DefenceTalkDefenceTalkThe world is entering a military “second drone age” with uncontrolled proliferation and no standards governing their use, a United Nations expert told the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday. Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said the global community needed to take stock of how armed drones have […]https://www.defencetalk.com/world-entering-new-military-drone-age-un-expert-75879/

DefenceTalkIsrael’s MOD has placed an order for RAFAEL’s SPIKE FireFly (known in the IDF as “MAOZ”) loitering munition. Jointly developed by RAFAEL and the IMOD, FireFly weighs only 3 kg and provides Behind-Cover Precision Attack Capabilities for the Dismounted Soldier. Ordered for the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) ground forces, FireFly was designed for fighting within […]https://www.defencetalk.com/israel-orders-rafaels-spike-firefly-loitering-munition-for-idf-75490/

Northrop Grumman Corporation’s MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system deployed for the first time Jan. 26, to provide military commanders in the Pacific greater maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) data to inform critical decision-making in one of the most strategically important regions in the world. “This is a significant milestone in the MQ-4C Triton program,” […]

Beirut: The Iran-backed Hezbollah movement said Monday it had downed and seized an Israeli drone as it flew across the Lebanese border, a week after a flash confrontation between the arch-foes. Israel’s army said a drone it was operating “fell” in Lebanon on Sunday. In what appeared to be a response, an air strike at […]

DefenceTalkTehran: Iran and the United States, locked in a tense standoff after the US withdrew from a nuclear deal, traded barbs Sunday the day before the US tightens sanctions against the Islamic republic. Both sides say they want to avoid going to war, but tensions have spiralled as a series of incidents, including attacks on […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-and-us-trade-barbs-ahead-of-new-sanctions-72346/

DefenceTalkUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday he will visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for talks on the crisis sparked by Iran’s downing an American drone. “We’ll be talking with them about how to make sure that we are all strategically aligned and how we can build out a global coalition” […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pompeo-heads-to-saudi-arabia-uae-for-iran-crisis-talks-72344/

DefenceTalkA Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen intercepted a Huthi rebel drone targeting the kingdom, a spokesman said Wednesday, calling it another violation of an already fragile ceasefire in a key Red Sea province. The unmanned drone was shot down in Yemeni airspace after the Iran-aligned rebels launched it from Hodeida province, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki […]https://www.defencetalk.com/saudi-led-coalition-intercepts-new-yemeni-rebel-drone-72330/

DefenceTalkUS President Donald Trump revoked a policy Wednesday that required the Central Intelligence Agency to account for civilian deaths from drone strikes. The move reversed a two-year-old order by his predecessor Barack Obama, who came under pressure for greater transparency after sharply increasing the use of drones for targeted attacks in military and counterterrorism operations. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-ends-requirement-that-cia-report-drone-strike-casualties-72181/

DefenceTalkAn Indian drone has “invaded” China’s airspace and crashed, Chinese state media said on Thursday, months after the neighbors ended one of their worst border standoffs in decades. “The Indian move violated China’s territorial sovereignty. We strongly express our dissatisfaction and opposition,” Xinhua news agency cited the deputy director of the army’s western theater combat […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-says-indian-drone-invaded-its-airspace-crashed-70948/

DefenceTalkYemen’s Huthi rebels, who are locked in a deadly war with the Saudi-supported government, on Sunday said they had downed a drone on the northern outskirts of the country’s capital. The Huthi-run Al-Masirah television channel said the Shiite rebel camp’s anti-aircraft defence had brought down a Saudi-operated MQ-9 Reaper, an unmanned aerial vehicle which is […]https://www.defencetalk.com/yemen-rebels-claim-drone-shot-down-near-sanaa-70576/