drones

North Korea’s new frigate looked like a 21st century ship. Until you look at the sides and discover their solution against drones

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In October 2000, the US destroyer USS Cole suffered an attack with a small boat loaded with explosives while refueling in Yemen. The attack led the United States Navy to reinforce the use of machine guns heavy weapons to protect their ships against short-range threats, a decision that is once again gaining prominence today for a very different reason: drones. A frigate with great aspirations. The new Kang Kon It represents North Korea’s biggest leap in surface ships. Although Pyongyang classifies it as a destroyer, its displacement about 5,000 tons places it closer to a frigate by international standards. On paper, the ship brings together almost everything you would expect from a modern design: dozens of vertical launch cells for missiles, a main gun, point defense systems, electronic warfare and cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The most striking detail. However, the broadcast images After the latest tests of the ship they have diverted attention to a much more unexpected element. At least a dozen heavy machine guns can be seen along one of its sides. 14.5 millimeter KPVdistributed between remote-controlled double mounts and other positions integrated into the superstructure. The scene turns out almost disconcerting: a frigate that seems designed for the 21st century, at the same time uses a solution reminiscent of the great naval combats of the past. The Kang Kon was seen firing its machine guns during a demonstration last week The war in Ukraine explains it. Although at first glance it may seem like an extravagance, the logic behind this configuration responds to a very current threat. The drone proliferation aerial and unmanned vessels has forced many navies to reinforce the short-range defense of their ships with additional small-caliber weapons. Russia has been incorporating additional machine guns, remote weapons stations and even improvised protection structures for years to try to stop drone attacks, an experience that North Korea has been able to observe very closely thanks to their growing cooperation military with Moscow. A weapon with more than half a century of history. Plus: KPVs are not exactly a modern system either. Designed by the Soviet Union At the end of World War II, these machine guns continue to be used in many countries due to their power and range against light targets. Your ammunition 14.5 millimeters It can destroy drones, speedboats or lightly armored vehicles, which explains why a weapon conceived decades ago is once again gaining prominence in a scenario dominated by much more recent threats. Survival remains the great unknown. The abundant Kang Kon weaponry It does not clear up doubts about their ability to survive in a high-intensity conflict. The TWZ analysts They consider that a ship of these characteristics would be one of the first objectives of any adversary and that North Korea will hardly be able to build enough units to give depth to its fleet. The reason? Even if it incorporates technologies of Russian origin, converting a missile-laden platform into a truly resilient ship requires much more complex sensors, training, coordination and operational doctrine than adding new weapons on deck. A ship that reflects how naval warfare is changing. The Kang Kon It leaves a striking image because it summarizes one of the great paradoxes of current conflicts. Long-range missiles, radars and electronic warfare represent the most advanced naval technology, but defense against drones has brought back the spotlight to surprisingly simple solutions. that one of the most modern frigates North Korea’s proud display of a heavy machine gun battery speaks volumes about how the war in Ukraine is redefining design priorities in even the newest warships. Image | North Korea State Media In Xataka | A small river lost between Russia and North Korea is testing something much bigger: China’s patience with both. In Xataka | South Korea has just entered the most exclusive club on the planet. And China and North Korea are not exactly calm

convert trucks and containers into a take-off runway for drones

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China is exploring an unusual idea even for a time when Drones have become protagonists of almost any military conversation: take some of the logic of an aviation catapult from the aircraft carrier and bring it to trucks and containers. We are not talking, at least with the information available, of a fully demonstrated operational capacity or a substitute for a conventional naval deck. What we have seen in open sources points rather to a modular concept: a removable take-off runway for drones where there is no runway. The last push to the issue has been given by a video spread on Chinese networks. The original post has been deleted, but can be traced back to uan archived post from the WeChat account associated with the School of Mechanical Engineering at the Beijing Institute of Technology. Additionally, the video comes after other tracks: previous photos of the systemits appearance in the vicinity of the Zhong Da 79 ship and a family of military modules in containers that point in the same direction. A catapult outside the aircraft carrier In the most recent images, the system appears to be made up of three trucks that can move separately and then join together to create a single launch line. The sequence shows the takeoff of a propeller drone, with a high wing, V-tail and tricycle landing gear, an aircraft much lighter than the possible models, with which this concept had been visually associated in previous images. There are also upper covers and four-wheel steering, which would allow the assembly to be oriented with more room for maneuver. Capture of the recently released video, which shows the launch of a drone from the mobile electromagnetic catapult made up of several trucks The catapult, in any case, is just one part of a broader family of containerized military systems. Material attributed to the School of Mechanical Engineering at the Beijing Institute of Technology includes modules with anti-ship missile launchers, land attack missiles, surface-to-air missiles, close-in defense, radars, electronic warfare, and command and control. Containers designed to transport a catapult truck and a disassembled drone also appear. According to that publication, the goal would be to produce 2,000 containerized systems per year. Capture of the recently released video It is no coincidence that the concept revolves around an electromagnetic catapult. China has already taken important steps in that technology with the Fujianthe aircraft carrier that marks its leap toward catapult operations and detained deck recovery. This context helps to understand why this mobile system is interesting: it was not born as an isolated technical oddity, but within a stronger commitment to expand ways to put aircraft in the air. Type 076 Sichuanan amphibious assault ship associated in open sources with drone operations, points in a similar direction. Capture of the recently released video The entire photo goes beyond visual weirdness. China is not only expanding its naval aviation, it has also been pushing advanced aviation programs for years such as the J-20, its fifth-generation stealth fighter, and the J-35, a design associated with the leap towards more modern ship-borne operations. The mobile catapult doesn’t play in the same league as those planes, but it fits the same question: how to deploy more air capacity from more places. One of the first known images of the complex, in which the catapult trucks can be seen together with possible models of unmanned aircraft If the system worked as the published material suggests, its usefulness would be in bringing assisted launches to places where a conventional runway is not available or is too vulnerable. We are talking about islands, remote areas, prepared roads, temporary bases or ships with sufficient deck space. It would not serve to deploy any aircraft or to replace a complete aerial infrastructure, but it could bring light drones closer to specific areas of operation. In scenarios like this, every kilometer that the drone does not have to travel from a distant base counts. The list of unknowns remains long. We do not know what electrical power the system needs, what logistical footprint it requires, how the drones are charged before each launch or what actual cadence it could sustain outside of a controlled demonstration. There are also doubts about their use at sea: one thing is to place the modules on the deck of a ship with enough space and another is to launch drones with stability while the ship moves. The difference between teaching a demonstrator and having a useful military capability is still enormous. Images | Beijing Institute of Technology/WeChat In Xataka | Every year a veterinarian, a jurist, a psychoanalyst and a gardener meet. They are the secret owners of rearmament in Europe

The trick against all logic of Ukrainian drones to hunt the fearsome Russian shahed

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The first documented aerial shootdown in history, in 1914, was not won by the fastest plane, but by the one that knew how to position himself better and hold the exact moment to shoot. More than a century later, the drone war in Ukraine is rediscovering the same lesson: in the air, sometimes patience outweighs speed. The new hunt for the Shahed. we have been counting: the air war over Ukraine has entered into a new phase where defense no longer depends only on expensive anti-aircraft missiles, but on drones designed to hunt other drones. One of the most advanced examples It’s Stingdeveloped by the Ukrainian company Wild Hornetsan interceptor created specifically for take down the Russian Shahed that bomb cities and infrastructure every night. With more than 200 km per hour of speed, Sting represents a radical evolution with respect to conventional FPV drones: it is no longer about attacking trenches or armored vehicles, but rather intercepting aerial threats en route to their objective. The initial error. The engineers’ first intuition seemed obvious: to catch a fast drone they had to build something even faster. The first Sting prototypes They exceeded 250 km per houra figure much higher than that of the Russian Geran-2 and comparable to some jet variants. But the reality of combat dismantled that logic. The higher the speed, the less autonomy. The higher the speed, the less patrol time. And in a war where detecting and waiting is as important as striking, that became a tactical problem. The key: the other way around. Here appears the crux that changed everything. After combat testing and conversations with the Ukrainian military, Wild Hornets reformulated the concept: “Speed ​​is not the key. Time in the air is important,” They told Insider. The phrase summarizes a counterintuitive but fundamental lesson. To intercept a Shahed it is not enough to reach it, you must first find it, follow it, maneuver and have room to react. An interceptor that is too fast consumes energy, reduces its operational window and limits its flexibility. The result was a almost heretical decision in military engineering: make the slowest drone to do better. Slower, more useful. Reduce speed allowed gain more than 20 minutes of flight, increase mechanical reliability and simplify preparation for each mission. That transformed the Sting from a simple flying projectile into a real aerial hunting tool. It can operate at altitudes of up to 7,000 meters, although it performs better somewhat lower, and its cost (less $2,000 per unit) makes it an extremely cost-effective solution against Shaheds that cost tens of thousands and, above all, against much more expensive interceptor missiles. The war of mutual adaptation. But the battlefield does not stop. Russia too is modifying his Shahedincorporating cameras, improving maneuverability and making them more difficult to shoot down. Every Russian improvement forces a Ukrainian response, and every new version of Sting is born from that constant exchange. Wild Hornets now has developed variants with specific cameras for different light conditions and night operations, showing the extent to which this war is an accelerated evolutionary race. The pilot away from the front. The last great revolution It’s Hornet Visiona remote control technology that allows Sting to be piloted hundreds of kilometers from the launch point. This completely changes the defensive logic: the best operators can be far from the front, safe from Russian attacks, managing multiple interceptors at the same time. Instead of exposing pilots near impact zones, Ukraine begins to centralize talent and multiply efficiency. Air defense, in that sense, looks less and less like a system of batteries and radars and more like a distributed network of invisible hunters. The economy of the new war. Sting represents something deeper than just a drone. It is the demonstration that modern war rewards efficiency above sophistication. While a surface-to-air missile can cost millions to shoot down a cheap target, Ukraine is proving it can be fought saturation with saturationbut intelligently. The great discovery, therefore, has not been to build the fastest interceptor, but to understand that, sometimes, to win a chase, the most important thing is not to run further: it is hold on longer in the air. Image | Wild Hornets In Xataka | Ukraine can’t take back Crimea, but it’s making sure Russia drowns inside its own peninsula In Xataka | We have to start thinking about the Ukrainian war in terms greater than those of the First World War.

Unitree is doing with robots what DJI did with drones: becoming inevitable

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Not long ago we marveled at what quadruped robots were capable of doing. Today, humanoid robots monopolize all the spotlights and the stunts they are capable of performing left on the floor what seemed impressive to us at the time. Although There are several companies in the humanoid robot race, There is one that is leading this transformation and is one step away from gaining global dominance: Unitree Robotics. Its strategy closely follows what other giants such as DJI or BYD did previously. 10,000 units. It is the key figure to understand Unitree’s advantage in the emerging market for humanoid robots. Tesla and Figure have surprised us by showing what their robots are capable of, but neither has achieved something key: putting them on sale en masse. According to Semianalysisin the coming weeks Unitree will have distributed 10,000 units of its robots. Unstoppable growth. The Unitree empire began with quadruped robots and it was not until 2023 when they introduced their first humanoid, the Unitree H1. The financial growth of recent years perfectly reflects this explosion: in 2022 they invoiced 122 million yuan (about 15.5 million euros) and in 2025 they invoiced 1,167 million yuan in the first nine months alone, almost 150 million euros. The combination of high-performance solutions at competitive prices has made Unitree the first company to begin to democratize a technology that until recently was the realm of science fiction. The path that DJI started. What Unitree is doing with robotics is the same thing that DJI did with drones. In 2013, DJI Phantom launcheda very cheap and incomplete product, but at that time the alternatives were toy drones or professional drones with a much higher cost, DJI was creating the market for consumer drones. With each new generation they added functions and opened more submarkets, from research, photo and video professionals and of course amateurs. Vertical integration. It is the key strategy of DJI and other Chinese giants such as BYD. It is about controlling the supply chain as much as possible, manufacturing critical components in a way that allows them to technically iterate much faster and, in the long run, drastically reduce costs. In addition, DJI took advantage of the huge Chinese electronics ecosystem, in which prices dropped a lot in a short time. They say in Semianalysis that GPS went from costing 800 dollars in 2003 to less than 14 dollars in 2013flight controllers cost $2,000 in 2006 and only $400 in 2011. DJI started by manufacturing the largest and most complex component, the flight controller, and BYD made the same with batteries. This is how they ate up the market, controlling critical components and creating a cost structure unattainable by any competitor. Unitree’s strategy. The company, which by the way was founded by a former DJI employeeis following DJI’s lead in that they manufacture the critical component (the actuator, which is what is responsible for moving the robot’s limbs) and have opened new markets for robotics. First they perfected and they made quadrupeds cheaperand then they made the leap to humanoids. Its first model, the Unitree H1, cost about $90,000, but today the Unitree G1 can be had for only $13,500. They have encountered many problems along the way, such as overheating when the robot held weight for a few minutes, but controlling many of the key parts has allowed them to quickly iterate and solve it. In other words, it may not be the best robot, it is its ability to improve it that is unrivaled. The Pentagon blockade. Just yesterday we said that The US has added more Chinese companies to its blacklistamong which is Unitree. The reason they have given is that they consider it to be directly linked to the Chinese army. Being on this list means that, from now on, the Pentagon is prohibited from contracting directly with these companies and starting next year they will not be able to do so through third parties either. All of the companies on the list compete directly with other American companies, so there seems to be an intention to slow their progress. Maybe they’ll be late. Image | Xataka with Magnific In Xataka | Humanoid robotics are striking, but China is clear about which robots make money

Ukraine turned drones into hunters. A helicopter shot down in Hormuz has transformed them into a Spielberg film

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In April 1944, a small Sikorsky YR-4 helicopter went behind Japanese lines in Burma to rescue four soldiers isolated. That operation is considered the first military combat rescue carried out by a helicopter and opened a new era in the recovery of personnel under enemy fire. More than 80 years later, another innovation has just taken an equally transcendent step. Apache shot down at the most delicate moment. The fragile truce between the United States and Iran was brought to the brink of collapse when a US AH-64 Apache attack helicopter fell into nearby waters to the Strait of Hormuz during a patrol mission. Trump claimed that the aircraft had been shot down by Iran and promised a military responsewhile different American sources suggested that the impact would have been caused by an Iranian drone, possibly a Shahed. Although it remains completely unclear whether the attack was deliberate or accidental, the incident had a huge symbolic load because it occurred in one of the most sensitive points on the planet, through which a fifth of the world’s oil transits and where Washington and Iran have been facing each other for months in a war of attrition marked by naval blockades, air attacks and constant episodes of tension. Ah64 The immediate response. The political reaction was almost as rapid as the incident itself. trump publicly declared that the United States had to respond to the shootdown and a few hours later the US Central Command announced retaliatory attacks against Iranian targets. Although operations seemed to remain within from a limited framework to avoid a new generalized escalation, the episode demonstrated the extent to which the ceasefire remained extremely fragile. The statements of Iranian officialscombining references to diplomacy with veiled warnings, made clear that both sides were trying to avoid outright war while continuing to send messages of strength to each other on the ground. The real event. However, the most relevant thing about the entire sequence was not the fall of the Apache or the subsequent retaliation. The truly revolutionary thing happened when the two surviving crew members were rescued. For decades, combat search and rescue operations have depended on helicopters, specialized aircraft and human teams that had to enter extremely dangerous areas to recover downed pilots. In Ukraine we have seen drones attacking, watching, taking prisoners, guiding artillerytransporting supplies and even intercepting other dronesbut the conflict between the United States and Iran has just shown something different: for the first time an autonomous naval drone He recovered two soldiers in the water and brought them to safety. It is an advance that until very recently seemed like something out of a science fiction movie and that marks a conceptual leap as important as the one represented by the arrival of the first combat drones. The Corsair and the birth of a new mission. They remembered the TWZ analysts that the protagonist of this operation was the corsairan unmanned vessel developed by the Saronic company and operated by Task Force 59 of the US Navy. Measuring 7 meters in length, capable of sailing more than 1,800 kilometers and with a high level of autonomy, the system located the two pilots, picked them up at sea and moved them to a safe area where they were later evacuated by helicopter. What is really new is that the Corsair was not initially conceived for rescues, but for maritime surveillancerecognition and tracking of vessels. The incident has shown that these systems can take on much more complex and delicate tasks, becoming a kind of first step in rescue capable of penetrating areas that are too dangerous for manned platforms. Lesson learned after years of high-risk rescues. The US military has been concerned for years about the vulnerability of its search and rescue units. Previous operations, such as pilot recovery shot down inside Iran or rescue missions in heavily defended scenarios, forced helicopters, planes and specialized personnel to be exposed to enormous risks. He use of the Corsair offers a completely new alternative. Instead of immediately sending a manned aircraft to an area threatened by missiles, drones or anti-aircraft defenses, an autonomous vehicle can arrive first, secure survivors and transport them to a point where other means operate more safely. It is a solution that reduces human risks and greatly expands the possibilities of action in future high-intensity conflicts. From the Strait of Hormuz to the Pacific. The implications go far beyond the Gulf of Oman. The US Navy already imagines networks of autonomous vessels distributed over entire regionsespecially in the Pacific, capable of monitoring sea routes, detecting threats, supporting military operations and, if necessary, rescuing downed or shipwrecked pilots. The concept is reminiscent of a network of mobile emergency stations spread over huge ocean areas. The Apache experience shows that these systems are no longer simple floating sensors or surveillance platforms, but rather operational actors capable of intervening directly in critical situations. The next silent revolution. The Ukrainian war turned drones in absolute protagonists of the modern battlefield and transformed the way we understand ground combat. However, the Apache episode points towards a new evolution. The great advance no longer consists only of using drones to destroy targets, but in trusting them with missions traditionally reserved for human beings. The rescue of the two American pilots represents the first known example of a personnel recovery executed by an autonomous vessel in a real military environment. It may seem like a minor detail compared to missiles, airstrikes or strategic retaliation, but it will probably be remembered as one of those discrete moments that herald a much more profound transformation: the moment when drones stopped being just weapons or hunters and also became rescuers. Image | US Navy In Xataka | The US had a ship with 2,000 marines ready to invade Iran. Now he has sent it right to the place where China worries the most In Xataka | In Lebanon, the war is becoming difficult to explain: drones to take over a 1,000-year-old … Read more

a helicopter without a cabin that launches combat drones

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In February 2022, a Black Hawk helicopter took off, sailed and landed all alone for half an hour without anyone on board. What then seemed like a futuristic demonstration is now quickly becoming a new category of military aircraft. The end of one era and the beginning of another. Europe has been pursuing the dream of a large sixth-generation fighter capable of competing with the American and Chinese programs for years, but the FCAS lockout has once again highlighted the enormous political, industrial and budgetary difficulties that accompany this type of project. While the future of the European fighter jet is blurred between disputes over intellectual property, the distribution of work and rising costs, Airbus has taken advantage of the Berlin air show to submit a proposal much more aligned with the real trends that are transforming current battlefields: a autonomous aircraft, without cabin and designed to operate alongside drones. The contrast is striking because while the great symbol of European air power seems stagnant, the company is betting on technologies that are already demonstrating their value in conflicts such as the one in Ukraine. A helicopter without pilots or cabin. The new U145 is based on the successful H145 helicoptera platform with more than 1,800 examples in service and more than 8.5 million flight hours accumulated worldwide. However, Airbus has completely removed the cabinso that the aircraft cannot be piloted by humans under any circumstances. Instead, it incorporates autonomous systems, artificial intelligence and a set of sensors that will manage the flight independently. The company plans to carry out a first flight with a safety pilot before the end of 2026 and begin entering service at the beginning of the next decade. The philosophy is simple: take advantage of an already proven platform, with a consolidated logistics chain and known maintenance costs, to accelerate the leap towards autonomous operations without having to develop a completely new aircraft from scratch. From transport helicopter to autonomous aerial truck. The U145 has been conceived primarily as a logistics platform capable of operating in dangerous environments where sending human crews poses an increasing risk. With a maximum takeoff weight of 3,800 kilograms and a load capacity close to 1,200 kilogramsincorporates a large folding front door, a folding loading platform and a reinforced floor to facilitate the transport of supplies. Airbus imagines it supplying advanced units, carrying out emergency missions, supporting operations in remote areas or acting in scenarios where the threat of drones, missiles or electronic warfare makes the use of conventional helicopters increasingly difficult. It is a vision that fits with the conclusions that many armed forces are extracting from Ukraine: Logistics has become one of the priority objectives of the modern battlefield. The real bet: mothership. However, the most revealing feature of the project is not its autonomy or its cargo capacity, but the role that Airbus reserves for it in the future. The U145 is being developed to perform as mother platform capable of transporting and launching drones for reconnaissance, surveillance, attack or loitering munitions. Airbus is already working on this concept together with MBDA, one of the main European missile manufacturers, within the ecosystem of the called “launched effects”. The idea is to use relatively cheap and expendable aircraft to deploy swarms of autonomous systems on the battlefield. In other words, while Europe discusses how to build a sophisticated sixth-generation fighter, Airbus is betting on an architecture where an increasing part of the combat will be carried out. by drones launched from autonomous platforms that do not even need pilots. Ukraine as a laboratory. The appearance of U145 cannot be understood without observing what is happening in Ukraine. There the drones have completely transformed the way to fight, from reconnaissance missions to the destruction of armored vehicles, anti-aircraft systems and logistics centers. The conflict has shown that relatively inexpensive platforms can generate disproportionate strategic effects and that pilot survival in highly contested environments is increasingly complicated. Airbus, in fact, is not the only company that has reached this conclusion. Similar projects appear in the United States like the MQ-72C derived from Lakota, the U-Hawk based on the Black Hawk or Boeing’s plans to evolve the Chinook into autonomous configurations. The difference is that Europe seemed focused on chasing the next big fighter plane while the rest of the world explored new ways to automate warfare. European strategic autonomy takes another path. There is no doubt, although Airbus insist In that the U145 does not respond to any specific national program, its appearance coincides with a moment in which Europe seeks to reduce its technological and military dependence on the United States. The autonomous helicopter fits perfectly into this strategy because it takes advantage of a European platform, is integrated into a European industrial ecosystem and allows develop own capabilities in one of the most promising sectors of current defense. The implicit message is difficult to ignore: the great European fighter may be increasingly further away to materialize, but the continental industry continues to look for ways to maintain its military relevance. And while sixth-generation projects are consumed by endless negotiations, Airbus appears to have identified an alternative path much closer to the reality of future conflicts: autonomous aircraft, without a cabin, connected in a network and capable of deploying combat drones where sending a pilot no longer makes sense. Image | Airbus In Xataka | The future European fighter in which Spain participates has received the worst news. And it comes directly from France In Xataka | Airbus has just made the most autonomous commercial aircraft in the world fly. Your goal: 22 hours straight without a stopover

Russia shielded its logistics routes against drones. Ukraine has responded by attacking something much more vulnerable: asphalt

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In the spring of 1945, the United States launched a campaign called Operation Starvation. Instead of concentrating on destroying Japanese ships one by one, he began laying mines in the straits and sea routes through which they had to pass. The result It was so effective that dozens of convoy routes had to be abandoned and Japanese maritime traffic plummeted, making logistics as valuable a target as the vehicles themselves. From trucks to roads. The logistics war between Russia and Ukraine is entering in a new phase. For months, Ukraine concentrated its efforts in destroying trucksconvoys, fuel depots and other targets that kept the Russian army supplied. Moscow responded by strengthening the protection of its supply routes, deploying anti-aircraft defenses, adapting its movements and building corridors that were increasingly protected against drones. Now kyiv appears to have identified a vulnerability that is more difficult to fix: the infrastructure itself on which those supplies circulate. Instead of only pursuing specific vehicles, Ukrainian drones are beginning to lay mines on the roads that connect Crimea with the occupied territories, transforming essential routes for Russian logistics into spaces where any movement can become a risk. The strategy of the logistical blockade. Ukrainian authorities describe this campaign as an attempt to impose a “logistical blockade” on the Russian military. The goal is not necessarily to completely cut off communications or destroy every vehicle that passes through them. The key is slow down movement of supplies, increase uncertainty and force the enemy to dedicate increasing resources to protection and cleanup tasks. If a convoy must constantly stop to inspect the road, if each journey requires additional escorts, or if a route remains closed for hours after the appearance of a mine, the cumulative effect can be as damaging as the direct destruction of vehicles. Modern warfare depends on both the speed and the volume of supplies, and any reduction in the pace of movement has a direct impact on units deployed on the front. Roads to Crimea under pressure. Information from Russian sources they point because the campaign is focusing especially on the land corridor that connects Russia with Crimea through the occupied territories of southern Ukraine. Roads such as the M-14 between Mariupol, Melitopol and Chongar or the R-280 Novorossiya have suffered partial closures, traffic restrictions and damage caused by mines dropped from drones. In one of the most notable incidentsa Kamaz truck was reportedly destroyed and several vehicles damaged after mines fell on a road near the border between the occupied regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. These episodes also occur after a series of attacks against tankers and convoys that had already forced Russian authorities to modify routes and temporarily limit heavy traffic. Drones that turn asphalt into a trap. The novelty does not lie in the use of mines, a practice that has been present for decades in any conflict, but in the way they are deployed. According to various analystsUkraine is using drones to distribute 3D printed light mines equipped with motion sensors or magnetic systems. These charges do not need to completely destroy a vehicle to be effective. Enough with immobilizing a truck in the middle of a road to create traffic jams, disrupt traffic and create a concentration of targets vulnerable to subsequent air attacks. A single mine can stop a whole column. Several mines spread periodically along a route can paralyze traffic for hours while inspections and clearance operations are carried out. The creation of interdiction zones. The tactic is part of a broader concept that seeks to turn Russian logistics routes into true layered interdiction zones. Drivers traveling these roads must already face ambush FPV dronesautonomous drones assisted by artificial intelligence and attacks directed against the anti-aircraft defenses that protect the logistics corridors. The incorporation of air-dropped mines adds a permanent threat under the wheels of every vehicle. The result is a combination of risks that multiplies the psychological and operational pressure on any movement of supplies, forcing Russia to simultaneously monitor the sky, the roadsides and the asphalt surface itself. The Russian adaptation. The Russian response is already beginning to be seen in some sectors of the front. Ukrainian sources claim to have destroyed Tor-M2 anti-aircraft systems that were being moved to reinforce the protection of these vulnerable routes. At the same time, some analysts believe that Moscow could try extend to roads further from the front the anti-drone network and tunnel structures that it already uses in closer combat zones. However, they remembered in Forbes that protecting hundreds of kilometers of open roads represents a logistical and economic challenge much greater than that of shielding some sections close to the battle lines. Precisely therein lies the logic of the Ukrainian strategy: the more extensive the infrastructure that must be protected, the more difficult it will be to guarantee its security. Crimea as an indirect objective. The pressure on the roads also has a strategic dimension related to Crimea. Ukraine has been attacking anti-aircraft systems, radars, missile launchers and other assets that protect the peninsula for months. If land routes supplying the region become slower and more dangerous, Russia could be forced to rely even more from the Kerch bridgeone of the few high-capacity logistics arteries that continue to directly connect Crimea with Russian territory. This would increase the importance of an infrastructure that has already been a priority objective of kyiv on repeated occasions. Keep a road open to make it useless. In short, the great innovation of this campaign is that it does not necessarily seek to permanently cut a route. Ukraine seems to be pursuing something more subtle: keeping the roads technically open while progressively reducing its usefulness. If each convoy requires more time, if each inspection causes delays and if each stop increases exposure to new attacks, the logistics flow is degraded without the need to destroy the infrastructure. Russia has dedicated enormous efforts to protecting its convoys and supply corridors from drones. The Ukrainian response now consists of moving the … Read more

The robot with which they want to explore the tunnels of Mars is a ball bug stuffed with dandelion drones

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The human being has been sending rovers to Mars for 30 years. We know a lot about its surface, but there are still many unexplored regions. A good example is its tunnels. The red planet has the largest known network of tunnels in the solar system, but there has been no vehicle capable of entering them and exploring them from within. Therefore, a team of scientists from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology takes several years working on a most original solution: sending a ball bug robot, filled with dandelion drones, to the caves. It sounds very strange, but it makes sense. Biomimetics to enter the tunnels. Professor Mostafa Hassanalian, from New Mexico Tech, has been working on this project for several years, but recently the topic has returned to the networks after he gave statements to space. In them he tells them, in broad strokes, the objective of his research. This is based on biomimetics. That is, in the development of technologies inspired by nature. Specifically, it aims to develop two types of drones: one inspired by scale insects and another that works like dandelion plants. The mealybug, known colloquially as a ball bug, can enter small places and protect its own body by shrinking into a ball. In this case it protects its interior, because it has hidden a lot of tiny robots that spread through the air like dandelion seeds. The problem. Mars is full of tunnels of volcanic origin. Some have been found extending up to 1,200 kilometers, with lava tubes more than 250 meters in diameter. They are not exactly small tunnels. The rovers currently on Mars, such as Curiosity either Perseverancethey do not have the ability to enter these tunnels. Therefore, if there is something interesting, we will not be able to know it until humans travel to the red planet. If what is there is dangerous, it is better to see it before entering. Methods are needed to see inside those tunnels. The solution. Hassanalian’s team has come up with two types of robots. On the one hand, the one that imitates the cochineal is a sphere that can be inserted through a hole dug in the ceiling of the tunnels. Once inside these, the ball opens, like a cochineal that stops turning into a ball, and releases its contents: thousands of small, very light drones, which can travel kilometers away thanks to the wind. Limitations overcome. These types of devices would encounter several obstacles, for which Hassanalian has already thought of a solution. The first would be that we have no idea if there will be enough wind inside the tunnels. We know that Mars can be very windy, reaching 100 kilometers per hour. However, the tunnels could be guarded. Therefore, this scientist plans to incorporate a fan in the main robot to help propel the mini dandelion drones. In addition, the holes that would be made in the ceiling to introduce the robot would help propel the little seeds. On the other hand, sunlight cannot access the interior of the tunnels, so they could not be powered by solar energy. This is solved using piezoelectricity. That is to say, materials that generate electricity when subjected to mechanical pressure. Multitude of sensors. The drones will be loaded with humidity and temperature sensors that will allow the internal conditions of the tunnels to be analyzed. In addition, they would also help map the conduits and make a plan of the Martian tunnel network. All of this would be sent to researchers via radio signals. At the moment, these two types of robots have not been built or tested, but the idea is very promising. With enough funding to make it happen, we would have a very ingenious solution to look into those blind spots on the red planet. And all thanks to an animal and a plant from our own planet. Image | MagnificentDave Huth | Nex México Tech. In Xataka | Elon Musk says it will take 1,000 Starships and 20 years to build the first sustainable city on Mars

No missiles, no rifles, no bombs. Ukrainian drones are carrying a type of cargo unprecedented in war: elderly people

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During the Soviet blockade of Berlin in 1948, an American pilot began to throw chocolates tied to small cloth parachutes on children watching the planes from Tempelhof airport. That improvised initiative ended up becoming the famous “Operation Little Vittles“, one of the most unexpected images of the Cold War: military aircraft used to carry hope instead of weapons. Decades later, Ukraine is finding equally unusual uses for its war machines. Lifesaving robots. For years, unmanned vehicles were associated with a very specific idea: transporting weapons, ammunition or explosives where the risk for soldiers was too high. The war in Ukraine is expanding that definition with an image that would have seemed unthinkable just a few years ago. In some of the most dangerous sectors of the front, the same ground drones that are part of the war machinery are being used to evacuate elderly people trapped between bombings, mines and artillery fire. In a conflict marked by the automation of combat, one of the most unexpected loads carried by these vehicles are not projectiles or supplies, but old people who no longer have a safe way to leave their homes. Rescue through no man’s land. The last known operation took place near Limánin the Donetsk region. While carrying out a logistics mission, a ground drone unit from the Kraken group was approached by a woman who asked for help to leave the area along with three other people, one of them injured by shrapnel. After coordinating the procedure for days, the operators sent a Zmiy Logistic vehiclea kind of remote-controlled four-wheeled buggy capable of transporting up to about 500 kilos of cargo. The drone traveled about 16 kilometers to the agreed point, rpicked up the four evacuees and began the return journey to a river crossing where Ukrainian soldiers completed the rescue and took the wounded to a hospital. The impossible life in the gray zone. These rescues They show a less visible reality of war. Despite years of fighting, there are still civilians living in the so-called “gray zone”, a strip of land disputed between both armies that can reach between 16 and 20 kilometers wide. There are practically no public services, shops, schools or hospitals left there. Power outages are common and bombings are part of the daily routine. However, many older people continue to resist in those places because they don’t want to leave the houses where they have lived all their lives, because they care for sick relatives or because they hope that the war will end before being forced to leave permanently. Iron soldiers on a new mission. It is not an isolated case. They remembered in Insider that in early April, another 77-year-old Ukrainian woman was evacuated from the same area using a ground drone operated by the 60th Mechanized Brigade. The images They went around the world because the soldiers approached her with a blanket on which a message as simple as it was revealing could be read: “Grandma, get on.” The scene summarizes the extent to which these systems are evolving. Originally designed to transport supplies, plant explosives or even assemble remote weaponry, the so-called “iron soldiers” are beginning to take on rescue tasks that previously would have required exposing soldiers or volunteers to extreme danger. Total automation. Behind these stories there is a much deeper transformation. Ukraine and Russia are accelerating the incorporation of unmanned ground vehicles to carry out missions that They are too risky for people. Some carry ammunition, some carry medical supplies, and some incorporate remote-controlled weapons. The Ukrainian goal is especially ambitious: Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, has announced the purchase of 25,000 ground drones during the first half of 2026 and aspires for all frontline logistics to one day depend on these systems. During the first quarter of the year alone, unmanned vehicles performed more than 21,500 missions. Unexpected consequences. The usual image of military innovation may be associated with increasingly destructive systems, but the Ukrainian experience is showing an unexpected consequence of that technological revolution. The same robots that were born to keep soldiers away from danger are being used to remove vulnerable civilians from some of the most dangerous places in Europe. As militaries race to automate combat, ground-based drones are proving military technology can play a role, too completely different: become the ultimate escape vehicle for those trapped in the ruins of an endless war. Image | ArmyInform In Xataka | Storks have become the best anti-drone weapon of war. And Russia and Ukraine are taking note In Xataka | Ukraine has been terrorizing Russian soldiers with its heavy drones for years. Now they are literally giving it back.

Ukraine has been left without thousands of drones. An error classified them as electric cars, and the Treasury has fried them with taxes

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During World War II, the United States Army created entire systems classification and emergency purchases because normal bureaucracy was too slow to keep up with the pace of war. Eight decades later, Ukraine has discovered the same problem from the opposite side. Drone warfare crashes into bureaucracy. Ukraine has been transforming the front into a war laboratory automated where ground drones have become essential to transport ammunition, evacuate wounded or attack Russian positions without exposing soldiers. The problem is that, while kyiv was trying to accelerate this military revolution, the bureaucracy has ended up mistakenly classifying these unmanned vehicles within the same tax category than electric cars. When an old exemption for EVs expired on January 1, drones began paying a 20% VAT. The result has been devastating: according to the industry, the army could have bought some 5,000 additional drones only in the first half of 2026 if that tax had not come into force. Thousands of drones lost at the worst moment. They counted on Insider that the impact has been especially serious because it has arrived at a critical phase of the war. Ukraine is increasingly relying on autonomous systems to compensate for human and material attrition against Russia, to the point that Zelensky claimed that his forces carried out more than 22,000 missions with ground drones in just three months. kyiv wanted to acquire 50,000 units this year, but the new VAT skyrocketed costs, froze public contracts and left manufacturers whole for months. no state orders. Some companies drastically reduced production to survive, while others tried to reclassify their robots as armored vehicles to avoid the tax burden. A trapped military industry. The chaos also reflects how the military technological revolution is advancing faster than the laws themselves. Ground drones were so new within European and Ukrainian commercial standards that they did not even there was a category clear to classify them. When a former tax exemption for electric vehicles expired, the system automatically absorbed these military robots into the same regulations. The Ministry of Defense suddenly found itself with insufficient budgets and paralyzed purchasing processes because, technically, essential weapons for the front had no longer been considered. exempt military equipment tax. Manufacturers like Tencorecreator of the popular TermIT dronethey spent up to five months without public contracts and had to survive thanks to volunteer organizations that directly supply military units. In a war economy where many companies literally live from order to order, three months without state purchases is equivalent to little less than a heart attack industrial. The big problem is not just making weapons. The episode reveals something deeper about the evolution of modern warfare. For years, drones, artificial intelligence and automation have been talked about as the future of combat, but Ukraine is discovering that the bottleneck is not always in the technology. Sometimes it is in the administrationin legislation or in bureaucratic systems designed for peacetime. Russia and Ukraine are immersed in a race of constant adaptation where every month counts and where losing half a year due to tax procedures can have direct effects on the front. The sector itself calculates that the tax exemption would save about 200 million dollarsa gigantic figure for an industry that still depends on precarious financing and accelerated production. The problem is that even if Parliament now corrects the law, the damage has already been done: delayed contracts, lost capacity and thousands of drones that never made it to the battlefield when they were needed most. The paradox of the war of the future. The story perfectly summarizes one of the great contradictions of this war. Ukraine has become the country that has integrated autonomous systems the fastest in real combat and has built an ecosystem with more than 280 companies and 550 models different from ground drones. However, that same ecosystem remains dependent on sluggish state structures, legacy regulations, and legal frameworks unable to keep pace with military innovation. While the front is filled with robots that transport ammunition, evacuate wounded or attack Russian trenches without a human driver, the State continued to administratively treat them as if they were simple electric cars. The irony could not be more brutal: one of the most technologically advanced wars of the century lost thousands of combat machines not due to lack of industrial capacity or due to Russian attacks, but because the Treasury decided to apply the same tax treatment than to a civil electric vehicle. Image | x In Xataka | A Ukrainian stork has managed to outwit a Russian drone in flight. The video is the best clue about who will win the war In Xataka | Ukraine has been terrorizing Russian soldiers with its heavy drones for years. Now they are literally giving it back.

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