All articles tagged with #drones
Researchers at the University of British Columbia fitted homing pigeons with tiny backpacks and head-mounted cameras to track eye movements during flight. They found slow, subtle eye shifts and inward eye rotation when landing, challenging the idea that birds keep their eyes fixed in flight. The findings suggest drones could benefit from cameras that move similarly to enhance navigation and depth perception.
Ukrainian drone strikes have hammered Russia’s oil industry, pushing refinery runs to multi-decade lows, triggering a domestic petrol shortage with price spikes and regional sales restrictions, and raising the prospect that Moscow may become a petrol importer as it struggles to repair facilities.
Ukrainian drones hit areas around Moscow overnight, killing three and injuring five, as Russia’s air defenses reportedly battled a large wave of strikes. The attacks also targeted oil facilities across Russia, worsening a fuel crisis that has affected millions. Putin vows to boost air-defense production, while Kyiv says the campaign is a long-range sanction and Western allies debate increased defense support, though Patriot systems may still be years away.
Russia says it will reroute Sea of Azov grain shipments and may shift cargo to alternative routes after Ukrainian drone strikes hit 11 Russian vessels, as Kyiv steps up attacks on oil infrastructure and Moscow faces a widening fuel crisis.
Ukraine launched long-range drone strikes targeting Russia’s energy and industrial facilities in Stavropol and Krasnodar, igniting fires at oil depots, while the Moscow region endured a large drone attack that killed three and injured three, briefly disrupting operations at four airports as air defenses intercepted dozens of drones.
German defense startup Helsing raised $1.8 billion at an $18 billion valuation from new and existing investors, including JPMorgan Chase, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Iconiq. The funding underscores Europe’s growing role in AI-driven defense and supports Helsing’s HX-2 drones and other autonomous systems, which are being used by the Ukrainian army.
Ukrainian drone strikes have forced Russia to suspend shipping through the Sea of Azov after about 90 vessels were targeted in a week, including 10 tankers and four ferries overnight and a major refinery in Syzran; Kyiv's campaign aims to isolate Crimea and disrupt Moscow’s logistics and fuel supplies, with ongoing strikes on energy infrastructure and maritime routes.
The US Central Command says it completed a Monday wave of strikes against Iran aimed at degrading Iran’s air defenses, radar sites, small-boat operations, and missile and drone capabilities, employing fighter jets, precise munitions, aerial drones, and for the first time, one-way sea attack drones. CENTCOM notes that similar Sunday strikes hit about 140 Iranian targets and emphasizes keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for commercial shipping, even as Iran allegedly fired on a commercial vessel and Iranian state media reported casualties (one killed, four injured) from those strikes.
US President Donald Trump has recalibrated his stance toward Ukraine after classified intelligence highlighted Kyiv’s domestically produced long-range drones striking deep into Russia; at the Ankara NATO summit he signaled stronger support, including a license for Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles, a shift officials say could influence Moscow and European allies, though Washington remains divided on the pace and scope of aid.
Ukraine said it hit about 10 Russian tankers and four ferries in the Sea of Azov, and targeted oil facilities and a fuel train, as Zelenskyy announced a new unit to conduct incursions into Russia; Moscow reported a tanker fire that was contained, and Russia faces rising fuel shortages amid intensified drone strikes on energy infrastructure.
Ukraine says its drones hit multiple Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov, with 14 ships struck on Sunday (including 10 tankers) as part of a campaign to disrupt Moscow’s fuel supply and isolate Crimea; Russia counters that a Ukrainian drone struck a tanker entering the Azov-Black Sea Canal, the vessel empty so no oil spill or casualties. Kyiv has also targeted energy infrastructure, including an oil refinery in Samara, as it escalates strikes on logistics and energy facilities.”
Iranian missiles and drones struck Gulf states overnight—UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and Jordan—after US Central Command said it had hit about 140 Iranian targets; Qatar reported three injuries from falling shrapnel while Jordan said three missiles fell with no casualties. The IRGC claimed it targeted a US radar site in Kuwait and destroyed a command-and-control center and drone hangars at a US base in Jordan. The escalation tightens tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and helped push oil prices to multiyear highs, even as talks continue on maritime traffic in the strait.
Survivors of a Iranian drone strike on a U.S. Army operations center in Kuwait that killed six troops say warnings about Port Shuaiba’s vulnerabilities were ignored by senior leaders; an Army investigation found no fault, while soldiers voice anger over defense gaps and medical care and question why troops were deployed to the site.
MIT researchers built a lightweight robot (about half a pound, with a near-3‑foot wingspan) that uses flexible nylon wings reinforced with carbon fiber to fly and swim using the same wings, switching between air and water without extra hardware. The open, individually waterproofed internals keep it light and neutrally buoyant underwater. It flaps about 5–6 Hz in flight and increases to around 10 Hz to break out of the water, with a range of nearly four miles in the air or just over a mile underwater per charge. Future versions may add sensors; the work aims to mimic diving seabirds and enable coastal monitoring applications.
Russia launched a broad attack on Ukraine with ballistic and cruise missiles plus drones, killing two and wounding 19 as Kyiv pressed allies to speed up air-defense deliveries; Ukraine said it shot down most targets but could not stop ballistic missiles, while strikes also hit Odesa and Kharkiv.