed: “For the first time since the Korean war, we are operating without complete air superiority.”

Deadly, cheap and widespread: how Iran-supplied drones are changing the nature of warfare

Dan Sabbagh Defence and security correspondent — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 10:09:23 -0500

Attacks using Shahed drones have been carried out by militias in the Middle East and Russia in Ukraine

After an estimated 165 attacks on US bases in the Middle East since 7 October, it was inevitable one would eventually get through. For the first time, it is believed, US troops were killed from the air by an enemy drone: three US army reservists died and more than 80 were wounded in last weekend’s attack on Tower 22, a little-known logistics base near Jordan’s border with Syria.

The attack, the Pentagon said, had “the footprints of Kataib Hezbollah”, an Iran-aligned militia in Iraq. Joe Biden, the US president, added that he held Tehran responsible “in the sense that they’re supplying the weapons” – the fast proliferating, relatively cheap drones that are changing the nature of warfare.

Ukraine thought to have sunk Russian warship near occupied Crimea

Dan Sabbagh, Pjotr Sauer and Luke Harding — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 10:45:34 -0500

Overnight drone attack deals another blow to Moscow’s fleet and demonstrates Kyiv’s expanding power in Black Sea

Ukrainian forces are believed to have sunk the Russian Ivanovets warship near occupied Crimea in a sophisticated overnight attack by multiple sea drones, demonstrating Kyiv’s expanding power in the Black Sea.

Ukraine’s military intelligence published a grainy video showing several sea drones attacking the Russian corvette, ending with three dramatic images showing it listing, exploding and sinking into the water.

Ukraine levels up the fight with drone strikes deep into Russia

Luke Harding in Kyiv and Pjotr Sauer — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 11:04:51 -0500

Unable to match Putin’s military might, Ukraine is engaging in ‘smart warfare’ to attack the enemy’s oil and gas supply lines

Last week, a motorist driving in Russia’s Leningrad region came across something unusual. Men had blocked off the road. In front, a large olive-green military vehicle with cigar-shaped missiles on the back was reversing and then parked up on a snowy verge. “Fuck! It’s an S-300,” the driver exclaimed, before adding: “So guys, let’s prepare for the worst.”

This surreal roadside encounter took place outside St Petersburg, more than 620 miles (about 1,000kmfrom the border with Ukraine and Russia’s near two-year all-out war. The Kremlin’s security services were apparently taking no chances. They were deploying the S-300 air defence missile system in order to protect Peter the Great’s imperial capital from small but devastating drones.

Cheap but lethally accurate: how drones froze Ukraine’s frontlines

Luke Harding in Kupiansk. Photographs by Alessio Mamo — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 11:09:06 -0500

Breakthrough for either side is almost impossible, say those in pulverised Kupiansk area

For four months, Russian troops have been trying to seize the eastern Ukrainian village of Synkivka. On a map, this looks easy. Their forward position is on the edge of a forest. It is a mere 500 metres away from the Ukrainian frontline and a shattered collection of cottages.

Every few days the Russians attack. Their forays across open ground end in the same way: complete disaster. Armoured vehicles with men perched on top, speed across a landscape of moon-like craters and splintered trees. Soon it goes wrong. Some blow up on mines; others panic and reverse. The Ukrainians pick off fleeing infantry with drones and artillery. Typically, all the Russians die.

‘We killed many … drones are our air force’: Myanmar’s rebels take on the junta from above

Aakash Hassan in Camp Victoria and Hannah Ellis-Petersen — Sat, 20 Jan 2024 07:00:02 -0500

A rebel drone squadron drawn from engineering students and hobbyists, who gain battlefield training partly through YouTube tutorials, is proving decisive in the struggle against Myanmar’s brutal military government

As the drones flew silently over western Myanmar’s Chin hills, the junta did not know what was about to hit them. Their operators were hidden a few hundred metres away in the dense forest. As the images on their screens indicated the drone fleet was hovering exactly above the target – a key military base in the town of Lailenpi – they hit the button on their controllers and bombs began to fall.

“We had precise hits,” said Noah, 20, one of the specialist drone fighters in the Chin National Army (CNA), one of the ethnic rebel groups who have been fighting Myanmar’s military for almost three years. “It took them by surprise. We killed many, including the second-in-command of the base.”

Houthis call west’s bluff with renewed Red Sea drone assault

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 14:59:15 -0500

Russia shoots down 35 Ukrainian drones as both sides step up attacks

Associated Press — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 09:24:36 -0500

Russian airbase said to be among targets and Ukrainian civilian killed by drone debris in Odesa

Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates

Russia and Ukraine launched more than a dozen drones at each other’s territory for a second day on Sunday, one of which apparently targeted a Russian military airport, while a Ukrainian civilian was killed after drone debris slammed into his house near the Black Sea.

At least 35 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over three regions in south-western Russia, the Russian defence ministry said in a post on the messaging app Telegram.

Nigerian army drone strike accident kills at least 85 civilians

Richard Assheton in Maiduguri — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 04:09:05 -0500

Residents in north-west of the country say many victims of strike during Muslim festival were women and children

A Nigerian army drone strike accidentally killed at least 85 civilians observing a Muslim festival in the north-west on Sunday, the country’s armed forces have admitted.

Villagers in Tudun Biri in the state of Kaduna had gathered for the Maulud celebration when at about 9pm they heard what sounded like an aeroplane followed by a huge explosion.

Three commercial vessels attacked in Red Sea by Houthi rebels, says US

Dan Sabbagh in Jerusalem — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 19:51:10 -0500

US military says the destroyer Carney shot down three drones as US Central Command says they believe attacks ‘fully enabled by Iran’

Three commercial vessels came under attack in international waters in the southern Red Sea, the US military said on Sunday, as Yemen’s Houthi group claimed drone and missile attacks on two Israeli vessels in the area.

“Today there were four attacks against three separate commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea,” the statement from the US Central Command reads. “We have every reason to believe that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran.”

This article was amended on Monday 4 December to correct a headline error that stated the three commercial vessels were US-owned.

Russia wages electronic warfare ‘using UK-made tech’, Ukraine dossier claims

Jon Ungoed-Thomas — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 04:00:14 -0500

Report calls on government to take immediate action to disrupt supply of technology used in electronic warfare

Many of the countries that have sanctioned Russia over the war in Ukraine need to take urgent action to disrupt the supply of technology for its electronic warfare campaign, according to a new report.

The dossier compiled by Ukraine and circulated to the major countries which have imposed sanctions identifies key Russian firms involved in the development and production of electronic military equipment. It says the UK and other countries have not yet sanctioned some of the firms involved.

Drones Aid In Search For Lost Grand Canyon Hikers

The Huffington Post News Team — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 08:28:52 -0400

Hobby drones are banned in most national parks. But Grand Canyon National Park made use of the unmanned areal surveillance tools in a search last week...

Couple Arrested Over 'Peeping Tom' Drone

The Huffington Post News Team — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 21:51:56 -0500

Here’s one more thing you have to worry about: Drones sent by neighbors to spy on you in your home. Police arrested a Utah man with a history of voy...

Read more: u.s. News , Facebook, Crime, Utah, Drones, Crime News

Amit Bhaiya: The New Disintermediation

Amit Bhaiya — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 10:24:04 -0500

eCommerce leaders such as Amazon, eBay, and ASOS, introduce to us on an almost daily basis new economic modalities that redefine, narrow and in some c...

Khairuldeen Al Makhzoomi: In The Memory Of The Jordanian Pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh

Khairuldeen Al Makhzoomi — Sun, 05 Feb 2017 10:09:26 -0500

The Jordanian Royal Air Force bombed Islamic State-held positions in southern Syria on Friday, killing and wounding a number of ISIS members.

Accordi...

Kathy Kelly: White Silence Equals Violence: Awaiting A Verdict

Kathy Kelly — Thu, 26 Jan 2017 04:00:19 -0500

Photo Credit: Tony Webster, Wikipedia Commons
January 25, 2017

This morning, here in Minneapolis, six jurors decided beyond a reasonable doubt that I...

Outspeak: News Roundup for January 23, 2017

Outspeak — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 07:58:02 -0500

We live in a Trump world now. Not even La La Land can save us.

1. The first lawsuit against President Trump is being filed today as he has already vi...

Dan Nessel: SKEYE Nano 2 FPV Drone Review, Can Drones Get Any Smaller?

Dan Nessel — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 14:01:03 -0500

There is a strange trend going on with drones these days. Drones are getting larger...and smaller. You have a company like Ehang which was showing o...

D.A. Barber: Targeting Ivory Poachers Militarily Could Salvage Obama's "African Legacy"

D.A. Barber — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 10:29:33 -0500

Since President Obama is scrambling to slide through last-minute regulations, he might want to consider one that may save his crumbling African policy legacy and some endangered wildlife.

Adeyemi Adetilewa: 3 New Ways to Leverage the Gold Rush in Technology

Adeyemi Adetilewa — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 08:26:33 -0500

During the gold rush in the 19th century it wasn't just only miners who got rich. It was at the same time Levi Strauss made a fortune selling durable ...

Kathy Kelly: Eternal Hostility: A New Year's Resolution

Kathy Kelly — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 22:45:05 -0500

photo: Ed Juillard

1/1/2017

This New Year's Eve, 750 heavy wooden crosses were distributed to a gathering of Chicagoans commemorating the victims of...

Ira Kalb: The Sky's the Limit for Amazon

Ira Kalb — Fri, 30 Dec 2016 18:50:40 -0500

The US Patent Office just awarded Amazon a patent for flying warehouses. In addition to giving it vast amounts of mobile storage space, the E-commerce...

Amazon's Flying Warehouse Plan Has A Big Catch

The Huffington Post News Team — Fri, 30 Dec 2016 16:18:15 -0500

Amazon’s proposal for a roaming airborne warehouse might sound impossibly futuristic, but it’s not the reason its Prime Air project is still groun...

Dan Nessel: Dobby Pocket Drone Review, Yes, The Selfie Drone Has Arrived

Dan Nessel — Thu, 22 Dec 2016 06:39:01 -0500

We have reviewed drones that are small and portable. We have reviewed drones that are easy to fly. Of course, we have reviewed plenty of drones that...

China Returns U.S. Drone Taken From South China Sea

The Huffington Post News Team — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 19:44:23 -0500

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has returned a U.S. underwater drone taken by a Chinese naval vessel in the disputed South China Sea last week after what Ch...

David Sable: If You're Droning on About Drones, You're Missing the Point

David Sable — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 11:36:42 -0500

The debate over false and fake news continues, as it has for millennia. It will no doubt flare up as the means of information distribution get ever mo...

Dan Nessel: The Best Drones For Under $150? Parrot Mambo and Parrot Swing

Dan Nessel — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 12:18:55 -0500

Having reviewed over 100 flying, driving and racing RC toys on our YouTube Channel, we are often asked the question -

What is the best drone I can b...

Learn How To Cook Thanksgiving Dinner With A Drone

The Huffington Post News Team — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 13:33:01 -0500

If expediency is more important than neatness, drones might be the perfect tool for making Thanksgiving dinner.
The key word is “might.”
Autel Rob...

Barack Obama Will Hand Donald Trump A Sweeping Ability To Wage War Without Oversight

The Huffington Post News Team — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 13:55:49 -0500

WASHINGTON ― President Barack Obama entered office in 2009 with the promise of reining in his predecessor’s freewheeling use of military force abr...

2 Injured After Commercial Airliner Forced To Evade 'UFO'

The Huffington Post News Team — Tue, 15 Nov 2016 18:28:00 -0500

Two people suffered minor injuries after an aircraft swerved to avoid a “UFO” in the skies over Lake Ontario on Monday.
The Porter Airlines Dash 8...

Read more: Air Travel, Drones, Ufo, Toronto, Weird News News

Rabbi Jason Miller: The Holiday Gift Guide 2016 - Technology Edition

Rabbi Jason Miller — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 03:15:08 -0500

It's hard to believe that Black Friday and the 2016 holiday shopping season are almost here. The good news for those of us shopping for personal consu...

Disney World's Newest Nighttime Show To Debut Special Guests: Drones

The Huffington Post News Team — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 00:00:35 -0500

Look to the skies! Walt Disney World in Florida will soon have a new nighttime air show featuring dozens of illuminated drones.
A short clip released...

Watch A Drone Replace A Light Bulb (And Smash A Few Others In The Process)

The Huffington Post News Team — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 13:31:32 -0400

How many drones does it take to screw in a light bulb? Apparently two, and about nine smashed bulbs (hey, progress requires risks), according to the d...

Shayne Looper: Morality Does Not Have a Reset Point

Shayne Looper — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 11:31:16 -0400

According to geologists, earth's tectonic plates are in constant flux. The seven major plates (and many minor ones) move in relation to each other. This movement has in pre-history had a significant effect on the current arrangement of the continents.

Rwanda Is Using Drones To Deliver Blood Donations To Remote Health Centers

The Huffington Post News Team — Fri, 14 Oct 2016 07:40:47 -0400

The world’s first commercial drone delivery service is in Rwanda, and it’s delivering blood.
The service is operated by Zipline, a US robotics and...

Read more: Drones, Blood Donation, Rwanda, World News

Doug Bandow: Hillary Clinton, Wannabe Global Dominatrix And Liberal Neocon, Plans More Stupid Wars

Doug Bandow — Fri, 14 Oct 2016 04:42:32 -0400

About the only reason to hope for a Clinton victory is her flawed opponent, Donald Trump. Yet despite his many failings, he remains superior to Clinton when it comes to foreign policy.