The Pentagon is spending big on lasers to shoot down hostile drones and cruise missiles

Tech Insider : Business
A small drone flies in a cloudy blue sky.
Defense officials believe laser and other directed energy weapons could be sustainable answers to drones.

US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Iyer Ramakrishna

The US Army's Dark Eagle hypersonic missile could soon be deployed. Here's what it does.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
An Air Force F-16 flies over a Dark Eagle Long Range Hypersonic Weapon vehicle launcher during a training exercise at Nevada's Nellis Air Force Base., Aug. 2, 2024.
An Air Force F-16 flies over a Dark Eagle Long Range Hypersonic Weapon vehicle launcher during a training exercise at Nevada's Nellis Air Force Base in 2024.

1st Lt. David Kim/US Army

The Pentagon is putting industry on a key 'Golden Dome' weapon that military leaders have said might ultimately be too expensive

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
US President Donald Trump sits in front of a poster showing Golden Dome.
The Trump administration's desired capabilities and cost have raised questions about feasibility.

The Washington Post/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Russia's new cruise missile is full of Western-made parts, Ukrainian intel says

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
A screen grab captured from a video shows crews of Su-34 fighter-bombers preparing to attack Ukrainian forces in the South Donetsk direction on March 29, 2024.
A Russian fighter jet prepares for a mission to attack Ukraine.

Russian Defense Ministry/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images

This is what Iran's drones and missiles look like up close

Tech Insider : Business, Style

Iran attacked the Erbil region in northern Iraq over 400 times during its war with the US and Israel. WELT's Chief Correspondent Ibrahim Naber got exclusive access to the wreckage of Iranian weapons used to strike the Kurdistan region.

Iran's arsenal still has teeth. US intelligence says it still has thousands of missiles and drones.

Tech Insider : Business, Economy
Iran's domestically built missiles and satellite carriers are displayed in a permanent exhibition at a recreational area in northern Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
Iranian missiles on display in Tehran last month.

AP Photo/Vahid Salemi

The Pentagon says it's watching as Iran is 'digging out' its remaining missiles and launchers

Tech Insider : Business, Economy
An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.
Iranian missiles, launchers, and related facilities were key targets for US and Israeli strikes.

US Navy photo

The US is burning through expensive missiles. DARPA is looking for cheaper ones that can be built in days, not months.

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
US soldiers from the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade conduct a Patriot missile live-fire exercise near Fort Bliss, Texas, Aug. 23, 2025.
US soldiers from the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade conduct a Patriot missile live-fire exercise near Fort Bliss, Texas, Aug. 23, 2025.

Sgt. JaDarius Duncan/US Army

The US military is pushing up production for the weapons that could matter most in a major war

Tech Insider : Business
A missile is fired from a launcher in a desert.
TK

US Central Command Public Affairs

New Pentagon maps show the reach of China's expanding missile force

Tech Insider : Business
Chinese DF-26 missiles, camouflage colored, in front of military personnel standing at a parade against a blue sky.
China unveiled the DF-26 at a military parade in 2015.

Xinhua/Xu Suhui

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