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Drones

Today

Ukrainian soldiers control FPV drones to fire towards Russian positions in a shelter in the Donetsk region.

How Ukraine’s drones are changing the face of warfare

Weapons from the West are important, but Kyiv’s shift to unmanned aerial systems is a change in tactics and a broader evolution in how its military does battle.

This Month

Tu-160M strategic bombers were among the targets of the Ukraine drone attack.

‘An epic failure’: Russia reels from surprise Ukraine attack on bomber fleet

This week’s audacious drone raid threatens Moscow’s military operations and exposes vulnerability deep within its territory.

Russia drone attack

Ukraine destroys 41 bombers in Russia’s ‘Pearl Harbour’

The operation, codenamed Spider’s Web, hit aircraft at strategic bases by hiding drones inside the roofs of wooden sheds and trucking them deep into Russia.

May

China’s first aerial mothership.

China to launch military drone mothership

The new aircraft can launch large numbers of drones at once, making it difficult for an enemy to respond. Watch simulated video footage of what this could look like.

Drone pilot Sam Nuttall from AGB Creative rehearses in Sydney before the Illuminate Festival in Adelaide in July.

How drone shows are becoming the ‘new fireworks’

Elon Musk might own most of the satellites orbiting above us, but the 600 drones set to dance above the Adelaide Oval in July belong to his brother, Kimbal.

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March

Swoop Aero founders Josh Tepper and Eric Peck (left) lost conrtol of Swoop last year.

High-profile drone delivery start-up Swoop’s assets sold

The deal means zero return for Swoop’s star-studded shareholder register.

January

Ukraine’s Magura V5 drone.

Watch Ukrainian sea drone shoot down Russian helicopter

Ukraine’s unmanned sea craft have been the scourge of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, helping to push it out of the waters around Crimea.

December 2024

I’ve seen Amazon’s drone delivery future. The public may hate it

A visit to the e-commerce giant’s overhauled delivery program in Arizona left me impressed but sceptical that the public will welcome the flying machines.

October 2024

A Hezbollah drone flying over Northern Israel.

The horror weapon transforming warfare

Drones used to be raptors, meaning they came back and could be used again. Now that drones can be cheaply replaced, they have arguably changed warfare forever.

Swoop Aero co-founder Eric Peck had decided to step down before administrators were called in.

Drone start-up Swoop Aero crashes to earth, enters administration

Swoop Aero, a drone delivery start-up backed by CSIRO’s Main Sequence, is being restructured by administrators two years after turning down a $100m takeover.

An Israeli soldier secures a road after a drone attack that caused mass casualties near Haifa.

Four Israeli soldiers killed in Hezbollah drone attack

The Iran-backed terror group said the barrage on the IDF base showed it could still inflict Israeli losses despite the death of its leader in Beirut last month.

August 2024

Ukrainian troops ride on top of a tank near the Russian border in the Sumy region.

Ukraine launches ‘one of largest’ drone attacks on Moscow

The attack on the Russian capital was part of a broader Ukrainian drone strike across regions in Russia.

July 2024

It’s not a gun: DroneShield chief Oleg Vornik

DroneShield rubbishes critics, courts politicians

No sooner had we written off Rodney Forrest than he totally crashed the share price of ASX-listed DroneShield.

Wing ground operations manager Semira Ragan and Australia operations manager Dave Ojiako-Pettit loading a drone with a parcel in Melbourne.

Drone food delivery set to land in Melbourne’s east

Lightweight, styrofoam drones will soon be flying over the city, delivering meals and packages to homes in Melbourne’s sprawling outer-eastern suburbs.

June 2024

The Australian Defence Force has previously been reliant on small-scale drones manufactured by Chinese firm DJI.

Risk for critical infrastructure over China-manufactured drones

Australian critical infrastructure is at risk of spying and disruption with a lack of government guidance over the growing use of unmanned drones to monitor and carry out menial work, new research says.

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April 2024

Drones have become widespread in Ukraine, on both sides.

Eric Schmidt is helping build Ukraine’s war machine

Google’s ex-chief executive is a force behind a new generation of drones that may revolutionise warfare.

March 2024

Tiny RoboBees have a multitude of uses but could easily end up inside a cane toad or anything else that eats insects.

Smaller, faster, deadlier - how drones are changing our world

Unmanned flying machines from insect-sized swarms to car-sized transports are about to become a ubiquitous part of our daily lives.

Richard Marles and Grant Shapps.

Australia joins ‘Drone Coalition’ to help Ukraine fight Russia

Defence will also upgrade ties with the British military, as uncertainty grows over America’s commitment to the war.

A view of the Operations room as Sea Ceptor missiles are fired from HMS Richmond to down Houthi drones.

US, UK, French shoot down Houthi drones after attack on carrier

US Central Command says US military and coalition forces downed at least 28 uncrewed aerial vehicles over the Red Sea in the early hours of Saturday.

January 2024

Kyiv filled with smoke after Russian rocket and drone attacks on the capital of Ukraine late last year.

Russia has the upper hand in electronic warfare with Ukraine

Both sides have invested heavily in systems that can neutralise each other’s drone armies, but Moscow maintains the advantage because it started first.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/drones-5wi