Droner

 

RQ-170 Sentinel Stealth Drone Supported Maduro Capture Mission

The War Zone

At least one, and possibly two, of the U.S. Air Force’s secretive RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drones appear to have taken part in the operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

--##--

In Ukraine, a New Arsenal of Killer AI Drones Is Being Born

The New York Times (Gift Link)

Throughout 2025 in the war between Russia and Ukraine, in largely unseen and unheralded moments ... the era of killer robots has begun to take shape on the battlefield. Across the roughly 800-mile front and over the airspace of both nations, drones with newly developed autonomous features are now in daily combat use.

--##--

The Drone Wingman Race Kicks into High(er) Gear: 2026 Preview Breaking Defense Amid a global race to augment military forces with unmanned systems, the Air Force this year notched first flights for prototype drone wingmen, a step lauded by officials as a key milestone for a top service priority. But uncertainty remains for the future of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, and two critical questions are poised to be answered in the next year. The first: What will the Air Force decide to build? And second, what comes next?

----oooo00O00oooo----

RQ-170 Sentinel Stealth Drone Supported Maduro Capture Mission By The Editor on Jan 05, 2026 07:56 am RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drones appear to have taken part in the operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Spotting an RQ-170 in the context of a real-world mission is very rare, but it would not be unexpected in this case. The RQ-170 was designed by Lockheed’s Skunk Works exactly for this application, […] Read in browser » U S MQ-9 Reaper Crashes in Afghanistan By The Editor on Jan 05, 2026 07:55 am A United States Air Force MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle has reportedly crashed near Maidan Shahr, the provincial capital of Maidan Wardak, west of Kabul, according to initial regional and security reports. The incident occurred during what was described as a routine surveillance mission and did not result in any reported civilian casualties on the […] Read in browser » Boeing, Anduril Team on Bid for Future Air Defence System By The Editor on Jan 05, 2026 07:50 am Boeing has partnered with Anduril Rocket Motor Systems in the U.S. Army’s Integrated Fires Protection Capability (IFPC) Increment 2 Second Interceptor competition. Anduril will provide the solid rocket motor for the team’s medium-range interceptor offering. Boeing was awarded an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) Project Agreement to develop the new midrange interceptor on Dec. 5 as […] Read in browser » FCC Updates Banned List to Include Foreign UAS and UAS Critical Component By The Editor on Jan 05, 2026 07:31 am As the United States prepares to host several mass-gathering events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, America250 celebrations, and the 2028 LA Summer Olympics, the federal government is taking additional actions to safeguard Americans and restore American airspace sovereignty. Following a thorough review by an Executive Branch interagency body with appropriate national security expertise that […] Read in browser » China’s First Unmanned Convertiplane Makes First Flight By The Editor on Jan 05, 2026 07:08 am China Science announced on December 18 that the Lanying R6000, the China-developed world’s first 6-tonne tiltrotor aircraft, has completed its maiden flight in Deyang, southwest China’s Sichuan Province. Boasting both the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities of a helicopter and the fast cruising speed of a fixed-wing aircraft, it can accommodate 6 to 12 […] Read in browser » Recent Articles:Amazon Halts Plans for Drone Delivery in Italy European Maritime Safety Agency Selects Airbus Flexrotor Drone for Maritime Surveillance Missions US Army Seeks MQ-1C Gray Eagle Replacement US Marines Train with M1014 Shotgun as Counter-Drone Solution Against Small Aerial Threats. Spain’s Indra Group Acquires Wake Engineering’s UAS Technology