‘We can no longer claim air dominance’: Drones have redefined control of the skies
What do “air superiority” and “air dominance” really mean in the age of drones?
Drones Unleashed
The Department of Defense, seeing the tactics of warfare being redefined in Russia's war against Ukraine, understands the U.S. must evolve, strengthen and advance the American drone industrial base to keep up with the changing threats. The Threat Status team takes a deeper look at what the defense industry is doing to meet the demand to keep our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines equipped with the latest technology.
Drone attack hits container ship off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast; all crew members rescued
Three maritime drones struck a container ship sailing in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria on Wednesday, the country’s defense minister said, the latest in a string of such incidents on NATO’s eastern flank.
Putin agrees ‘in principle’ to resume trilateral talks with U.S., Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Wednesday to restart trilateral negotiations with the U.S. and Ukraine on how to end Moscow’s war with Kyiv.
Russian aerial blitz kills 9 in Ukraine as Zelenskyy meets U.S. and European officials in Norway
Russia unleashed another missile and drone blitz of civilian areas in Ukraine, killing at least nine people, officials said Tuesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought more American and European help during a visit to Norway.
U.S. ties with Ukraine hit new low as Trump slights Zelenskyy and eases up on Russia
The U.S.-Ukraine alliance is careening toward a possible breaking point, with Moscow strengthened by President Donald Trump’s recent rejection of new Russia sanctions and Kyiv undermined by disruptions in satellite support for its drones during the war.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine got no early warning from partners as Russia hits the power grid again
Russia launched new attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure using ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, adding that Kyiv again received no early warning of the attack from partner countries that previously shared their intelligence.
Ukraine launches more than 1,000 drones at Russian oil terminals, data centers in massive attack
Ukraine launched one of its largest-ever aerial assaults against Russia on Sunday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly warned President Trump that siding with Moscow would be a “historic mistake.”
Trump administration bans cartel drones at southern border
The Trump administration is blocking drones from operating along the U.S.-Mexico border without permission, in an effort to strengthen airspace security in the region.
WATCH: How does the Army decide to upgrade or replace old systems?
Army Chief Technology Officer Alex Miller explains why new equipment once took years to reach soldiers, how quickly modern threats like drones can outpace slow fielding, and how the Army is working to make complex technology easier for soldiers to learn.
Zelenskyy: Europe has enough interceptors to get Ukraine through the winter
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters Friday that his country’s allies in Europe have enough missile and drone interceptors to help Ukraine get through the winter, amid reports that his country had completely run out of U.S.-made interceptors.
Ukraine resumes attacks on Russian oil refineries, officials say, as U.S. relations teeter
Ukrainian drones attacked a refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region early Thursday, hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a brief truce spurned by Moscow was over amid deepening tensions with Washington.
5 questions about the drone attacks on ships off Bulgaria
Drone strikes sank a cargo ship and hit another in the Black Sea off Bulgaria on Tuesday, the latest in a string of attacks on commercial vessels that has Bulgaria seeking NATO and EU help.
WATCH: Powerus unveils Guardian 3 drone interceptor at AUSA 2026
On the floor of AUSA 2026, National Security Editor Guy Taylor talks with Powerus co-founder and President Brett Velicovich about the company’s new Guardian 3 drone interceptor.
Zelenskyy tells Warsaw forum Russian drones defied Trump’s truce: ‘Putin does not read Truth Social’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Europe’s main eastern-flank security gathering Monday that Kyiv will honor President Trump’s surprise “energy ceasefire” if Moscow does. But Russian drones, he said, kept hitting Ukraine’s power and gas sites through the night.
EU sanctions nearly 1,600 Russian people and firms linked to drone and missile parts
The European Union imposed sanctions on Monday on almost 1,600 Russian people and companies linked to Russia’s arms industry, notably targeting those suspected of involvement in making parts for drones and missiles.
Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities kill at least 19 in a major attack that Kyiv saw coming
Russian missiles and drones pounded Kyiv and a dozen other Ukrainian regions overnight into Wednesday, killing at least 19 civilians, including four children, and wounding around 60 in Moscow’s latest devastating barrage, Ukrainian officials said.
Europe turns to Ukraine’s battlefield-tested weapons as joint production accelerates
The Germans came to Ukraine over the weekend with another infusion of much-needed cash for the Russian-battered country, but this trip wasn’t just charity.
Ukraine war forcing U.S. defense companies to rethink how weapons are built
This year, Ukraine is on track to produce between 6 million and 7 million small first-person-view drones. Meanwhile, the Pentagon’s $1.1 billion Drone Dominance program expects to have ordered fewer than 200,000 by February of next year.
Hegseth unveils new drone-focused 4-star command
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday the creation of Autonomous Warfare Command, a new 4-star-led organization to rapidly increase drone capabilities in the military.
Russia pounds the Kyiv region, killing 4 and targeting the power grid
Russia pressed on with its weekslong missile and drone barrage of Kyiv and areas around the Ukrainian capital, killing four people, including a child, while targeting the power grid and a key internet exchange point, officials said Wednesday.
Russian drones pound civilian areas as Ukraine claims battlefield breakthroughs
Russia’s round-the-clock bombardment of targets in Ukraine killed at least six civilians and wounded 53 others, officials said Monday, while Ukraine’s army claimed more successes in a recent push on the front line.
Russian strikes kill 8 in Ukraine as the U.N. debates how to end the war
Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine overnight killed at least eight civilians, officials said Thursday, as Moscow’s 4 1/2-year-long invasion of its neighbor grinds on despite renewed appeals for a settlement at this week’s U.N. General Assembly.
Russia pounds Kyiv with drones, killing 2 and wounding 23 hours before Zelenskyy’s U.N. address
Russia hammered Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, with drones in daylight attacks on Wednesday, hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due to address world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly.
Trump says his ballroom will house a drone port. The Secret Service already has one next door
President Donald Trump’s AI-fueled vision for a drone port he intends to install atop the new White House ballroom includes missile-bearing unmanned aerial vehicles and gun-toting troops, ostensibly to protect the 18-acre complex and the nation’s capital.
Monument or military outpost? Feds mum on Trump plan to arm triumphal arch with drones, snipers
Federal agencies offered little insight into how President Trump will turn his proposed triumphal arch in a busy traffic circle near Arlington National Cemetery into a security site capable of launching drones and supporting snipers.
Russia and Ukraine trade deadly strikes as Zelenskyy prepares to meet Trump
Russia bombarded at least four Ukrainian regions overnight with missiles and drones, killing five people, officials said Tuesday, and Ukraine’s forces damaged another Russian oil refinery in their latest long-range strike.
How Honeywell Aerospace is racing to out-produce America’s missile shortage
Honeywell’s Matt Milas joins Threat Status from the floor of AFA 2026 to break down the tech keeping the U.S. military ahead.
Poland warns Russia is planning drone or rocket strikes on NATO territory
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned on Thursday that Russia is planning hybrid strikes with drones or rockets on European countries supporting Ukraine, among them Poland.
The Air Force’s next fighter jets won’t have pilots. They’ll fly beside ones that do
The U.S. military moved a step closer this week to acquiring a significant fleet of artificial intelligence-enabled, pilotless fighter jets to fly alongside human pilots in combat.
Iran hit hundreds of buildings, dozens of aircraft as war drains U.S. munitions, IG says
Iranian missile and drone attacks on U.S. outposts in the Middle East have damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and dozens of American combat aircraft since the start of the war against Tehran, according to a major new report from the Pentagon’s inspector general.
NATO jet shoots down suspected Belarusian drone over Lithuania
A NATO fighter jet shot down a drone in Lithuanian airspace early Tuesday, a day after a Russian warship fired flares at a Danish military helicopter operating in the Baltic Sea.
Poland pledges to strengthen security after drone strikes along border with Ukraine
Poland pledged increased security along its border with Ukraine after a wave of Russian drone strikes near the frontier, including two that landed within kilometers of Polish territory.
Ukrainians embed with U.S. forces during drills in Germany to teach the latest in drone warfare
A lone American soldier stood on a dusty road in Germany, fussing with a controller. Moments later, a drone, with wings that stretched almost as wide as his arms, whirred to life and shot into the sky.
Russian drones target Kyiv gas stations, aiming to rattle civilians
Russian drones targeted roadside gas stations in Kyiv for a second straight day Friday, as Moscow broadened its air war in what Ukrainian officials say is an effort to rattle civilians.
Norway PM says drone nearly hit Zelenskyy’s plane in Moldova; Kyiv disputes danger
The Norwegian PM said a Russian jet-powered drone came close enough to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s aircraft as it prepared to depart Moldova on Tuesday that it was the reality Zelenskyy lives with, a characterization Zelenskyy’s own office quickly disputed as overstated.
Army expands unmanned aerial system so units can directly buy drones
The Army rolled out an unmanned aerial system exchange in March, letting military units purchase drones as easily as ordering paper towels or cleaning supplies from Amazon.
Russia turns jet-powered Shahed-type drones into weapon of economic paralysis over Kyiv
A little after 3 p.m. Sunday, the solitary wail of an air-raid siren rose above Kyiv’s busy Chokolivskyi Boulevard. Within seconds, others joined it, echoing through Solomianskyi, a sprawling residential and transport district southwest of the city center.
U.S. military uses laser to blast cartel drones at southern border
The U.S. military said it blasted three cartel-linked drones out of the sky, opening a new frontier in the shadow war at the southern border.
Russian drones batter Ukraine’s Kyiv region, hitting apartments and warehouses for a second day
Russian forces on Friday resumed their drone barrage of Ukraine’s Kyiv region, hitting more than a dozen apartment buildings and storage depots in a second straight day of aerial attacks, officials said.
Russia’s shadow war targets NATO supplies
An explosives-laden drone discovered beside a Ukrainian cargo aircraft at one of Germany’s busiest freight airports has become the latest warning that Russia’s shadow war against the West may be entering a more dangerous phase.
Putin issues decree opening door to state control of key sites after deep Ukrainian drone strikes
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing the government to temporarily take control of critical infrastructure if private owners fail to protect it from Ukrainian drone attacks or rebuild it after strikes, apparently the latest indication that Moscow is feeling the strain of war.
EU providing Ukraine with more than $7 billion to defend against Russian missiles, drones
The European Union said Monday it was releasing about $7.1 billion in military aid for Ukraine, with the funds specifically targeted to boost Kyiv’s air defenses against Russian missile attacks.
Ukraine aims a drone blitz at Moscow as Russian missiles kill 10 in a Ukrainian village
Ukrainian forces staged one of their biggest drone attacks on Russia since Moscow’s invasion more than four years ago, firing almost 800 drones just two days after launching a similar salvo, officials said Tuesday.
Ukraine’s drones hit a major Russian refinery 800 miles from the border, sparking a fire
Ukrainian drones struck a major refinery deep inside Russia, military officials said Thursday, the fourth in three days in Kyiv’s monthslong campaign to choke Moscow’s vital oil sector.
