Innovations
Technological and operational innovations in the UAS and counter-UAS space — what emerged first, where, and what it changes. Each entry is sourced, dated, and linked to the drones involved.
Ukraine unveils Shershen SAM using multiple adapted air-to-air missiles
Ukraine presented the Shershen ground-based air-defense system with an open architecture designed to fire a mix of adapted air-to-air missiles (R-27, R-73, AIM-9, AIM-132) from a common launcher and C2/radar suite. The novelty is the interc…
Houthis expand Bab al-Mandab launch/surveillance points for USVs and drones
The post highlights the Houthis leveraging newly captured coastal terrain (Mokha port/airport and possibly nearby islands) as forward launch and surveillance sites for maritime mines, aerial drones, and explosive uncrewed surface vessels (U…
US DTRA live-fire testing to improve deep-bunker strike capability
The post describes urgent, classified DTRA live-fire testing at the ALT-SHIST subterranean site at White Sands, likely aimed at validating improved capabilities for striking very deeply buried facilities (e.g., Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain bunke…
Saigak APC claims APS able to defeat up to 20 FPV drones
Ukraine’s Ukrainian Armor unveiled the Saigak APC featuring an active protection system (APS) marketed as capable of defeating up to 20 FPV drones. If fielded, this represents a notable adaptation of armored vehicle protection specifically …
General Atomics unveils Wildfire drone concept to succeed MQ-9 Reaper
General Atomics announced a new UAV design, “Wildfire,” pitched for the USAF/DIU Massed Modular Aircraft program as a potential successor to the MQ-9A Reaper. While not yet a battlefield deployment, it signals a new modular attritable/scale…
Drones: MQ-9 Reaper
IDF creates new branch focused on AI, drones and robotics
Israel is standing up a dedicated military branch centered on AI, drones and robotics, indicating an institutional shift to accelerate development, procurement and battlefield integration of these capabilities. While not a single new weapon…
Russian GUGI trains deep-sea submersibles for covert subsea cable sabotage
Western officials say Russia’s GUGI used deep-sea submersibles near Svalbard to simulate deploying a new, fingerprint-free capability intended to disable undersea fiber-optic cables. While technical details are withheld, the reported focus …
Anduril Dive-LD autonomous underwater drone captured by Iran
The post describes the Dive-LD, a large autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) designed for multi-day, low-intervention undersea surveillance missions, being recovered by Iran. While the capture itself isn’t a new tactic, it highlights deploym…
Drones: Shark
Echodyne MESA radar integrated into Kongsberg Protector RWS for C-UAS
Echodyne’s miniaturized MESA radar is being selected by Kongsberg and integrated into Protector RS4/RS6 remote weapon stations to add drone-detection and fire-control support, effectively turning RWS not originally designed for counter-UAS …
Russia deploys jet-powered drones reportedly outrunning Ukrainian interceptors
The report describes new jet-powered Russian drones reaching ~300 mph, potentially exceeding the engagement envelope of some Ukrainian air-defence interceptors. If accurate, this represents a notable performance upgrade (speed/kinematics) t…