Author Archives: The Editor

Teledyne FLIR’s ‘New’ Rogue 1 Loitering Munition has been under SOCOM Contract for Two Years

When Teledyne FLIR unveiled its “new” Rogue 1 loitering munition system (LMS) on May 7, it was the first glimpse the public got of the design. But quietly, US Special Operations Command has been testing the vertical take-off/landing capability system for over two years. Continue reading →

European Commission Announces $77M Funding for European Counter-UAS Projects

The European Commission last week announced over €1 billion in funding for 54 additional defence projects through the European Defence Fund, bringing the total EU budgetary investments to more than €3 billion ($3.3BN) in collaborative defence R&D projects since the start of the EDF Regulation in May 2021. This new round includes over €71 Million ($77 Million) for European Counter-UAS (E-CUAS). Continue reading →

Rapid In-Flight Image Quality Check for UAV-Enabled Bridge Inspection

In a recently published paper, researchers in New Zealand and Australia present a novel IIQC framework, which is specifically designed for rapidly evaluating the quality of UAV-captured images for UAV-enabled bridge inspection. This framework utilises a BIM of the target bridge and incorporates three key components for accurately assessing image quality and presenting the results to the UAV pilot. Continue reading →

As Ukraine Gets F-16s, Russian Forces Plead for Shotguns

Different eras of warfare are colliding in war-torn Ukraine, highlighting a dramatic contrast between Russia and Ukraine’s arsenals as Kyiv desperately awaits a new influx of weapons from the U.S. As Ukraine anticipates the arrival of its first F-16s fighter jets as part of the recent foreign aid package passed by the U.S. Congress, Russia’s ground forces are grappling with challenges right out of the 18th century — even as the Kremlin makes advances on the battlefield. Continue reading →

UK’s Cutting-Edge Drone Killer Radio Wave Weapon Developing at Pace

A new game-changing weapon that uses radio waves to disable enemy electronics and take down multiple drones at once is under development for the UK’s armed forces.  This forms part of work to put the UK’s defence industry on a war footing following the Prime Minister’s announcement last month of an increase to the defence budget to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. Continue reading →