The federal government has used military-grade border patrol drones like this one to monitor protests in US cities. Drones of all sizes are being used by environmental advocates to monitor deforestation, by conservationists to track poachers, and by journalists and activists to document large protests. As a political sociologist who studies social movements and drones, […]

Somehow, Skyborg will be an operational weapon system in just three years. The U.S. Air Force is planning to field an operational combat drone by 2023. The service says Skyborg will replace older weapon-slinging drones and even early models of the F-16. Skyborg will be reusable but could be sacrificed in combat if necessary. The […]

Orca Submarine Robot Submarine U.S. Navy Cheaper and better? What the United States Navy wants and what the United States Navy will be able to afford in the coming years is unlikely to match up, and as it continues to address increasingly powerful Chinese and Russian navies, this could give a lot of people many […]

The drones would fly alongside Air Force warplanes, doing jobs too dangerous or dull for pilots. The Air Force is soliciting the aerospace industry to provide flyable “Skyborg” drones by 2023. The drones will be powered by artificial intelligence, capable of taking off, landing, and performing missions on their own. Skyborg will not only free […]

Sandia National Laboratories researchers leading the MARCUS project are working to develop a system that addresses current and future national security threats posed by small unmanned aircraft systems Robotics engineers from Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) are developing drones that can capture hostile drones in flight. Funded by the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme, […]

  Elon Musk has suggested Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, which are a key part of the Morrison government’s $200 billion investment in defence, would “have no chance” against an autonomous drone in the battlefield. “The fighter jet era has passed,” Mr Musk said at the US Air Force’s Air Warfare Symposium in […]

A group of experts wants to study the brain waves and eye movements of people playing a video game in order to build an advanced AI that could coordinate the actions of military robots. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, known as DARPA, awarded a team from the University of Buffalo’s Artificial Intelligence Institute […]

The Navy converted manned combat jets into unmanned ones. Nobody had any idea they were doing it. The U.S. Navy announced that it converted EA-18G Growler electronic attack jets into unmanned vehicles. In a test, a manned Growler controlled two unmanned Growlers. The previously unknown test could mean that unmanned Navy warplanes are coming sooner […]

  US Air Force F-22s and F-35s will soon launch and control recoverable attack drones from the cockpit of the plane.  Key point: This technology, which hinges upon higher levels of autonomous navigation, brings a wide swath of improved mission possibilities. US Air Force F-22s and F-35s will soon launch and control recoverable attack drones […]

    Flexible and deadly.  Key point: Armed robots are becoming the norm of future warfare. The question is how long humans will stay in the loop. An Estonian company has teamed up with a Singaporean firm and joined the expanding global race to develop robotic fighting vehicles. More and more firms are developing armed […]

RAF Top Guns will fly new Tempest jets with a “virtual cockpit” instead of traditional controls. The 4,000mph fighter is due to replace the Typhoon from 2035 and will be piloted or guided remotely. Pilots will wear virtual-reality gloves and will be able to charge course with a wink or gesture. Rather than the familiar […]

The Songar drone can accurately hit targets from hundreds of metres away, according to its manufacturer A drone with a machine gun attached can hit targets with high precision, according to its makers. Turkey is set to become the first country to have the drone, when it gets a delivery this month. The 25-kilogram drone […]