Free Republic

Ukraine’s Defense Procurement Agency has signed contracts for ‘tens of thousands’ of interceptor drones, according to director Arsen Zhumadilov speaking in an interview published on July 14th. The U.S. decision to supply more Patriot air defence missile batteries to Ukraine is vital to protect against Russian missiles. But stopping the massive drone onslaught is a job for far more numerous interceptor drones. The Numbers Game The strength of the Iranian-designed Shahed drones lies in their vast numbers. The low-cost drones fly at around 120 mph, with similar performance to a WW1 aircraft, and are just as easy to shoot down....

Israel’s wave of airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure could unintentionally deliver a boost to Ukraine’s defences. disrupting the production and supply of the deadly Shahed drones used by Russia, a former Ukrainian government official has claimed. The coordinated attack, launched early on Friday, hit multiple targets linked to Iran’s nuclear programme and military apparatus, reportedly killing several high-ranking officers and scientists. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “severe punishment” in response, while air-raid sirens rang out across Israeli cities. The attack marks the most significant assault on Iran’s territory since the Iran–Iraq War, escalating fears of open...

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...

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...

A U.S. official confirmed to Fox News the drone from an Iranian proxy that killed 3 American servicememebers in Jordan and injured others got past the air defenses for Tower 22 because it was mistaken for a U.S. drone expected to return to the base at the same time. The Wall Street Journal initially reported on this development on Monday. A U.S. official confirmed the information to Fox News.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Three American service members were killed and “many” were wounded in a drone strike in Jordan, President Joe Biden said in a statement Sunday. He attributed the attack to Iran-backed militia groups. They were the first U.S. fatalities in months of strikes against American forces across the Middle East by Iranian-backed militias amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, increasing the risk of escalation. U.S. officials were still working to conclusively identify the precise group responsible for the attack, but have assessed that one of several Iranian-backed groups are responsible. Biden said the United States “will hold...

Three U.S. soldiers were killed and at least two dozen were injured in a drone attack overnight on a U.S. outpost in Jordan, officials tell CNN. This is the first time U.S. forces have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the beginning of the Gaza war

Moscow and Tehran will strengthen their security partnership and team up to counter sanctions imposed by the West, a key architect of Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has said. Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia's Security Council, announced closer cooperation between the allies after a meeting with the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Akbar Ahmadian. Ties between Tehran and Moscow have deepened since the start of the war in Ukraine, with Iran supplying Russian forces with Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which have wreaked havoc on Ukrainian infrastructure.

Russia has launched its biggest drone attack on Kyiv since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began last year, the city's mayor has said. Residents were woken by explosions before dawn on Saturday, and for more than six hours, the booms of Kyiv's air defences echoed through the city. There was wave after wave of attacks from the north and east. Officials said that more than 75 Iranian-made Shahed drones were fired at the capital, and 74 were shot down. With Russia's dwindling missile stocks, Shahed drones are seen as a cheap alternative. They are slower than ballistic missiles and have...