drones

an army of combat drones

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For decades, the Rust Belt was the map of industrial failure American: abandoned factories, cities bled by unemployment and entire generations that saw the American dream rust along the assembly lines. In those gray landscapes, where silence replaced the roar of metal, no one expected a second life. And yet, something unexpected is happening among the old hangars and empty ships: a new noise has filled the air again, but this time it is not coming from the engines. It comes from the echoes of Europe, and from the war that pound in Ukraine. The industrial rebirth. I was telling it on the weekend the new york times. In the heart of America’s former automobile empire, where shuttered factories and for-lease signs had become part of the landscape, a new industry is breathing life back into the factory towns of the Midwest and Northeast. Where engines and bodies were once assembled, today drones are builtautonomous systems and smart weapons. Companies as Swarm Defense Technologieswhich occupies a former plant in Auburn Hills, Michigan, produces thousands of drones a month for the Army and other agencies, reviving an industrial environment that seemed doomed to decline. What was once the symbol of manufacturing decline has been transformed into a laboratory of the military future. The new industrial map. The expansion is not limited to an isolated case. Startups like Andurilbacked by artificial intelligence, are investing billions in factories of drones and autonomous weapons in Ohio, Rhode Island and Mississippi, while Regent builds electric marine gliders for the Marines off the New England coast and UXV Technologiesof Danish origin, installs a plant in Pennsylvania. They have all been found in the old industrial centers a fertile ground: skilled labor, cheap land and state governments willing to offer incentives in exchange for employment. Politics and industry are intertwined: for the White House, promoting “made in USA” defense It is as much a question of national security as it is of electoral strategy. Swarm Defense Technologies factory in Mich The political calculation. President Trump has turned this military reindustrialization into a political flagimposing tariffs, restricting purchases from abroad and proclaiming the end of dependence on Chinese technologies. The Rust Belt states, once bastions of the displaced working class, are now theaters of a rebirth defense driven. Politicians such as Ohio Senator Jon Husted, son of a General Motors worker, celebrate the arrival of these factories as a historical reparation: after decades of closures, jobs and hope return. Investors as Christian Garrettfrom 137 Ventures, recognize that producing in these regions is not only profitable, but strategic: “the end customer is the Pentagon,” and each position created consolidates a political link between the industry and the State. The factory of the future. However, this rebirth does not represent a return to the industrial past. The new plants will not employ hundreds of thousands of workers, but rather specialized technicians and programmers of autonomous systems. Anduril, for example, builds in Ohio a modular installation of hundreds of thousands of square meters, capable of adapting its production to different war platforms and that will employ some four thousand people. Automation and artificial intelligence redefine the notion of a factory: less muscle and more codeless assembly and more calibration. But the symbolic and economic effect is enormous: cities like Warren, North Kingstown or Auburn Hills once again appear on the innovation maps, replacing steel and oil with silicon and sensors. Between tradition and the avant-garde. The new manufacturers are rediscovering the value of inherited trades. Regent chose Rhode Island for its naval legacy and its community of boatbuilders, Swarm, for the technical knowledge passed down through generations of automotive workers, and Atomic Industries, in Michigan, for a network of welders and assemblers that still exists. mechanical skill that the 21st century seemed to have displaced. This combination of artisanal experience and cutting-edge technology embodies a new type of industrial patriotism, in which defense becomes an economic engine and the reconstruction of factories, a symbol of technological sovereignty. The manufacturing spirit. The resurgence of the factory towns It is not just a story of drones and military contracts, but a cultural metamorphosis. For workers re-entering a plant that their parents helped liftassembling a drone is a way of reconciliation with history. The same infrastructure that once supported Detroit or Flint is now adapting to the challenges of a new era: national defense, automation and industrial independence. What was the decline of the American motor is becoming the dawn of its technological muscle, one that unites the nostalgia of assembly lines with the promise of a future controlled by algorithms and electric drives. Image | Swarm Defense Technologies In Xataka | Russia has set up the largest drone factory in the world using a well-kept secret: teenagers In Xataka | The paradox of Ukraine’s huge drone industry: an advantage against Russia, a problem for its pilots

There are so many drones in Ukraine that they have become cars. So the army has created a DGT to regulate its traffic

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In a battle where drones are already they don’t need humans to coordinate and attack, and where these combat devices have taken technological warfare to a new crazy phase where they are knocking themselves downsooner or later it had to happen. Drones and Ukrainian airspace are increasingly similar, for better and worse, to cars and roads around the planet. The congested sky. The Ukrainian front has turned into an airspace so saturated with drones that its operators they must negotiate between them to avoid collisions and, above all, interference from their own electronic warfare systems. In an environment where thousands of devices they fly simultaneouslythe pilots establish “flight corridors” temporary, agreed by group messages or by radio, to cross areas under friendly control without being shot down by the signal jammers of their own army. This exchange, at times chaotic and spontaneous, reflects how modern warfare is fought both in the air and on the electromagnetic spectrum, where waves, rather than bullets, determine who sees, who shoots, and who survives. The invisible war. we have told before. The battle for dominance electromagnetic spectrum is already one of the most decisive of the conflict. each side try to saturate or protect the other’s frequencies through jamming systems that can nullify drones, missiles or radars, but also blind their own. Pilots as Dimko Zhluktenkoof the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces, they explain Insiere that his work includes identifying Russian electronic warfare systems to destroy them before they block the signal of his drones. Other operators, however, they must coordinate with several units simultaneously, seeking a balance between protecting their troops and the need to keep flight routes open. In many cases, the commanders who control the jamming systems are at higher hierarchical levels, so units on the ground can barely request changes, with no real ability to turn them off or adjust them according to their missions. The chaos of the sky. The device density in the air has created an environment almost impossible to manage. Commercial drones modifiedappliances FPV explosives, reconnaissance dronesinterceptors and systems electronic warfare They compete for space and signal, in a landscape where distinguishing between friend and enemy is increasingly difficult. Many soldiers shoot or activate their inhibitors at any approaching drone, unable to identify it precisely. The similarity between the Russian and Ukrainian models aggravates the confusion, and sometimes the Ukrainians themselves Allied aircraft are shot down out of fear or uncertainty. In this scenario, the war resembles a gigantic air traffic jam where each operator must warn, coordinate and wait their turn to cross the front without being blocked or destroyed by their own side. Non-stop race. In the background, Ukraine and Russia compete to develop technologies capable of resisting the electromagnetic lock. New models include drones no dependence on GPScontrolled by fiber optic cableequipped with artificial intelligence or capable of changing frequency to escape enemy “noise.” However, these innovations slowly reach the front lines, where they coexist with outdated equipment that requires improvisation and constant communication. Thus, each flight is a negotiation between units, each mission a bet against the chaos of the spectrum, and each Russian advance forces an immediate Ukrainian response. The new frontier. Ultimately, the conflict in Ukraine has turned the sky into a laboratory where 21st century war is redefined. It is no longer just about tanks or missiles, but about waves, signals and microprocessors. The coordination between drones and interference systems reveals both the maturity and fragility of an army that has made ingenuity its main weapon. And it also shows a limit: the more saturated the spectrum, the more likely it will be that the technology will turn against those who use it. In that invisible space, where every interference can decide the fate of a drone or a life, Ukraine is waging a war as modern as it is paradoxical: a war in which communication It is the only way to prevent the defense from becoming its own enemy. Image | TASS In Xataka | If the question is how to end the war in Ukraine, the US has a disturbing solution: threaten Russia with a missile In Xataka | Russia’s technological superiority over Ukraine is growing every day. And all thanks to a friend: China

As Europe fights Russia’s hybrid war, a Spanish invention simplifies how to take down its drones in seconds

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Europe attends a wave of drone raids that have violated its airspace, closed airports and exposed the fragility of its defenses. Faced with this hybrid and growing threat, the European Union study get up an “anti-drone wall”: a technological network of radars, sensors and neutralization systems designed to shield the continental sky against an invisible, cheap and increasingly closer enemy. In fact, Spain has several developments underway that it is about to test. The awakening of Spain. The advancement of drones in modern conflicts has completely transformed the nature of warand Spain is preparing to face it with an ambitious military modernization plan. The Armed Forces will celebrate from October 20 to 24 the Atlas 25 exercise in Huelva, the largest joint meeting of Land, Air and Navy for defense and attack with drones. There, Spanish observation, interception and electronic warfare systems will be tested, with the participation of the Defense Operations Command and INTA. It is not just a tactical maneuver: it is a awakening demonstration technology of the national industry, in which companies such as Indra, Arquimea, TRC and Escribano seek to position themselves at the core of European defense against an enemy that already dominates the sky with cheap and lethal swarms. Atlas 25: the great showcase. The exercise will serve as a testing ground for solutions ranging from offensive drones like the Q-Slam 40 of Archimeacapable of operating without GPS, to inhibition and defense systems developed by Indra and Escribano. But it will also be an industrial showcase in which Spain will show its capacity for technological integration and public-private cooperation. The war in Ukraine has shown that every platform is vulnerable to surveillance and air attack, and that survival depends on the speed with which new electronic warfare tools are developed. Following the recent incursions of Russian drones into European airspace, the need for this “anti-drone wall” has become a priority. The Atlas 25Therefore, it is not only a military exercise, but a political and strategic gesture that places Spain at the forefront of that continental response. Nexor Nexor full integration. The Army has chosen the Nexor systemdeveloped by TRC, as the cornerstone of its new electronic warfare strategy. We are talking about a new platform modular command and control which centralizes the information from all deployed sensors in a single interface. In recent maneuvers in Ciudad Real carried out by the 31st Electronic Warfare Regiment, Nexor (militarily named like Cerberus) has demonstrated its ability to detect, intercept and inhibit hostile drones or enemy communications, even in crowded electronic environments. He integrated system artificial intelligence and machine learning, and its open architecture allows the incorporation of new sensors or updates without redoing its structure. On a front where every second counts, Nexor promises to reduce the gap between detection and responseoffering the soldier a unified and simplified view of the environment to overthrow drones in fractions of a second. Nexor National product. In other words, with this system that is being tested, Spain takes a step towards technological sovereignty by processing and storing its own data, without depending on foreign codes or transferring sensitive information to allied or competing powers. The collaboration between TRC and the Army has led to a 100% national tool that reinforces the country’s strategic autonomy and anticipates the type of war in which so much waves like data They are as (or more) decisive than missiles. Strategic investment. The Ministry of Defense promotes a program of 646 million euros intended to reinforce the electronic warfare of the Army, awarded to Indra under the protection of article 346 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which allows certain contracts to be excluded from common regulations for reasons of national security. 60% of the investment will be allocated to light capabilities, with 16 mobile systems equipped with Vamtac vehicles and interoperable sensors. The forecast is that Indra will rely on specialized companies as CRTwhich has worked with the Army to adapt the solutions to their real needs. The objective seems clear: to create a Spanish, scalable and sovereign system, which combines industrial experience with the technological agility that the battlefield demands today. Spain and the new border. There is no doubt, the lessons from ukraine have exposed both the vulnerability of armies against drones and the urgency to adapt to a war where control of the spectrum is as important as that of the land or the air. Atlas 25 comes at a time when Europe is seeking shield your skies in the face of the Russian hybrid threat and in which Spain emerges as a unexpectedly prepared actor. If you also want, the national industry has gone from being a secondary supplier to becoming a tactical innovation laboratorywhere the integration between technology, intelligence and digital sovereignty set the course. If the future of warfare is a fight between algorithms, sensors and autonomous machines, the nation seems willing to not to be left behind. And Atlas 25 will ultimately be the litmus test of that commitment. Image | CRT In Xataka | Europe has found the antidote to Russian drones. So demand for a 100-year-old gun has skyrocketed In Xataka | Europe has decided to take action against Moscow’s hybrid war. So Germany has started hunting for Russian drones

Europe has found the antidote to Russian drones. So demand for a 100-year-old gun has skyrocketed.

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The war in Ukraine has become an immense laboratory for new war technologies, but it has also reminded us that beyond the sophistication of modern artillery, the experience of the past remains a weapon as powerful as any missile. we have seen optical illusionsthe return of the horses or weapons 1940’s vintage. In fact, Europe is arming itself against Russia’s hybrid war with a 100-year-old weapon. The resurgence of a legend. The war in Ukraine has returned a veteran of more than a century to the front line: the M2 heavy machine gun Browning, symbol of 20th century war engineering and now a key piece in the arsenal of modern armies. Designed in 1921 by John Moses Browning and mass produced during World War II, the M2 (capable of firing .50 caliber projectiles at a rate of up to 600 rounds per minute) has once again proven indispensable, especially on the Ukrainian front, where it is used on civilian trucks to shoot down Russian Shahed drones. Its mechanical simplicity, extreme reliability and devastating power have made it a weapon with no direct substitute, and its use has contributed to a surge in global demand reminiscent of the most intense years of the Cold War. Industrial boom. The rebirth of this icon runs parallel to the FN Browning expansionthe historic Belgian firm that from its headquarters in Herstal manufactures not only the M2, but also the FN MAG and FN Minimi (known in the United States as M240 and M249) along with FN SCAR rifles and ammunition of standard NATO calibers. After decades of relative calm, its production of machine guns has been doubled compared to 2022, and the demand for ammunition has quadrupled. Although the company does not sell directly to Ukraine, its contracts with allies such as the United States, the United Kingdom or France have grown exponentially. France, for example, has recovered thousands of M2s abandoned by US troops in 1945 for FN to modernize and return them to service with “like new” guarantees. The conflict has revived interest not only in new generation weapons, but also in those that have proven to be reliable under any circumstances. Economy of rearmament. The war has awakened a cycle of massive rearmament in Europe, with more than 930,000 million of dollars committed through 2030, and FN Browning has become one of the epicenters of this military reindustrialization. Despite a stable business volume (1.3 billion euros in 2024, after the acquisition of the ammunition producer Sofisport), the company is expanding its workforce and increasing the production of weapons and ammunition by thousands of units annually. The stagnation of its sports division, which flourished during the pandemic, contrasts with the avalanche of state contracts that consolidate its strategic role within the European defense ecosystem. The machine gun market, relegated for years, is experiencing a second youth marked by the urgency of replenishing depleted arsenals after the massive shipment of weapons to Ukraine and the perception of a persistent Russian threat. Classic weapons, modern warfare. The Ukrainian conflict has shown that even in the era of artificial intelligence and drone swarms, classically designed weapons still play a critical role. The M2 they have adapted to unmanned ground platforms and remote stations controlled by AI to improve precision in the fight against drones. F. N. Browning collaborates with technology firms to integrate automatic target recognition systems into their turrets, anticipating a convergence between mechanical tradition and algorithmic warfare. At the same time, European militaries, after decades of disinvestment, are faced with the need to rebuild their heavy fire capabilities from the ground up. From the past to the future. The longevity of the M2 It is a testament not only to its design, but also to a cyclical military reality: modern wars continue to depend on the reliability of steel and gunpowder. From the beaches of Normandy to the fields of Donetsk, this machine gun has accompanied Western armies through a century of changing conflicts, and today it once again symbolizes resistance in the face of technological adversity. For FN Browning, the resurgence of its most emblematic weapon marks not only the most active moment since the end of the Cold War, but also the beginning of a new era in which war tradition and digital innovation march, once again, at the same pace. Image | Wikimedia Cominos In Xataka | Europe has decided to take action against Moscow’s hybrid war. So Germany has started hunting for Russian drones In Xataka | “Why don’t we shoot?”: in the face of Russian drone incursions, Ryanair has its own alternative to the European wall

Europe has decided to take action against Moscow’s hybrid war. So Germany has started hunting for Russian drones

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Which started as a succession of technical incidents and contradictory testimonies did not take long to shake the governments of the old continent, mobilizing ships and planes, and forcing Berlin to rewrite the rules about when and how something floating above our heads can be knocked down. On that invisible chessboard there was a question that everyone avoided answering: who really presses the button that launches these devices, and for what purpose? Now, Germany and the rest of Europe seem to agree. The invisible front. we have been counting. Europe has entered an unprecedented phase of aerial vulnerability. In just a few months, a wave of incursions by unidentified drones (some over airports, industrial plants and strategic centers) has forced the closure of airspace, diverting flights and putting on alert to the forces navies of several countries. In Germany, air traffic disruptions have been multiplied by 33% in a single year, and what began as a succession of isolated incidents has become a continental phenomenon that many attribute to a hybrid offensive orchestrated by Russia. And more. These raids, without constituting a formal act of war, are part of a destabilization strategy broader that combines cyberattacks, sabotage and technological intimidation to gauge NATO’s reaction and test European response capacity without crossing the threshold of direct confrontation. Germany changes doctrine. Until recently, German authorities were limited to detecting drones, without being able to intervene on them. However, the magnitude of the raids (which forced even at closing of Munich airport and left thousands of passengers stranded) has forced a legal change of enormous significance. The Government of Friedrich Merz has approved a bill authorizing the federal police to shoot down drones that violate German airspace or represent an immediate danger, using everything from kinetic shots to laser weapons and electronic jamming systems. It is not a trivial topic. It is about the first modification of the police law since 1994, and its parliamentary approval will place Germany at the level from France, the United Kingdom, Lithuania and Romaniacountries that already allow the active neutralization of unmanned aircraft. The Executive has also announced the creation of a national anti-drone unit that will be in charge of neutralizing low-altitude devices, while those with greater power will remain under military jurisdiction. Between safety and climbing. The approval of this law reflects a dilemma that crosses all of Europe: how to respond to Russian hybrid aggression without provoking an escalation of war. Chancellor Merz himself has acknowledged that many of the intercepted aircraft appear to be carrying out reconnaissance flights, without weapons, but with clear strategic intentions. At the same time, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has underlined that operations in urban environments must be governed by the principle of proportionality to avoid collateral damage. Fear that a misidentification could lead to a diplomatic or military incident keeps security forces on edge. a constant balance between firmness and prudence. Meanwhile, Germany modernizes its defense with systems such as the Rheinmetall Skyrangerdesigned to neutralize swarms of drones in the middle of a hybrid war, and strengthens its coordination with NATO in the face of the risk that the technological frontier will also become a political frontier. The risk of the “gray zone”. Recent incidents in Poland, Estonia and Romania (where Russian drones and MiG-31 fighters have violated allied airspace) have prompted NATO to review its rules of engagement. Countries bordering Russia, backed by France and the United Kingdom, have proposed more aggressive measures: allow pilots to open fire without visual confirmation, arm surveillance drones and carry out military exercises on the same border line. Although some allies advocate containment to avoid a direct clash with a nuclear power, others maintain that the only effective deterrence is the visible action. Washington has pushed to relax response rules and even has suggested that the Alliance should “shoot Russian planes” that enter its airspace. In other words, the debate has revealed the tension between European caution and the American desire to regain the initiative against Moscow, in a context in which the war in Ukraine and Russian aerial provocations threaten to overflow the limits of conventional war. Europe and the air shield. The idea we count recently. While NATO refines its protocols, the European Union is trying to strengthen its autonomous capacity against hybrid attacks. The president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has proposed lifting that “drone wall”a network of sensors, radars and weapons that protects the eastern flank of the continent. Brussels is also preparing sanctions and restrictions to the movement of Russian diplomats suspected of directing sabotage operations, while allocating community funds to finance anti-drone systems in airports, ports and power plants. The initiative seeks not only to reinforce physical security, but also to respond politically to the Russian attempt to sow division within the EU. “Russia wants to divide us; we must respond with unity,” has warned von der Leyen, stressing that defense against gray war cannot be limited to reacting, but must focus on active deterrence. Europe in transformation. The drone challenge has forced Europe to recognize that 21st century war is not fought only with tanks and missiles, but also with algorithmsautonomous swarms and information saturation. The German law authorizes the demolition of unmanned aircraft, military coordination of NATO on the eastern flank and the new European strategy air defense They are part of the same response: that of a continent that adapts to an enemy that does not always show itself. In the diffuse space of the hybrid warwhere a civilian drone can become a strategic weapon and a cyber attack an act of war, the border between peace and conflict has become more blurred than ever. Germany, the industrial and political epicenter of the old continent, seems to have understood that security is no longer measured in battles, but in reaction seconds. And as the Ukraine war redefines the global balance of power, Europe rehearses its own defensive revival: a forced transition from pacifism to pragmatism, in which each downed … Read more

laser drones patrol

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For years, Japanese poultry farms have trusted networks, periodic cleanings and access controls to keep the Aviar flu. But in the Japanese Prefecture of Chiba, national leader in egg production, authorities and NTT group They are about to add a different ally: drones equipped with beams. From mid -October, these devices will be used to scare away wild birds that could carry the virus, in an initial deployment that seeks to add a technological layer to traditional prevention measures. The new deployment comes after one of the toughest seasons remembered the sector. Between January and February 2025, Chiba’s Prefecture He had to sacrifice more than 3.3 million birds Because of the aviar flu, in a year in which 51 outbreaks were recorded in 14 prefectures throughout the country. Networks, disinfection and access controls had contained the infections for years, but it has been shown that the virus can be leaked by multiple routes, from migratory birds to small animals or even staff clothes. A novel system. The project is promoted by NTTthe Japanese telecommunications and technology giant, through its NTT E-Drone Technology subsidiary. This company, dedicated to aerial robotics and automation, collaborates with the Government of the Prefecture of Chiba and with NTT EAST in a joint plan to reinforce biosafety in the poultry sector. The initiative combines the experience of the group in connectivity and remote control with the needs of the Japanese field, especially beaten by the last avian flu sprouts. The chosen drone, called BB102it has incorporated the Kuruna Move device, developed by the Chiiki Soken Japanese association, a unit that emits red and green beams to keep wild birds away. Its effectiveness is based on an instinctive reaction: birds interpret those lights in motion as a threat. In addition, the system generates a random light pattern with flickering effect (Speckle) to prevent animals from getting used. How it unfolds. In the deployment planned in Chiba, BB102 drones will be used to patrol the critical areas of the farmssuch as roofs, patios or tanks of feed. The operator defines the flight perimeter on the transmitter screen and the drone executes the route autonomously, maintaining the necessary altitude to cover the entire enclosure. Its autonomy of about 25 minutes per flight allows periodic missions to be programmed, adapting to the schedules with the greatest presence of wild birds. Air use provides a clear advantage over fixed systems: drone can reach high points or recesses where traditional barriers are not effective. In addition, being a mobile and programmable device, you can modify your route as the bird’s flight patterns or the ground configuration change. The whole process is controlled from land, without direct intervention on animals and without generating noise or using chemicals. What do we know that works. The use of lasers as a deterrent element does not start from zero. Before the deployment in Chiba, the Kuruna Move device was tested in the Kanagawa prefecture, where it managed to keep the crows away from several farms. The technicians verified that the birds immediately reacted to the red and green flashes and that the effect was maintained over the days thanks to the random movement of the light. Technology proved to be effective without generating noise or using chemicals. The system seeks to reduce the risk, not eliminate it. The field evaluation in Chiba will allow measuring its performance in real production environments, with different species and climatic conditions. If the results are confirmed, the combination of drones and lasers could be integrated as another layer within the usual biosafety strategies, together with the networks, disinfection and access control. Costs and aid. Implementing this technology requires significant investment in equipment, maintenance and training. To facilitate its adoption, the Chiba government activated in July a specific subsidies program with a endowment of 20 million yen, about 125,000 euros, destined to cover up to 33% of the system’s introduction cost. Aids are designed for groups of producers or cooperatives, which can share the equipment and reduce operating expenses. The economic approach starts from a preventive logic: invest before to avoid major damage later. Each episode of avian flu is very high economic losses and the destruction of hundreds of thousands of birds, so that investment in drones and lasers is interpreted as a long -term savings measure. In addition, automation reduces the need for personnel for deterrence and improves the efficiency of daily surveillance. Model for other regions. Those responsible for the project have indicated that they will study their adaptation to different environments. Among the possible applications are other agricultural areas and, where appropriate, sensitive spaces where the presence of birds represents a risk. Images | Xataka with Gemini 2.5 | NTT Group In Xataka | The Vatican drone show was an commission to an unsuspected businessman: Elon Musk’s brother

Before the incursions of Russian drones, Ryanair has its own alternative to the European wall

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“Why are we not shooting these drones?” The question is from Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair. The mandamás of the Air Company verbalized its doubts about the performance of the European Union in an interview with Political. According to its point of view, Europe faces an air navigation problem derived from war in Ukraine. A problem that, according to O’Leary, should not be consent. It is not a security problem. It is a business problem, according to Ryanair CEO. To this aimed the first statements of O’Leary in which the closure of Polish airports echoed as a result of A Russian Airspace Invasion of the country. “There is a risk of continuous interruption, not security,” O’Leary said in words collected by Reuters. While Europe discussed what can be done in these cases, how to act and evaluate the danger of these incursions, from Ryanair they pointed to direct damage to their business. Hybrid war. Is The concept to define those attacks that seek the destabilization of a country and that do not necessarily have to be violent. The intention is for citizens to lose confidence in their leaders either by a feeling of helplessness or because basic services does not work. In the case of the Ukraine War, Russia has been enough to enter the Polish airspace to paralyze its airports. Danish bases They were also paralyzed. The same happened in Oslo and the last to know the effects has been the Munich airport. In addition a cyber attack left unusable or diminished for days the airports of Berlin, Brussels and London-Heathrow. A wall. The solution that has been proposed is to raise a wall in Europe. One that has no concrete or, in fact, is visible. The European Commissioner for Defense, Andrius Kubilius, opted for lift a wall of drones that protects the entire European Union. The intention is very simple: surround the entire European Union of a drone detection and inhibition system. With him we want Russian devices not attacking European space but that they cannot interfere with the daily activities of citizens. “It’s useless”. Given this idea, O’Leary has signed up for the most absolute disbelief. Of Ursula von der Leyen assured Political that “it is useless and should resign.” To recreate with a “I have no faith in European leaders, sitting there drinking tea and eating cookies.” In his day, O’Leary opted for a British permanence in the European Union but its Shocks with politicians of every sign They have been constant. The CEO of Ryanair is part of those unbelievable businessmen of politics that, in the case of the Irishman, has an invariable constant in time: If it’s bad for the business, it is criticizable. The business. According to O’Leary, the real problem of that European antidron wall is that it would not be worthless: “I don’t think a wall of drones has any effect. Do you think the Russians cannot launch a drone from within Poland?” And I set an example: “If you can’t even protect flights on France, what are the possibility of protecting us against Russia?” This criticism referred to the French strike of aerial controllers that threatens to affect more than 100,000 passengers and 600 flights Ryanair alone. And we could continue with the criticism of the Government of Spain by the Aerial rates and The fine for the collection of hand luggage. And the impact? In economic terms, there is no clear data of how much money it has been lost with Russian incursions in European airspace. What is certain is that the inconveniences of this type of activity are palpable. Only in the last sighting in Germany of drones, 23 flights to Munich have had to be divertedanother 12 have been canceled and there are more than 6,500 affected passengers. It is estimated that during the closure of the Danish and Swedish airports, Other 100 flights They also had to be canceled. And in Brussels more than 140 flights were canceled during the cyber attack of a few weeks ago. Photo | Markus Winkler and State Border Guard Service of Ukraine In Xataka | Ryanair’s paradox in Spain: while drowning small airports, he is adding 100,000 more places

The greatest attack of Ukraine on Russian soil discovered a new threat with drones. China has just multiply it

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In 2024, Ukraine managed to enter trucks disguised as mobile houses in Russian terrain. It was the origin of what happened in June 2025, when The Spiderweb operation It was activated giving rise to kyiv’s greatest attack on Moscow since the beginning of the invasion in Ukraine. The offensive also staged the Future of the contests. China has taken another step in that threat marked by drones. Show converted into threat. They told them Analysts at The War Zone. China, through the company Damodahas presented a containerized system designed in principle for light shows with drones, but whose concept reveals deep military implications. The Automated Drone Swarm Container System is capable to display and recover Hundreds (potentially thousands) of small grid drones automatically, in a matter of minutes and with a single operator. Although the declared objective is entertainment, the system encapsulates the logic of how a simple container can be transformed into a portable swarm launcher with capacity of saturating skies and objectives at will. What today is a viral show on social networks, tomorrow can be a devastating weapon on the battlefield. From Guinness to War. Damoda already holds the world record with More than 11,000 drones in simultaneous flight in a coordinated show. Now, with this modular system of extensible racks, each container can accommodate At least 648 dronesready to take off and land synchronized. Drones automatically return to their positions and recover in the system itself, which It allows constant repetition With minimal human intervention. The promise for the civil market is speed, portability and cost reduction, but from the military perspective what is shown is the ability to convert a truck or a container into a force multiplier, camouflaged in an innocuous appearance. The precedents. The most immediate parallelism is found in the Ukraine War. As we said at the beginning, in mid -2024, kyiv carried out the call Spiderweb Operationwhere hidden containers as sheds or mobile houses were used as undercover kamikaze drones. Those attacks against aerodromes inside Russia They damaged or destroyed dozens of aircraft, including strategic long -range bombers. The blow was so serious that the Pentagon estimates the loss of at least ten of these devices. Something similar It happened in the Middle Eastwhen Israeli commands used covert structures to launch drones and missiles against goals in Iran during the beginning of the twelve -day war. Both operations show that the container, the most banal and ubiquitous infrastructure of global trade can become A lethal vector of power projection. The military potential. If civil design is extrapolated to the war, the concept is transformed into A swarm weapon low cost with saturation effects. Several trucks equipped with these containers could simultaneously launch hundreds or thousands of drones with diverse missions: from exploration and recognition to electronic warfare, interference of radars or kinetic attacks with small explosive loads. It would be enough Reduced number of systems To sweep an air base, disable radars or cover an urban front with lethal swarm. Its deployment in scenarios where the control lines are diffuse, such as cities in war, would allow devastating and almost impossible to stop with traditional defenses. The defense challenge. The difficulty in repelling a massive attack of swarms is multiplied with each advance in Autonomy and artificial intelligence. A swarm with the ability to Autonomous search and destruction It could penetrate shegars, hangars or buildings in search of objectives, exceeding the limitations of preprogrammed attacks. Let’s think that conventional anti -aircraft systems, designed to intercept specific threats, are overwhelmed in front of hundreds of simultaneous drones. The directed energy weapons, like lasers or microwaveThey offer partial but limited solutions by scope, direction and power. One of the few effective alternatives is to respond with another defensive swarm of interceptor drones, capable of creating a mobile barrier in the sky. Even so, cost-efficacy asymmetry plays in favor of the attacker: while an interceptor missile It can cost millionseach suicide drone barely reaches some thousands of dollars. Representation of a container launch system for the Merodeo ammunition of the Hero family of the German contractor Rheinmetall, as another example of a relevant concept that has previously been shown A show in the contest. The great risk is that what is now deployed as a cultural or tourist show can be transformed With hardly modifications In a gun of war. The camouflage, a priori, is perfect: a load container standard, transported by train, truck or ship, does not raise suspicions until, in minutes, it becomes A lethal swarm. This multiplies the strategic challenge for air bases, ports and cities close to the front, where a single infiltrated container could inflict damage comparable to that of a cruise missile sap. In wars where surprise and saturation are key, this kind of “drone box” emerges as the contemporary equivalent of an unpublished intelligent cluster bomb and precision. Global threat in buds. The truth is that China is not the only country in Explore this land. Defense companies and contractors In the United States And Europe also work in similar conceptssome even thought for naval pitchers. The debate in the US Navy already proposes to install containerized swarms In ships for defense and attack, which shows the inevitability of this transition. The Chinese precedent and the war in Ukraine indicate that the next future of the Air War is not only in the great seasons of sixth generation or in hypersonic missiles, but in low -cost swarms capable of overflowing any defense. The paradox. The Automated Drone Swarm Container System of Damoda It is officially a civil product to illuminate the skies in celebrations. But what projects, beyond its luminous choreographies, is a disturbing mirror of the future of war. Each viral show is at the same time, An essay From what can happen on the battlefield: the replacement of the power concentrated by distributed saturation, the replacement of the missile of millions with hundreds of low -cost drones, the transit of the technological war to … Read more

Raise a wall that protects the entire continent, but instead of concrete, drones

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In recent weeks, a Succession of incursions of drones and airplanes Russians About the heavens From Poland, Romania, Estonia, Denmark and Norway has evidenced the vulnerability of European airspace. The violations have forced to close civil airports, activate NATO fighters and use missiles to tear down devices whose price is just a fraction of the projectiles thrown against them. The alarm has spread from the Baltic to the Atlantic, and in Europe it has taken strength An idea: The answer must be a coordinated effort on the continental scale. The concept “Drones Wall”. Yes, under the impulse of the European Commissioner of Defense, Andrius Kubilius, the idea of A “drone wall” that protects all of Europe in the face of Russian threat. The initiative raises a multilayer system with radars, acoustic sensors, interception platforms, short -range anti -aircraft artillery and defensive drones, all connected to the network to share data in real time between countries. The objective is to achieve interoperability and common coverage that allows detect and neutralize drones In seconds. The project, which will be presented at the Copenhagen informal summit, extends beyond border countries with Russia to cover the entire continent, also integrating spatial capabilities in collaboration with the European Space Agency. Ukraine, the partner. A central aspect is the participation of Ukrainethat after more than three years of war has become the armed force more experienced In the world in defense against Drones swarms. Its manufacturers, supported by the immediate feedback of the front, They have developed industries capable of adapting designs in a matter of weeks, something that contrasts with the rigidity of the European arms industry. kyiv has offered Share knowledge, send technical teams to train NATO armies and participate in the joint development of systems. Several countries, including United Kingdom and Denmarkthey have already begun to weave industrial alliances with Ukrainian manufacturers to produce drones in common, aware that the future of air defense goes through a close integration with the innovative capacity of Ukraine. Politics, money and the EU. The drone wall project advances in parallel to a large -cut financial initiative: a 140,000 million loan from euros to Ukraine based on frozen Russian assets in the EU. Germany, who had been reluctant, has shown willingness to support The plan, convinced that without those funds It will be impossible Replace the void left by the American withdrawal. The formula would avoid direct confiscation of the funds, preserving international legality, but would allow Generate immediate resources to sustain the warlike ukrainian effort. Hungary, despite its proximity to Kremlin, It has not blocked So far the sanctions, but the fear of a veto forces Brussels to explore legal ways that raffle the need for unanimity. The interrelation between financing to Ukraine and the deployment of a continental drone shield underlines that European defense can no longer separate from kyiv’s survival. Berlin’s doubts. Despite the enthusiasm of Brussels and the East countries, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, He has cooled This week expectations. In his opinion, the idea that a wall of drones can be operational in three or four years, when the processes of acquisition and technological development are much slower. Pistorius insists on Prioritize flexible capabilitiesthat allow to adapt to a technology in constant evolution, rather than commit to a rigid and high cost concept. His words reflect a latent tension between those who demand speed and forcefulness, Like the Baltic or Polandand those who advocate prudence and financial sustainability, Like Germany. However, even the most skeptical coincide in the need to spend massively in anti -Didstock defense, even if it is outside the framework of a common wall. UK’s role: Project Octopus. In parallel, the United Kingdom has announced Your own contribution to a joint program with Ukraine, called Project octopusdestined to produce in British factories low -cost interceptors that can be manufactured in series and deploy in a matter of weeks. These devices, effective against The Iranian Shahedthey have a production cost ten times minor that the equivalent systems and could become the backbone of the short -range European air defense. London plans Share intellectual property with kyiv and supply the drones to both Ukraine and NATO countries, thus expanding their strategic influence. British involvement also seeks to compensate for its departure from the EU, showing that it remains a pillar of the European defense against Russia. New strategic balance. The initiative of the drone wall is framed in a broader context: progressive separation of the United Statesdriven by Trump’s policy. The partial abandonment of Washington has crystallized the evidence that the main military ally of Europe is no longer the United States, but Ukraine itselfwhich brings more than 700,000 active combatants, an agile arms industry and the determination to resist Moscow. Europe, therefore, aims to stop seeing kyiv as a mere consumer of military aid and starting to integrate it as a Security provider. The industrial agreements in drones are the first step of a symbiosis that could redefine continental defensive architecture. Between urgency and uncertainty. Under this scenario, Europe faces A crossroads: You need to act quickly to cover its vulnerabilities to Russian drones, but at the same time you must manage expectations and avoid financial or technological commitments that are unfeasible. The drone wall symbolizes EU’s will to build A common defenseinteroperable and sustained, but its success will depend on the ability to reconcile the demands of the eastern flank with the caution of the western nucleus. The Collaboration with Ukrainefinancing based on frozen Russian assets and British involvement They point to a future in which European security is built on its own pillars, or less dependent on the United States. In that transformation, drones do not seem only tactical tools: they have become the emblem of a Europe that desperately seeks shield his sky while redefine your place in the global strategic order. Image | Khamenei.ir, Nara, Rawpixel In Xataka | Russian drones are paralyzing airports in Europe. There is a background reason: 250,000 casualties in … Read more

One thing is to knock down drones, and another very different and dangerous Russian airplanes. The second option is winning too many followers

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The repeated incursions Russian aerials in NATO territory They have triggered a diplomatic and military escalation that places the Atlantic Alliance against one of its greatest dilemmas since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. First They were dronesand then several MIG-31 fighters next to an IL-20M recognition plane in the Baltic without flight plan. The perception, increasingly widespread in Europe, is very dangerous: the Kremlin seeks to test The allied disposition to respond firmly. The internal debate. They remembered In politician that incidents have caused urgent consultations Under article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, a rarely invoked mechanism that reflects the seriousness of the situation. Estonios, Poles and Czechs have claimed Hard responsesincluding the possibility of demolishing Russian aircraft in future violations. The Czech President Peta Pavel, former NATO Military High Command, affirmed that Moscow must face “military consequences.” In Tallin, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna insisted in which to defend the sky of Estonia is equivalent to defending that of the entire alliance. Instead, figures such as German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni They alert the risk To fall into the “climbing trap” lying by Putin, aware that a demolition could be interpreted as Casus Belli. Parallel messages. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, adopted An unusually overwhelming tone When declaring That “every centimeter of the territory” must be protected and that, after clear warnings, the option of folding an intruder plane “is on the table.” His words resonated With Trump’sthat in the UN General Assembly he affirmed that the “yes” allies should shoot against Russian airplanes if they enter their airspace. The support of the US President was held in Warsaw, where Minister Radosław Sikorski He replied with a laconic “Roger That”. The coincidence of speeches between Brussels and Washington (although von der Leyen has no direct military authority) transmits to Moscow that there is an emerging consensus in favor of harden the rules of the game. A 12 -minute pulse. The most symbolic case was the starring By three mig-31 Russians intercepted by two Italian F-35 in Estonia. During more than ten minutesRussian fighters remained within NATO airspace, an unprecedented duration. The Italians performed the standard interception maneuvers and, surprisingly, the Russian pilots responded With a friendly gesturegreeting from the cabin. Although the meeting concluded without shots, in Tallin and in Brussels a immediate debate: Why didn’t it acted with the same forcefulness as Türkiye in 2015When did a Russian plane tear down in just 17 seconds after a border rape? The difference illustrates the current caution of NATO, trapped between the need to show determination and the fear of an incident that disappoints an uncontrollable escalation. Hybrid ambiguity. The Russian authorities They have denied Deliberate violations and attribute incidents to errors, but at the same time suggest that they respond to Ukrainian attacks in Crimea, which is equivalent to accusing NATO of direct complicity. European diplomats who met with Kremlin say that the Russian delegation He took exhaustive noteswhich reinforces the impression that Moscow uses these incursions as calculated pressure tools. Experts like the Lithuanian president Gypsyėda They point that Russia “is testing our preparation and our solidarity.” In this sense, aerial incursions are part of a hybrid repertoire that includes espionage, cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns and symbolic maneuvers in the Baltic borders, such as balloons and buoys displaced in border rivers. The strategic dilemma. NATO has reinforced surveillance with the operation Eastern Sentry and maintains Eurofighter, F-16 and F-35 fighters deployed in the region, but still lacks clear and homogeneous confrontation rules. The ultimate decision to shoot falls to governments nationals that provide airplanes, which generates a mosaic of interpretations and possible “caveats” that could leave countries as Estonia in vulnerable situation. Meanwhile, Tallin has decided to increase its military expenditure to an average 5.4% of GDP Annual until 2029, a record figure in the alliance, although without acquiring its own fighters, which maintains the dependence of the ally air coverage. On the edge of the red line. In short, the Crossing speeches reflects a paradox: while Voices increase In favor of demolition as immediate response to airspace violations, other leaders remember that Putin could be looking for that incident to legitimize a victimization and victimization narrative Sow divisions internal in NATO. If you want, the situation recalls that the defense of the European sky is no longer a mere exercise of routine interceptions, but A critical front of the ongoing hybrid war. At stake, in addition, there is not only the security of Estonia or Poland, but the credibility of the alliance as guarantor that every centimeter of its territory, in the words of Von der Leyen itself, will continue being inviolable. Image | Fedor Leukhin, Andrey Korchag In Xataka | The war in Ukraine has fired the delays and canceled flights. And Europe has the solution: a drone wall In Xataka | Italy, Germany, Sweden and Finland have done something that seemed unthinkable: throw their fighters in search of Russian airplanes

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