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Unmanned (Page 2)

Latest in Unmanned

Ukraine says it has attacked nearly 50 ships in the Sea of Azov over the past five days.
Unmanned

Ukraine Claims Scores Of Russian Ships Struck In Sea Of Azov

By Howard Altman

Posted on Jul 11, 2026

RAF LAKENHEATH drone incursions were done by the Russians according to new report.
Unmanned

Russia “Highly Likely” Behind Drone Incursions Over U.S. Bases In England Report Concludes

By Howard Altman

Posted on Jul 2, 2026

MQ-28 and Strike Eagle II
MQ-28

F-15EX And Ghost Bat Team Up Over Pacific During Valiant Shield

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jul 2, 2026

The images of T-1 Nimitz still underscore just how big even the demonstrator design is compared to other aircraft in the Navy's carrier air wings.
MQ-25

MQ-25 Stingray Demonstrator Goes Aboard USS Nimitz For 250th U.S. Anniversary Celebrations

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 29, 2026

The U.S. Navy continues to make use of MQ-1 Predators as test and training assets, eight years after the U.S. Air Force retired the iconic drones.
Q-1

Pocket Fleet Of Unseen MQ-1 Predators Still Flying In Specialized Role

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Posted on Jun 24, 2026

U.S. Air Force HC-130J Combat King II assigned to the 79th Rescue Squadron takes off behind a Boeing Defence Australia’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat, a production representative test aircraft, during Exercise Valiant Shield 2026 at Rota, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, June 21, 2026. U.S. forces are integrating Collaborative Combat Aircraft into Exercise VS26 to advance human-machine teaming.
MQ-28

MQ-28 Ghost Bat Drone Debuts In Large-Force Combat Exercise In The Pacific

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 24, 2026

NATO and Ukraine are looking to the private sector to develop methods of attacking Russian air bases.
Unmanned

NATO And Ukraine Turning To Private Sector To Help Crater Russian Airfields

By Howard Altman

Posted on Jun 23, 2026

F15E pilot saw drone swarm over Iran before being shot down.
Swarms

What Was The “Jellyfish-Like” Drone Swarm The Downed F-15E Pilot Reportedly Saw Over Iran?

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Jun 23, 2026

Aurora Flight Sciences is now putting the wings on the X-65 experimental drone, which is designed to maneuver with bursts of air rather than traditional control surfaces.
Unmanned

DARPA X-Plane Designed To Maneuver With Just Bursts Of Air Finally Gets Its Wings

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 23, 2026

L3Harris wants to demonstrate the ability of the RC-135V/W Rivet Joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft to team up with uncrewed platforms.
Loyal Wingman

RC-135 Rivet Joints Could Control Drones To Drastically Expand Collection Capabilities

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 19, 2026

New Stryker drone division for the pacific.
Unmanned

Army’s Newest Unit Aims To “Overwhelm” Adversary With Drones In Pacific Fight 

By Howard Altman

Posted on Jun 19, 2026

General Atomics is giving the MQ-9 reaper airborne early radar capability, which could have a big impact on the market.
Q-9

MQ-9 Getting Airborne Early Warning Radar Is A Huge Deal

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Jun 18, 2026

The U.S. Air Force has awarded contracts for the production of General Atomics YFQ-42A Dark Merlin and Anduril YFQ-44A Fury drones., setting it up for a split fleet of operational CCAs.
Collaborative Combat Aircraft

USAF Orders Both General Atomics’ FQ-42 And Anduril’s FQ-44 Into Production

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 17, 2026

A plot to use drone to attack the UFC fight in Washington has been disclosed.
Unmanned

Alleged Plot On White House UFC Fight Puts Drone Threat In The Spotlight

By Howard Altman

Posted on Jun 16, 2026

Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat Block 3.
MQ-28

Boeing’s New Larger Ghost Bat Can Carry AIM-120 AMRAAMs Internally

By TWZ

Posted on Jun 10, 2026

An officer with the First Corps Azov offers unique insights into the unit's mid-range drone attack campaign against Russian logistics.
Unmanned

Inside Ukraine’s AI-Enabled Drone Campaign Targeting Russian Logistics Deep Behind The Lines

By Howard Altman

Posted on Jun 9, 2026

Representing the next evolution in Airbus’ UCCA roadmap towards a scalable family of uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft, the 1:1 model on display features a wingspan of 10 m and a length of 13 m. Optimised for multi-domain missions, the UCCA's capabilities include air-to-surface strikes using precision-guided munitions, air-to-air defence with long and medium-range anti-aircraft missiles, and electronic warfare for suppressing enemy air defences and offensive counter-air using non-kinetic jamming. Ravenstorm will be available in the early 2030s.
Collaborative Combat Aircraft

Ravenstorm At The Center Of Airbus’s New Combat Drone Portfolio

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Jun 9, 2026

Faced with mounting losses fighting Iran, the Air Force is bying unused Reapers from General Atomics.
Q-9

USAF Scrambling To Buy What Few MQ-9 Reapers It Can Find After Epic Fury Losses

By Howard Altman, Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 5, 2026

Modularity is a key area of interest as the U.S. Air Force formulates its latest set of requirements for a successor to the MQ-9 Reaper, according to Gen. John Lamontagne, the service's Vice Chief of Staff.
Q-9

USAF Wants “MQ-9 Next” Reaper Replacement To Be Modular, Cheap

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Jun 4, 2026

The primary mission of the MQ-1 Predator is interdiction and conducting armed reconnaissance against critical, perishable targets. When the MQ-1 is not actively pursuing its primary mission, it provides reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition in support of the Joint Forces commander.
Q-1

Is The U.S. Flying MQ-1 Predator Drones Again?

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Posted on Jun 1, 2026

Boeing is now conducting test flights of its MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone out over the Pacific from the U.S. Navy's base in Point Mugu, California.
MQ-28

MQ-28 Ghost Bat Now Flying Over The Pacific From U.S. Navy Base

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 28, 2026

Israeli troops are turning to fishing nets for protection against Hezbollah FPV drones.
Unmanned

Israeli Troops Turn To Fishing Nets For Protection Against Hezbollah FPV Drones

By Howard Altman

Posted on May 27, 2026

The cost to connect each of the U.S. military's Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS) one-way attack drones to SpaceX's Starshield communications network is approximately $25,000 a month, according to a new report.
Unmanned

Cost To Link LUCAS Kamikaze Drones To Starlink Highlights Pentagon’s Ever-Growing Dependence On SpaceX

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Posted on May 27, 2026

The U.S. Air Force plans to send a new version of the glider-like Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft (ULTRA) drone with a turbocharged engine to the Middle East for an operational evaluation.
Unmanned

USAF’s New Turbocharged ULTRA Surveillance Drones Are Heading To The Middle East

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 25, 2026

DZYNE Technologies has shared new details about its recently unveiled lower-cost Blitz drone and the accompanying containerized BlitzBox launch system.
Unmanned

BlitzBox Packs 100 Weaponized Drones Into An Unassuming Container

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman

Posted on May 19, 2026

Inside Ukraine's Shahed interceptor program.
Unmanned

Inside Ukraine’s Interceptor Drone Innovations Swatting Down Thousands Of Russian Shaheds

By Howard Altman

Posted on May 15, 2026

An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft piloted by Airmen from the 556 Test and Evaluation Squadron flies over the Nevada Test and Training Range and performs live-fire exercises with Air-to-Ground Missile-114 Hellfire missiles and Guided Bomb Unit-12 Paveway IIs, Aug. 30, 2023. The 556 TES performs all software and physical testing to improve the combat capabilities of the MQ-9 Reaper.
Q-9

MQ-9 Reaper Replacement Requirements Stress A Drone Cheap Enough To Risk Losing

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on May 13, 2026

Facing with a growing threat from Hezbollah, the IDF is building its own drone factory.
Unmanned

Israel Building Factory To Pump Out Its Own FPV Drones

By Howard Altman

Posted on May 13, 2026

The MQ-9 Reaper has become the latest platform to test-fire the laser-guided 70mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) rocket. The trials, conducted with the U.S. Air Force, involved the MQ-9 employing the APKWS in its original air-to-ground capacity, as well as against aerial targets.
Q-9

MQ-9 Reaper Fires Laser-Guided Rockets In Tests

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Updated on May 11, 2026

DARPA is exploring capabilities to support a largely self-sustaining "autonomous constellation" of containerized systems designed to launch and recover networked swarms consisting of as many as 500 drones at once.
Unmanned

Drone Swarms Packed Into Unassuming Containers Sought By DARPA

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 9, 2026

Northrop Grumman's experimental XRQ-73 Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft Demonstration (SHEPARD) hybrid-electric drone has now taken to the skies.
Unmanned

DARPA’s XRQ-73 Hybrid-Electric Flying Wing Drone Has Flown

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on May 6, 2026

Could The X-BAT Stealth Fighter Drone Change The Air Combat Game?
Unmanned

Could The X-BAT Stealth Fighter Drone Change The Air Combat Game?

By Jamie Hunter

Posted on May 3, 2026

Two Massive Chinese Stealth Flying Wings Spotted Again at Secretive Drone Base
Unmanned

China’s Massive Stealth Flying Wings Spotted Together At Secretive Test Base

By Tyler Rogoway, Ian Ellis-Jones

Updated on May 1, 2026

The IDF is now using netting on vehicles to protect against Hezbollah FPV drones.
Unmanned

Israel Now Using Netting To Protect Combat Vehicles Against Scourge Of Hezbollah Drones

By Howard Altman

Posted on Apr 30, 2026

A U.S. Marine Corps XQ-58A Valkyrie, highly autonomous, low-cost tactical unmanned air vehicle, soars overhead during its second test flight at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Feb. 23, 2023. The XQ-58A Valkyrie test flight and the data collected inform future requirements for the Marine Corps in a rapidly evolving security environment, while successfully fueling joint innovation and experimentation opportunities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John McRell)
XQ-58

First USMC MQ-58 Valkyrie CCA Drones To Arrive In 2029

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Apr 29, 2026

X-Bat's new design at sea air space 2026.
UCAVs

X-BAT Autonomous VTOL ‘Fighter’ Looks Dramatically Different

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Apr 21, 2026

A U.S. Marine Corps XQ-58A Valkyrie, highly autonomous, low-cost tactical unmanned air vehicle, conducts its second test flight with two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft assigned to 33rd Fighter Wing, 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Feb. 23, 2023. The XQ-58A Valkyrie test flight and the data collected inform future requirements for the Marine Corps in a rapidly evolving security environment, while successfully fueling joint innovation and experimentation opportunities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. John McRell)
XQ-58

F-35s Quarterbacking Drones Seen As Gateway To USMC’s 6th Gen Fighter

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Apr 20, 2026

The Air Force’s Experimental Operations Unit, under Air Combat Command, concluded a critical exercise with Collaborative Combat Aircraft recently at Edwards Air Force Base, California, putting principles of the new Warfighting Acquisition System into practice. The exercise employed the YFQ-44A aircraft and represents a shift toward the new concept of earlier, operator-driven experimentation to inform tactics and procedures that will accelerate the delivery of this transformative capability to the warfighter.
Loyal Wingman

YFQ-44 Fury Fighter Drone Wraps Contested Operations Test That Could Accelerate Its Fielding

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Apr 17, 2026

The U.S. shipped 10,000 Merops interceptor drones to the Middle East to take on Iranian Shahed drones.
Unmanned

Cheap Interceptor Drones Proven In Ukraine Protected U.S. Troops Against Iranian Shaheds

By Howard Altman

Posted on Apr 16, 2026

MAYHEM 10 is an autonomous, multi-role launched effect designed to deliver coordinated non-kinetic and kinetic effects at standoff. Employable from air, ground, and maritime platforms, it combines advanced collaborative autonomy with modular payloads to operate effectively in contested environments.
Loitering Munitions

Super-Adaptable Mayhem 10 Swarming Drone Evolved From The Switchblade

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Apr 16, 2026

Army officials and the MV-75A's prime contractor, Bell, have both pointed to a future where tanker drones like the U.S. Navy's forthcoming MQ-25 Stingray could help extend the Cheyenne II's reach.
MQ-25

Army Eyes Drone Tankers To Refuel Its New MV-75 Cheyenne II Tiltrotors

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Apr 16, 2026

General Atomics is calling attention to a new mission for its Mojave short takeoff and landing (STOL) drone: hunting uncrewed aerial threats with laser-guided Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) rockets.
Q-1

Hunting Drones From Sloppy Airstrips Is General Atomics’ Future Vision For Mojave

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Apr 15, 2026

The U.S. Navy has confirmed that an MQ-4C Triton surveillance drone crashed back on April 9.
MQ-4C

Navy MQ-4C Triton Surveillance Drone Crash In The Middle East Finally Confirmed

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Apr 14, 2026

The Marines are keeping an eye on the progress of a seaglider drone.
Unmanned

Regent Squire Wing-In-Ground Effect Drone Demonstrator Makes First Flight

By Howard Altman

Posted on Apr 13, 2026

Hezbollah is stepping up its FPV attacks on the IDF.
Unmanned

Hezbollah Ramping Up FPV Drone Attacks On IDF In Lebanon

By Howard Altman

Posted on Apr 10, 2026

A former Pentagon official offers unique insights into the creation of the LUCAS drone.
Unmanned

How America’s Shahed-136 Kamikaze Drone Clone Suddenly Became An “Indispensable” Weapon Of War

By Howard Altman

Updated on Apr 9, 2026

A U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton surveillance drone disappeared abruptly and unexpectedly from online flight tracking sites after declaring an in-flight emergency while flying over the Persian Gulf today.
MQ-4C

Navy MQ-4C Triton’s Fate Unknown After Disappearing From Flight Tracking Over Persian Gulf

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Apr 9, 2026

Here Is What Trump’s Gargantuan $1.5T Defense Budget Has In It
Unmanned

Here Is What Trump’s Gargantuan $1.5T Defense Budget Has In It

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Apr 8, 2026

RQ-180 features seen in new videos shot in Greece.
RQ-180

New Views Of Massive RQ-180 Stealth Drone Flying Over Greece

By Joseph Trevithick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Apr 7, 2026

A secretive late Cold War-era drone program known as Quartz, intended to persistently monitor mobile nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles deep within the Soviet Union, offers a window into exactly why the RQ-180 could be in high demand in the Middle East now.
RQ-180

RQ-180’s Likely Role Over Iran Foreshadowed By Secret Cold War Stealth Drone Program

By Joseph Trevithick, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Apr 6, 2026

An MQ-28A Ghost Bat loaded with an AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile during Trial Kareela at RAAF Base Woomera, South Australia.
MQ-28

MQ-28 Ghost Bat Gains Major European Foothold As Rheinmetall Joins Forces With Boeing

By Thomas Newdick

Posted on Mar 31, 2026

Spotters in Greece have caught an especially good look at what very much appears to be a very stealthy, long-range, high-altitude intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance drone commonly referred to as the RQ-180, or an evolution of that design.
RQ-180

RQ-180 Secret Stealth Drone Appears To Have Made An Emergency Landing At A Greek Air Base (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Mar 18, 2026

Despite widespread interest across the Middle East in the wake of Iranian Shahed attacks, Ukrainian companies still can't export them.
Unmanned

Ukrainian Companies Prohibited From Exporting Shahed Interceptor Drones

By Howard Altman

Posted on Mar 13, 2026

We obtained first-hand accounts of police chasing down Jersey Drones.
Unmanned

What Cops Saw Chasing Down New Jersey Drones

By Howard Altman

Updated on Mar 12, 2026

Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command, lauds the LUCAS drone.
Unmanned

LUCAS Kamikaze Drones Lauded As “Indispensable” By U.S. Admiral In Charge Of Iran War

By Howard Altman

Posted on Mar 6, 2026

The U.S. used LUCAS kamikaze drones against Iran, the first combat deployment of these weapons.
Unmanned

U.S. Military Has Used Long-Range Kamikaze Drones In Combat For The First Time

By Howard Altman

Posted on Feb 28, 2026

Shield AI says X-Bat will start flight testing this year.
Unmanned

X-BAT Drone ‘Fighter’ Will Begin VTOL Flight Testing In Kansas This Year

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Feb 25, 2026

MQ-9 being turned into cruise missile truck.

General Atomics Is Turning The MQ-9 Reaper Family Of Drones Into “Cruise Missile Trucks”

By The War Zone staff

Posted on Feb 24, 2026

The U.S. Air Force has given us our first look at one of Anduril's YFQ-44 Fury ‘fighter drone’ prototypes carrying an inert AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM).
Loyal Wingman

Anduril’s Fury Collaborative Combat Aircraft Is Now Flying With AIM-120 AMRAAM

By Joseph Trevithick

Updated on Feb 24, 2026

Talon Blue drone from Northrop Grumman.
Unmanned

Talon Blue Is The New Name For Northrop Grumman’s YFQ-48A ‘Fighter Drone’

By Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Feb 24, 2026

YFQ-42A is now named Dark Merlin
Unmanned

Dark Merlin Is The Name Of General Atomics’ YFQ-42A Fighter Drone

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Feb 23, 2026

General Atomics' air-launched LongShort drone has made new progress toward its first flight with the completion of various tests on the ground, including a demonstration of its weapons release capabilities.
Loyal Wingman

X-68A LongShot Air-To-Air Missile-Carrying Drone Moves Closer To F-15 Launch

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Feb 17, 2026

YFQ-42 selected for test program with the USMC.
Loyal Wingman

YFQ-42 Fighter Drone To Test USMC’s Autonomy ‘Brain’ Alongside Crewed Jets

By Tyler Rogoway

Updated on Feb 11, 2026

The entire U.S. military is now pushing to acquire hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of new drones, especially smaller types, in the coming years, spurred on by new direction from the Pentagon.
Swarms

Hunt For Container Launchers Packed With Drones Kicked-Off By Pentagon

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Feb 6, 2026