Germany wants Helsing to build the brain of its next air war

TNW News

Germany is quietly building its own brain for future air warfare, and it wants Helsing to write the code. Berlin is lining up a €580mn contract for the Munich AI firm. The software would link fighters, drones, satellites and sensors, according to documents seen by Politico. The deal salvages something from the wreckage of Europe’s […]

Flock’s surveillance cameras are spreading fast across the US

TNW News

Most people call them automated licence plate readers, or ALPRs. They sit beside roads and log every car that passes. Flock Safety dominates the market. Engadget reports that Flock makes the vast majority of the 100,000-plus readers now blanketing the US. Calling them licence plate readers undersells them. Reading plates is the main job, but […]

A US Army commander used attack drones and C4-packed robots to clear a deadly breach before soldiers even got in the fight

Tech Insider : Business, Environment, Technology
A soldier wearing camouflage holds a white drone. Three soldiers stand behind him, looking towards the right. The background is full of trees.
The recent JRTC rotation saw soldiers using various types of drones to target a fortified enemy position.

US Army photo by Spc. Sandy Vera Vazquez

GNC's AI-powered drones help reduce backorders while boosting warehouse worker satisfaction

Tech Insider : Business, Economy, Environment
Warehouse drone checking inventory.
AI can enable drones to fly longer since they require less onboard computing, said Brendan Englot, the director of the Stevens Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

Corvus Robotics

US soldiers need drones they can easily grab like ammo and fly under fire, Army commander says

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
A special operator launches a drone from his hand in a grassy terrain.
At a recent exercise, soldiers flew dozens of cheap drones, including ones they'd 3D printed themselves.

US Army photo by Ssg. Gabriel E. Davis

A US Army brigade used hundreds of one-way attack drones in a recent wargame. Over half were homemade.

Tech Insider : Business
Two small, black drones sit in orange dirt.
The US Army, like other services, sees 3D printing as a quick solution to making spare drone parts and adapting drones to new mission requirements.

US Army photo by Spc. Sandy Vera Vazquez

Cargo drone startup Elroy Air nears an $800m SPAC deal

TNW News

The maker of the autonomous Chaparral is in advanced talks to go public through a blank-cheque merger valuing the combined company at about $1bn. The SPAC, declared dead more than once over the past few years, keeps finding new uses, and the latest is a cargo drone. Elroy Air, a California startup that wants to […]

Satellite images show Russian forces throwing up smoke screens on a key Crimean bridge as Ukrainian drones target supply lines

Tech Insider : Business
Several stacks of white and grey smoke rise from a bridge.
Smokescreens seen covering part of the Kerch Bridge in June.

Satellite image ©2026 Vantor

Ukraine wants naval drones that can detain ships in the Black Sea rather than sink them, commander says

Tech Insider : Business
A Ukrainian Katran naval drone in an undisclosed location.
A Ukrainian commander said his naval drones could be used for policing operations in the Black Sea.

Jake Epstein/Business Insider

A top Marine general says air-defense buildup isn't moving fast enough to meet rising drone threats

Tech Insider : Business, Environment
Two large vehicles sit on the beach with Marines standing around them. The sky is blue and cloudy.
The US Marine Corps is shifting its focus to being prepared for near-peer adversary fights.

US Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Malia Sparks

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