Free Republic

The "bucket drop", invented by a missionary trying to airdrop gifts to natives in Ecuador, would let warplanes release a swarm of drones and lasso them back. The warplane of the future is a drone mothership, able to dispatch swarms of small air-launched UAVs for close-up reconnaissance, to act as jammers or decoys, or even to carry out airstrikes. Those drones may be cheap enough to be expendable, but what if you want to recover them? The Air Force has the answer, using a technique developed by a 1950's jungle pilot and missionary. Researchers are now experimenting with ways to...

A U.S. military drone strike in the Caribbean on a drug smuggling vessel Thursday left two to three survivors, a U.S. official tells Fox News. The partially submerged vessel, described by the source as "big," was operating in international waters when it was hit. The U.S. military launched search and rescue assets, including a rescue helicopter, but it is not clear if any of the survivors were rescued, the official said. The extent of their injuries was not immediately known, the official added. As Reuters first reported, Thursday's incident marks the first known instance of survivors since U.S. forces began...

They are part of Russia's broader targeting of infrastructure that now is being carried out with greater precision thanks to advances in long-range drone technology that include onboard video feed. In the attack in Shostka, less than 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the Russian border, two explosives-laden drones struck two commuter trains in quick succession. Russia has stepped up railway attacks over the past three months, seeking to sow unrest in Ukrainian regions it borders by depriving people there of rail connections, Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, the CEO of the Ukrainian state railway, told The Associated Press. “What happens is not just...

The international flotilla aiming to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza resumed its voyage Sunday after undergoing repairs in Greek waters, Reuters reported. Organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla announced that Greek vessels had joined the mission, bringing the total number of civilian boats to 47. “Brothers and sisters in Gaza, we sail with hope in our hearts. Your resilience is our compass, your struggle is our struggle. Together, we will break the silence of the siege,” the group declared on social media. The flotilla includes activists from dozens of countries, among them approximately 40 Italians and Swedish climate activist...

Last Sunday Russia launched a large-scale drone attack that was again described as the “largest ever” with some sources counting 805 total drones and decoys launched: It was followed up on Tuesday with another large attack of over 400+ drones and 50+ various missiles. This strike stood out as a significant number of these drones reportedly flew to Poland, and quite deep into the interior of the country at that, which has never happened before. As always there were two versions of the story, the “topside” propagandized one where Polish and NATO officials tried their best to carve out an...

Nato fighter jets have shot down Russian drones over Polish airspace for the first time, after what Warsaw described as an “unprecedented violation” of its territory that led it to trigger emergency consultations in the alliance. The operation in the early hours of Wednesday, during a massive Russian attack on Ukraine, involved Dutch and Polish fighter jets, while German Patriot missiles were put on alert and an Italian early warning aircraft provided support. The alliance said it was “committed to defending every kilometre of Nato territory, including our airspace”. It marks the most serious clash between Russia and the US-led...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced today that he has directed Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll to formally establish a joint, interagency task force to counter hostile unmanned aerial systems, commonly referred to as drones. "Our job here at the Pentagon — when you think about it — is to prepare for the threats of the future and build a force to match them, and defeat them, and outpace them," Hegseth said via a video message released to the public. "And there's no doubt that the threats we face today from hostile drones grow by the day," he added. Noting that...

Shenghua Wen, 42, received around $2 million (€1.7 million) from North Korean officials to ship firearms and ammunition from California. A Chinese national in California has been sentenced to eight years in prison for shipping firearms and ammunition to North Korea. North Korean officials paid Shenghua Wen around $2 million (€1.7 million) to ship two containers of weapons and other items from Long Beach in California to North Korea via Hong Kong in 2023, according to the US Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. The 42-year-old pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic...

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s defense minister said that a flying object that crashed and exploded in a cornfield in eastern Poland early Wednesday was identified as a Russian drone, calling it a provocation by Russia.

Indian-made components have been discovered in Russian drones used for deadly attacks on Ukraine, one of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s top officials has claimed. The Iranian-made Shahed drones containing Indian parts have been involved in attacks along the frontlines and against civilians, Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram. He called on the world to “deprive Russians of the ability to receive components from other countries and stop the killing of Ukrainians,” according to Kyiv-based Ukrainian news agency UNN. “Also, buying Russian energy resources is financing the war, which does not contribute to peace,” Yermak added. The White...

Four Danish engineering students have captured global attention with their groundbreaking 3D-printed drone that can fly through the air and swim underwater, switching between both with ease. The drone has the potential to reshape search-and-rescue missions, as well as ocean research. The innovative machine was built by applied industrial electronics students Andrei Copaci, Pawel Kowalczyk, Krzysztof Sierocki and Mikolaj Dzwigalo at Aalborg University. It became an internet hit through viral videos showing the drone taking off from beside a pool, diving underwater, swimming around and then flying back up into the air without any help from humans. The secret is...

On May 23rd, The Times published an extraordinarily candid probe into how militarised drones have irrevocably revolutionised warfare in the 21st century, with Russia far at the forefront of this radical shakeup of how conflicts are waged. Meanwhile, there is little indication NATO members even vaguely comprehend this battlefield reality, let alone a single one of them is undertaking any serious measures whatsoever to prepare for conflict such as that currently unfolding and evolving daily throughout Ukraine’s eastern steppe.The Times piece is a first-person report of a visit to the assorted headquarters of Kiev’s 93rd Mechanised Brigade, in basements of...

Watch out for mosquitoes! China has just unveiled a new “mosquito drone” created for covert military operations. The drone, which is the size and shape of a mosquito, contains cameras, microphones, and electronic signals. The National University of Defense Technology engineered the new drone and released a video of it in action. WATCH: Mosquito recon drone for the PLA. Our military can leverage China’s advanced consumer electronics sector, to rapidly prototype and test new ideas efficiently. When a solution to a problem is found, then rapid mass production. This is the core essence of military-civil fusion.… pic.twitter.com/ZBC5GkeAmh — Zhao DaShuai...

Israel spent years preparing for the operation against Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, a security official tells The Times of Israel, including building a drone base inside Iran and smuggling precision weapons systems and commandos into the country.

PRYLUKY, Ukraine (AP) – At least five people, including a 1-year-old child, his mother and grandmother, were killed Thursday in a nighttime Russian drone attack on the northern Ukrainian city of Pryluky, officials said. Six drones hit a residential area in the city shortly before dawn, injuring nine others, according to authorities. The child killed was the grandson of the local fire chief, Ukraine´s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. The fire chief, identified by local officials as 50-year-old Oleksandr Lebid, “arrived to respond to the aftermath right at his own home,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on...

The U.S. Army has announced that the MARS Inc, Barrett team has been selected as the winner of the xTech Soldier Lethality competition. The competition was done on a highly accelerated basis over six months. The system of semi-automatic launcher, optic, and projectiles is known as the Precision Grenadier System or PG22. The rifled grenade launcher prototype will fire a 30x42mm sophisticated grenade cartridge. The projectile will be capable of being programmed while loaded in the rifle. The rifle is semi-automatic with a five-round magazine. The rifle weighs just short of 14 lbs, without the optics.The weight of the XM...

Ukrainian special forces operatives launched simultaneous attacks on four Russian strategic bomber bases and the home port of the Russian Northern Fleet early Sunday. The attack was reportedly a year-and-a-half in the making and involved a novel means of delivery and the first use of autonomous drone swarms.This is what we know as of this writing.The targets were:Olenya Air Base in the Murmansk Region Belaya Air Base in the Irkutsk Region Ivanovo Air Base in the Ivanovo Region Dyagilevo Air Base in the Ryazan Region Severomorsk (Main Administrative Base of the Russian Northern Fleet) in the Murmansk Region

US-based defense contractor AeroVironment has revealed a drone that can choose its own targets and cause a lot of damage upon hitting them. Called the Red Dragon, this "one-way attack" drone is intended to help the US maintain "air superiority." The Red Dragon can reach speeds of 160km/h and travel nearly 400km

The Feds arrested former member of Michigan Army National Guard Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said for plotting a mass shooting at a military base in Warren, Michigan. The DOJ announced that Said, 19, was charged in a criminal complaint with “attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and distributing information related to a destructive device.” “According to the complaint, Said informed two undercover law enforcement officers of a plan he had devised and formulated to conduct a mass-shooting at the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) facility at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan. In April 2025, the...

A child murdered his mother and stepfather at the family's stunning $900,000 home because he thought it would help give him 'clout' to kill Donald Trump. Nikita Casap, 17, was arrested in March after he allegedly killed his parents at their home in Waukesha, Wisconsin, then fled the state in their car. Prosecutors said the teenager shot and killed mom Tatiana Casap, 35, and stepdad Donald Mayer, 51, on February 11 before fleeing the scene and leaving their bodies to decompose inside their home. However, they were not discovered until police performed a welfare check at the family's sprawling home...