#drone warfare

Ukrainian officials say basic training is moving back onto domestic soil while allies increasingly seek Ukrainian expertise in drone warfare, electronic warfare and frontline adaptation.

The United States and United Kingdom have announced a joint defense initiative to develop technologies capable of detecting and destroying autonomous underwater vehicles threatening ports, naval bases, and critical maritime infrastructure.

The Swedish Navy intercepted a suspected Russian reconnaissance drone approaching a French aircraft carrier in the Baltic Sea, in a tense incident reflecting rising NATO-Russia aerial surveillance competition.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll says the service aims to purchase one million drones within 18 to 24 months and will launch a soldier-led marketplace next month where private companies can sell drone innovations directly to military units. The push follows the Army's inaugural Best Drone Warfighter Competition.

Facing severe personnel shortages after three years of conflict, Ukraine is transforming its military doctrine around autonomous and semi-autonomous drones. What began as improvised drone warfare has matured into a systematic shift where machines increasingly fill roles once held by infantry soldiers.

Defense analysts are sounding the alarm that NATO lacks the doctrine, technology, and infrastructure to counter drone threats in the Arctic region. As Russia and China expand their military presence in the High North, the alliance faces a critical capability gap in one of the world's most strategically important theaters.

At Fort Stewart, Georgia, US soldiers who enlisted to drive tanks are now piloting drones on laptops. The Army's Transformation in Contact initiative is absorbing lessons from Ukraine's battlefield, where cheap drones are destroying armor at an unprecedented rate.

KestrelX KX-2 manned aircraft simulate Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones in US military exercises, enabling realistic counter-UAS training.

KestrelX KX-2 planes with bird-sized radar signatures simulate Iranian kamikaze drones for US fighter pilots training off the Georgia coast.