Free Republic

Iran has launched at least 100 suicide drones against Israel. Iran's retaliation may be underway.

A tourist allegedly used a drone to buzz an osprey nest in Yellowstone National Park and could face up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine for the violation of park rules. ============================================================ Yellowstone National Park visitor Vince Botkin said unidentified tourists used a drone to buzz an osprey nest in the park. The National Park Service confirmed that “an individual” was cited for illegally flying a drone near an osprey nest late Thursday. (Courtesy Vince Botkin) ============================================================================ A tourist accused of buzzing an osprey nest with a drone in Yellowstone National Park could face stiff penalties, including...

The U.S. Army is giving its soldiers a high-tech edge in the fight against drones, and it’s called SMASH. During a live-fire training exercise on June 6 in Germany, a soldier with the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment used the SMASH 2000L smart scope mounted on an M4A1 rifle to target drones in the sky. The SMASH 2000L, made by Israeli company Smart Shooter Ltd., is no ordinary sight. It uses cameras, sensors, and artificial intelligence to track targets and decides the perfect time to fire, according to reporting from Army Recognition. Once a drone is locked in, the system...

Ukraine just struck deep into Russia, destroying a key electronics factory in Cheboksary that powers Putin’s missiles, drones, and glide bombs. With only two stealth drones, Ukraine crippled a plant essential to Russia’s war machine—impacting everything from missile guidance systems to nuclear sub components. As smoke rises, Ukraine’s message is clear: nowhere is safe.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the nation’s capital cleans up from the culmination of World Pride this past weekend, focus now shifts to a very different massive event — Saturday’s military parade to honor the 250th birthday of the Army and the 79th birthday of President Donald Trump.“We’re preparing for an enormous turnout,” said Matt McCool of the Secret Service’s Washington Field office, who said more than 18 miles of “anti-scale fencing” would be erected and “multiple drones” would be in the air. The entire District of Columbia is normally a no-fly zone for drones. Army officials have estimated around 200,000...

President Donald Trump signed several executive orders on Friday, lifting regulations on aviation technology and working to boost American manufacturing of drones. The trio of orders lifts regulations that had made domestic production of drones costly, prioritizes the usage of American-made drones by federal agencies and provides for the creation of a grant program for U.S. authorities to buy drones, according to NOTUS. The American drone industry had in recent years been struggling to compete with that of China, The Wall Street Journal reported. “Red tape has hindered homegrown drone innovation, restricting commercial drone use and burdening their development,” Michael...

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:Section 1. Purpose. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), otherwise known as drones, enhance United States productivity, create high-skilled jobs, and are reshaping the future of aviation. Drones are already transforming industries from logistics and infrastructure inspection to precision agriculture, emergency response, and public safety. Emerging technologies such as electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft promise to modernize methods for cargo delivery, passenger transport, and other advanced air mobility capabilities.The United States must accelerate the safe commercialization of...

President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration diverted 20,000 anti-drone missiles originally intended for Ukraine to American forces in the Middle East, in an interview with ABC News published on June 8. Zelensky said Ukraine had counted on the missiles to help counter relentless Russian drone attacks, which include swarms of Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones. On June 1, Russia launched a record 472 drones in a single night. "We have big problems with Shaheds… we will find all the tools to destroy them," Zelensky said. "We counted on this project — 20,000 missiles. Anti-Shahed missiles. It was not...

A UFO whistleblower who testified last year before Congress praised President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on unmanned aircraft systems as “fantastic.” Speaking to Chris Cuomo on News Nation’s “Cuomo” on Friday, Luis Elizondo praised Trump's order for finally listening to the American people. “The bottom line is, we don’t know what’s in our skies, and drones continue to be an issue,” Elizondo said, “It’s fantastic that this administration is taking this quite seriously. We have been calling for the creation of a task force for some time. And I think that it’s great news that government is finally listening...

The former police chief, convicted murderer and rapist dubbed the “Devil in the Ozarks,” was nabbed less than two miles from the Arkansas prison he escaped two weeks ago, authorities said Friday. Grant Hardin, 56, has evaded capture since walking out of Calico Rock prison on May 25 — despite searchers employing bloodhounds, officers on horseback, drones, helicopters and an elite US Border Patrol team. “Escapee Grant Hardin was captured this afternoon approximately 1.5 miles west of the prison grounds by law enforcement officials,” the Izard County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook. “His identity was confirmed by fingerprint analysis prior...

The base, which hosts strategic bombers, was previously targeted in past long-range attacks.

Ukraine has deployed an AI-powered turret that has already shot down at least six of Russia's devastating Shahed drones, a military officer told Business Insider. Yuriy, the commander of Ukraine's air defense group, told BI last week that the system, called the Sky Sentinel, has "already been deployed in real combat, demonstrating high effectiveness." He said one prototype shot down six Shaheds in as many operational uses. This appears to be the first confirmation that one of the Sky Sentinels had downed up to six exploding drones. Ukraine previously said that the turret had been successfully tested, including on the...

The audacious attacks on Russian airfields highlight the power of unconventional, asymmetric warfare — and the threat to U.S. strategic bases and ports, experts say.Ukraine’s surprise Sunday strike that used relatively inexpensive drones to knock out a significant portion of Russia’s long-range bomber capability was arguably the single largest blow to Moscow in its three-year war on its neighbor and a stunning display of asymmetric warfare. The out-of-the-blue drone blitz elicited glee among Ukraine’s backers in Washington, but also a chilling realization: The United States is increasingly vulnerable to just such a low-tech, low-cost strike. “The Pentagon should be very...

This is just a rough AI translation of the original Japanese to English below: “On the 4th, North Korea's KIM JONG-UN, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, met with the secretary of the General Secretary of Security Council of Russia Mr SHOIGU. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on the 5th. Mr. Kim promised to unconditionally support Russia's position on Ukraine and other international issues. KCNA reported, "Mr. Kim has promised that North Korea will continue to unconditionally support Russia's position and foreign policy." According to KCNA, Kim said that North Korea would responsibly comply with...

While Spiderweb played out on Telegram and television, Russian forces continued to advance – slowly, methodically, and without spectacle. Around Chasiv Yar, in the ruins of Avdiivka, and along the land bridge to Crimea, Moscow is doing the work that wins wars. It’s pushing lines. It’s holding ground. It’s breaking down Ukrainian defenses by weight of numbers, firepower, and time. That kind of warfare doesn’t trend on social media, but it changes maps.

The Ukrainian attack on the Russian airfields has been seen as a game-changer in warfare. -snip- Some commentators believe that the Ukrainian success lifts the curtain on what comes next in terms of threats to the West. Kyiv has shown what is possible, and now, countries like China or even terrorist groups might try to replicate this in attacks on the US military or on other countries. The fact is that this threat was already known, and Western countries have been investing heavily in new counter-UAS technologies. However, the challenge is that there are too many places to defend. Because...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed that a devastating drone strike which obliterated more than 40 Russian aircraft, including "irreplaceable" nuclear-capable warplanes, was orchestrated from within Russia—right under the nose of the Kremlin’s feared security service. The dramatic operation, which reportedly caused a staggering $7 billion in damage, was launched using 117 drones and struck at the heart of Russia’s air capabilities, hitting 34 percent of its strategic cruise missile carriers. In a remarkable statement on his official X account, President Zelensky shared details of the operation, describing it as a major success that had been in the works for...

ATTENTION!So, it appears Zelenskyy gave the go ahead to attack parked Russian nuclear capable bombers without informing @realDonaldTrump (if true that our President was not consulted nor informed, this isn’t simply a breach of protocol. It’s a geopolitical insult and a warning sign. If Ukraine is willing to conduct strikes with strategic consequences without notifying the White House, we are no longer allies with coordination issues—we are co-belligerents flying blind).Also given Senator “warmonger” Lindsey Graham’s and Senator “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal’s recent visit, this attack could appear as though it was sanctioned. I pray the Russians have better intelligence than...

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

A Ukrainian drone attack has destroyed more than 40 Russian planes deep in Russia's territory, a Ukrainian security official told The Associated Press on Sunday, while Russia pounded Ukraine with missiles and drones a day before the two sides meet for a new round of direct talks in Istanbul. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose operational details, said the attack took over 1 1/2-year to execute and was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The operation saw drones transported in containers carried by trucks deep into Russian territory, he said. The drones reportedly hit 41...