DefenseNews

Latvia sends mobile intercept units to Russian border in wake of drone incursions

RIGA, Latvia — Latvia will deploy mobile drone-interceptor units to its eastern border within a matter of days in response to a string of drone incursions from the direction of Russia, according to the head of the Baltic country’s Autonomous Systems Competence Center. The Latvian armed forces will deploy teams up to four soldiers in 4×4 vehicles, equipped with interceptor drones from Latvian…
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DefenseNews

India boosts drone warfare capability with compact missile

NEW DELHI — India has completed final developmental trials of a new precision guided missile that can be launched from drones to engage both ground and aerial targets. For many years the country’s drones were used primarily for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, but as their role in modern warfare increases exponentially, India is moving to enhance the combat capabilities of its…
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DefenseNews

Rubio ratchets up pressure on NATO at key summit

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is casting new doubt on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s relevance to the United States after key allies recoiled from backing Washington’s “Operation Epic Fury.” Rubio, speaking to reporters following a meeting with foreign…
DefenseNews

Congressional report tallies 42 US aircraft lost or damaged in Operation Epic Fury

A Congressional Research Service report released this month tallied 42 U.S. aircraft lost or damaged during Operation Epic Fury, the 40-day campaign against Iran that began Feb. 28. It is the most complete public accounting of a war the Pentagon has yet to assess on its own terms. The May 13 report, “U.S. Aircraft Combat Losses in Operation Epic Fury: Considerations for Congress,” draws on…
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DefenseNews

SOCOM begins fielding new battlefield biometrics system

The small Montana-based tech company Reveal Technology announced that its biometric tool Identifi has been formally adopted as a program of record by U.S. Special Operations Command, or USSOCOM. And, according to last week’s announcement, it’s a major milestone, not just…
DefenseNews

The US Navy is full speed ahead on building a laser fleet

Operation Epic Fury may have strengthened the case for directed energy weapons, but the U.S. Navy’s dream of putting “a laser on every ship” may take significantly longer than expected to realize. In a posture statement delivered to the House Armed Services Committee on May 14, Chief of Naval Operations (and noted directed energy champion) Adm. Daryl Caudle delivered a forceful argument for…
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