Unmanned

Latest in Unmanned

U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin has confirmed that U-2 Dragon Lady spy planes have been flying missions around the border with Mexico.
Air

U-2 Spy Planes Are Flying Border Security Missions Air Force Confirms

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted 18 Hours Ago

Two Ukrainian firms, both partnered with American companies, are among those now set to demonstrate long-range one-way drones to the U.S. military as part of a project called Artemis.
Air

Ukrainian Long-Range Attack Drones To Be Tested By U.S. Military

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated 22 Hours Ago

Pictures have appeared on social media showing work in Ukraine to turn a tethered aerostat – what is more colloquially called a balloon – into an elevated platform for launching kamikaze drones at incoming long-range one-way attack drones.
Air

Balloon-Launched Drone To Intercept Long Range Kamikaze Drones Emerges In Ukraine

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Mar 12, 2025

SOCOM wants Green Berets to have FPV drones to operate in caves.
Land

Green Berets Looking For FPV Drones To Help Them Clear Hostile Cave Complexes

By Howard Altman

Posted on Mar 12, 2025

B-21 refueling requirements are pushing rethinking of tanker needs.
Air

B-21 Aerial Refueling Demands Further Point To It Being A Stealthy Flying Gas Can

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Mar 7, 2025

The U.S. Air Force's new Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones are being developed around fundamentally different understandings of maintenance, logistics, and sustainment, with a heavy focus on commercial-of-the-shelf components, than the service's existing crewed and uncrewed platforms.
Air

Collaborative Combat Drones Designed From Ground Up To Do Logistics Differently

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Mar 6, 2025

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), has revealed that its jet-powered MQ-20 Avenger drone, equipped with U.S. government-provided autonomy software, took part in a recent Orange Flag test exercise. This is the latest milestone for the Avenger, which has been heavily involved in the testing of different artificial intelligence-driven autonomy systems for several years now.
Air

MQ-20 Avenger Tests ‘Hivemind’ AI In Orange Flag Exercise

By Thomas Newdick, Howard Altman

Posted on Mar 5, 2025

The U.S. Air Force has designated the drones that General Atomics and Anduril are currently developing as part of the first phase, or Increment 1, of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program as the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A, respectively.
Air

‘Fighter Drone’ Designations Officially Assigned To Collaborative Combat Aircraft By USAF

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Mar 4, 2025

AGM114R9X seen in action for the first time
Air

Bladed ‘Ginsu’ Hellfire Missile Seen In Action For First Time

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Mar 1, 2025

The U.S. Air Force's force design director says analyses to date show the service will face more operational risk and be less able to achieve assigned objectives without a new crewed sixth-generation combat jet.
Air

Axing Next Generation Fighter Would Leave Air Force Worse Off: Force Design Boss

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Feb 26, 2025

South Korea today unveiled a new stealthy loyal wingman-type drone, the Low Observable Unmanned Wingman System, or LOWUS, which it plans to operate alongside the locally developed KF-21 Boramae next-generation fighter, among others.
Air

South Korea’s Loyal Wingman Air Combat Drone Unveiled

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Feb 25, 2025

China’s Massive WZ-9 Divine Eagle Drone Now Operating From South China Sea Base
Air

China’s Massive WZ-9 Divine Eagle Drone Now Operating From South China Sea Base

By Joseph Trevithick, Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Feb 25, 2025

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is reportedly flying unarmed MQ-9 Reapers inside Mexican airspace to snoop on drug cartels.
Air

CIA MQ-9 Reapers Are Covertly Spying On Mexican Drug Cartels: Reports

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Feb 18, 2025

Indian drone maker NewSpace Research and Technologies has officially unveiled a new jet-powered loyal wingman-type drone called Abhimanyu.
Air

Indian Naval Collaborative Drone Concept Unveiled

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Feb 10, 2025

A video showing testing of the Chinese GL-6 hard-kill active protection system underscores how systems like this to provide a valuable additional layer of defense against uncrewed aerial threats, including highly maneuverable first-person view (FPV) kamikaze drones, something TWZ has previously explored in an in-depth feature.
Land

Chinese Tank’s Active Protection System Seen Intercepting Drone-Fired Rocket Propelled Grenade

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Feb 7, 2025

Iran has finally shown a drone taking off and landing on – in the latter case with the help of arresting gear – the deck of the country's unusual new 'drone carrier,' the Shahid Bagheri. Newly emerged imagery also shows various drones and crewed helicopters on the flight deck, which has a ski jump at the bow end, including the appearance of 'drones' styled after the infamous Qaher 313.
Sea

Iran’s Wacky Aircraft Carrier Has Entered Service

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Feb 6, 2025