DefenceTalkA Lockheed Martin prototype laser weapon system proved that an advanced system of sensors, software and specialized optics can deliver decisive lethality against unmanned aerial vehicle threats. In a live-fire demonstration at the Army’s White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, a 30-kilowatt class laser weapon system developed by Lockheed Martin brought down five unmanned […]https://www.defencetalk.com/upgraded-lockheed-martin-laser-outguns-threat-in-half-the-time-70521/

DefenceTalkJapan said Friday it scrambled fighter jets after a Chinese vessel sailing in disputed waters launched a drone, the latest bout of tension in a longstanding territorial row. The two countries are at odds over a group of small uninhabited islands in the East China Sea administered as the Senkakus by Japan but claimed as […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japan-scrambles-jets-after-china-allegedly-flies-drone-69985/

DefenceTalkThe Pentagon says it has “secured an understanding” with Beijing that it will return a U.S. Navy underwater drone seized in the South China Sea. The seizure of the submersible on December 16 sparked a row between Washington and Beijing that drew in U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who said China stole the craft and can […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-agrees-to-return-us-naval-drone-trump-says-beijing-can-keep-it-68683/

DefenceTalkA remote-controlled ISIS hobby plane rigged with hidden explosives killed two Kurdish fighters and injured two French special operations troops near Mosul, French and US sources confirmed Wednesday. While the Pentagon has previously said the Islamic State group uses simple, commercially available drones to conduct surveillance and carry small explosives, this was the first known […]https://www.defencetalk.com/isis-drone-kills-kurdish-fighters-hurts-french-troops-68379/

DefenceTalkScanEagle drones have helped tackle drug gangs, people smugglers, and pirates for the past three years of operations. But now the Royal Navy drone program, described by the MoD as “crucial” and “game-changing” when it was launched, is set be retired next year. A contest called Unmanned Warrior, between underwater and air drones from different […]https://www.defencetalk.com/royal-navy-scaneagle-drone-program-axed-67874/

DefenceTalkCyPhy Works announced today that it has received an order for its Persistent Aerial Reconnaissance and Communications (PARC) System, from the U.S. Army’s Rapid Equipping Force (REF). PARC, a tethered drone, addresses the need for a persistent eye-in-the-sky by flying for days at a time. In supporting U.S. Army Soldiers worldwide, the REF assesses current […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-army-orders-cyphy-works-tethered-drone-67863/

DefenceTalkA British Airways plane struck an object believed to be a drone on Sunday as it was coming in for landing at Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, police said. An investigation has been launched into the incident, which follows a string of near misses involving drones and is believed to be the first case of a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/suspected-drone-hits-plane-during-heathrow-landing-67258/

DefenceTalkDeep in the Nevada desert is a top secret, little-known US military facility known as Area 6, rumored to be the Pentagon’s test ground for cutting-edge unmanned aerial vehicles. “I had not heard about it,” claimed John Pike, director of a Virginia-based defense news site, according to the Las Vegas Review. Pike was referring to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/inside-the-pentagons-drone-proving-ground-67027/

DefenceTalkNorth Korea has been honing its drone system for over 25 years, developing advanced drones believed to be capable of both airstrikes and deep infiltration. Here’s how they did it. North Korea’s latest drone incursion into South Korean airspace over the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) again shed light on the country’s extensive drone program, which could […]https://www.defencetalk.com/inside-north-koreas-secret-uav-program-66414/

DefenceTalkTEL AVIV, Israel: 2015 was a challenging year that included a ground incident that damaged our AirMule demonstrator. While the repair of the aircraft imposed a delay of several months on our development schedule, it also gave us an opportunity to make significant upgrades to the aircraft systems. We installed new equipment and integrated new […]https://www.defencetalk.com/airmule-successfully-completed-its-first-autonomous-untethered-flight-66253/