• SkyfireAI raised $11 million in funding to advance AI-driven autonomy in public safety and defense drones, announced this week amid booming AI investments.
• The funding supports development of autonomous drone technologies tailored for critical missions, positioning the startup in high-stakes defense applications.
• This reflects surging investor confidence in AI hardware integrations, following Big Tech earnings boosted by AI spending from Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta.
Ceasefire frays further as Israel also carries out airstrikes and issues new displacement orders for south Lebanon Hezbollah launched several drones at Israeli soldiers in south Lebanon on Tuesday, while Israel issued new displacement orders for south Lebanon and carried out airstrikes, as the fraying ceasefire failed to stop fighting between the two sides.Hezbollah claimed Tuesday’s attack injured several Israeli soldiers, but no confirmation was given from the Israeli military, apart from a statement saying interceptor missiles had been fired at incoming Hezbollah drones. Continue reading...
• SkyfireAI Inc., a US-based autonomous drone startup, raised $11 million in new funding to advance dual-use technology.
• The investment targets AI autonomy for public safety, defense, and commercial drone applications.
• This funding accelerates development amid rising demand for intelligent unmanned systems in critical sectors.
Killhouse is based on real-life story of civilian couple saved from battlefield by Ukrainian drone operatorsIt is being billed as Ukraine’s answer to Saving Private Ryan, updated for an age of drones.The war movie Killhouse is an action thriller which shows off the latest in battlefield technology. Released this week, it features cameos by figures well known in Ukraine, including the nation’s former military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov. One missing person is Donald Trump. The film is conveniently set in 2024, when Washington and Kyiv were allies. Continue reading...
Overnight incident in Romania did not lead to hostilities as potential target stayed within Ukrainian airspaceTwo RAF Typhoons have been scrambled from a Romanian air base to engage Russian drones close to Nato air space although did not fire or shoot any down.British defence sources said the fighter jets did not enter Ukrainian airspace, contradicting reports that Russian drones had been shot down by the RAF there, an event which would have represented a major escalation in hostilities between the western alliance and Moscow. Continue reading...
• Iran launched drone attacks targeting US warships in retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
• The strikes mark a sharp escalation, with both sides issuing warnings as a fragile ceasefire nears expiry and diplomacy falters.
• Fears mount of wider regional conflict disrupting global oil flows through the world's critical waterway.
• The US Central Command issued an urgent alert Saturday concerning Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles operating in coordinated formations near major shipping lanes in the Persian Gulf, marking an escalation in regional tensions.
• US Navy destroyers and coalition partners have increased surveillance operations, with officials reporting at least 15 drone incidents detected in the past 48 hours targeting commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz.
• The escalation follows recent US military movements in the region and threatens global oil supply routes, with shipping insurance rates rising 12% since Friday morning.
• Russia conducted one of the most intense single-day aerial assaults on Ukraine during the second year of the conflict, firing 659 drones and 44 long-range missiles at major cities.
• Ukrainian officials reported widespread devastation including strikes on residential buildings, critical infrastructure, and southern port hubs, resulting in dozens of casualties and extensive damage.
• The massive attack underscores the ongoing intensity of the Ukraine-Russia conflict and its humanitarian toll on civilian populations.
Two killed, including a child, in Kyiv with another death in the city of Dnipro amid strikes across the countryRussian forces attacked Kyiv and other cities early on Thursday, killing three people, including a 12-year-old child, injuring more than 20 and badly damaging buildings, officials said.Moscow has fired hundreds of drones on its neighbour almost nightly since the beginning of the four-year war, and recently expanded daytime strikes. Continue reading...
Chief inspector for England and Wales says prison remains in ‘precarious state’ more than year after urgent notificationThe Prison Service has made “very little progress” in enforcing a formal demand to stop drones from delivering drugs into one of its worst performing jails, a watchdog has concluded.Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons for England and Wales, said HMP Manchester remained in a “precarious state” after a failure to fix broken windows and install security to stop contraband being delivered to gangs. Continue reading...
Ukraine reports 469 violations of Putin’s 32-hour ceasefire, hours after deadly drone attacks on Odesa and KhersonRussia continued to strike Ukrainian positions with drones after a Kremlin-declared Easter ceasefire took effect on Saturday, a Ukrainian military officer said.“The ceasefire is not being observed by the Russian side,” said Serhii Kolesnychenko, a communications officer for the 148th Separate Artillery Brigade. Continue reading...
Members reportedly agree rise of 206,000 barrels a day in May but move symbolic with strait of Hormuz effectively closedMiddle East crisis – live updatesIranian drones struck Kuwait’s oil infrastructure on Sunday, causing “severe material damage” that threatened to further disrupt oil supplies already hit by the US and Israel’s war with Tehran.It came hours before members of the Opec+ group that represents major global oil suppliers gathered to discuss how to bolster output despite Iran’s effective closure of the crucial strait of Hormuz shipping route. Continue reading...
Drone-maker backed by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr tries to win contracts with Gulf countries protected by USA drone-maker backed by Donald Trump’s two oldest sons is trying to sell to Gulf countries while they are under attack by Iran and dependent on the US military led by their father.The sales drive by Florida-based Powerus – which announced a deal last month to bring aboard Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr – positions the company to potentially benefit from a war that their father began. Continue reading...
Ukrainian president says ceasefire could show diplomacy works, while Russia dismisses statement as ‘PR stunt’. What we know on day 1,499Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised Russia for responding to an offer of an Easter truce with airstrikes. The Ukrainian president said on Wednesday he had spoken to US negotiators about an Easter ceasefire but Russian forces had fired more than 700 drones – many of them Iranian-designed Shaheds – targeting parts of western and central Ukraine in a rare daytime attack. Zelenskyy said: “Russia is responding [to the Easter ceasefire offer] with Shahed drones and continues its terrorist operations against our energy sector, against our infrastructure,” adding that he had discussed ways of advancing diplomacy with US negotiators. “A silence over Easter could be exactly the signal that tells everyone that diplomacy can be successful.” Russia’s foreign ministry rejected Zelenskyy’s proposal as a “PR stunt”.The Ukraine president said talks with US mediators aimed at resolving the four-year conflict were “positive”. The talks were held remotely on Wednesday with the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and the US senator Lindsey Graham, with Nato’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, also joining the call amid the alliance’s continuing tensions with Washington. Zelenskyy thanked the US for its efforts to bring about peace and said the Ukrainian and US teams had agreed to strengthen a document outlining US security guarantees for any future peace deal. “This is precisely what could pave the way for a reliable end to the war.” In recent weeks Zelenskyy said the US had been pressuring Ukraine to make concessions to bring a quick end to the conflict after the US and Israel launched the war on Iran in late February. Talks with Russia are deadlocked over the question of land, with Ukraine refusing to cede to Moscow’s demands that it relinquish the eastern region of Donbas.Russia claimed to have full control of Ukraine’s Luhansk region on Wednesday, which Kyiv denied. Russia’s defence ministry claimed its forces had taken control of the entire Luhansk region – part of the Donbas – but a Ukrainian military official said small areas were still held by Ukrainian forces. Russia has previously made false claims of advances. The Russian defence ministry said in a statement: “Units have completed the liberation of the Luhansk people’s republic.” But Viktor Tregubov, a spokesperson for Ukrainian forces, said there were no changes to report in that region. “Unfortunately, we only hold small patches [in Luhansk], but those positions have been held by 3rd brigade for a long time,” Trehubov told the Associated Press. Russian claims of progress have in the past proved to be inaccurate. The Moscow-appointed head of Luhansk announced its full capture last June. Ukrainian officials have said that Moscow makes false claims of advances to persuade US negotiators a Russian victory in Ukraine is inevitable.Russia fired hundreds of drones at Ukraine, killing at least five people and destroying a postal terminal, Ukrainian officials have said. Ukraine’s Nova Poshta mailing company published an image on Wednesday of a warehouse in the western city of Lutsk in flames, with thick smoke pouring from its roof. As well firing 339 drones at Ukraine overnight, Russia launched more than 360 drones during the day, the Ukrainian air force said. One drone killed four people in the central Cherkasy region, while an earlier drone strike on a car in Ukraine’s frontline Kherson region killed a woman and badly wounded two other people, regional authorities said. Continue reading...
The attack came hours after Donald Trump threatened to ‘obliterate’ Iran’s energy plants and oil wells unless it opened the strait of Hormuz. Plus, Israel to give death penalty to Palestinians convicted of lethal attacksGood morning.Iran attacked and set alight a fully loaded crude oil tanker anchored at Dubai port, causing damage to the vessel’s hull, in the latest strike on merchant vessels in the Gulf and the strait of Hormuz. The fire was extinguished within hours and no injuries were reported.What has Trump said about the war’s end? He has continued to give mixed messages, threatening to destroy Iran’s energy facilities unless it agrees to peace terms – while simultaneously claiming diplomatic progress in ending the war the US started together with Israel. Iran has accused the US of using diplomacy as a smokescreen to prepare for more attacks.Which countries are most vulnerable to economic shocks? The Philippines, which imports almost all of its crude oil from the Middle East, is particularly exposed to surging prices, which have triggered protests and widespread anger.Why now? The government of Iran, which the US has attacked, is a prolific and sophisticated disinformation actor, while Russian and Chinese influence operations continue to target US allies globally.How would the embassies do it? They have been told to use local influencers, academics and community leaders abroad to make US-funded narratives feel more organic. Continue reading...
• Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on Friday, wounding at least 15 US service members and destroying a US military E-3 Century radar aircraft.
• The attack resulted in at least 13 US service members killed to date, prompting the Pentagon to prepare for weeks of potential ground conflict in Iran according to The Washington Post.
• President Trump is reportedly considering a military operation in response, with 3,500 additional US troops beginning to arrive in the region as part of a broader deployment now exceeding 50,000 personnel.
• Advocate Health will launch the country's largest hospital-based drone delivery network, beginning in Charlotte, NC, using Zipline drones to deliver prescriptions, lab specimens, and medical supplies across three of its markets.
• The system is projected to conduct approximately 100,000 deliveries per year, significantly expanding healthcare logistics and supply chain capabilities within hospital systems.
• This initiative represents a major technological advancement in hospital operations and marks a shift toward automated delivery infrastructure in American healthcare systems.
• The United States is broadening national security restrictions beyond telecommunications infrastructure to encompass consumer technology products such as routers and drones.
• This expansion reflects growing concerns about foreign influence and vulnerabilities in consumer-grade technology that could pose risks to national security infrastructure.
• The move represents an escalation in regulatory oversight of the tech sector as the government seeks to protect critical systems and supply chains from potential threats.
• At least 12 U.S. service members were injured, with two in serious condition, after an Iranian missile and drone attack on a U.S. military base in Saudi Arabia.
• The attack followed Israel's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and Iran's vow to retaliate against Israeli military actions in the region.
• The incident marks a significant escalation in direct Iranian military engagement with U.S. forces in the Middle East conflict.
Intelligence reports find Russia is close to completing phased shipment of drones, medicine and foodMiddle East crisis – live updatesIntelligence agencies in Europe believe Russia is in the final stages of preparing to supply supply drones to Iran for use in its war with the US and Israel, according to a senior European official.Russia has already been providing intelligence sharing with Tehran to help it target US forces in the region, the official said, but the upcoming delivery of explosive-laden drones would mark the first evidence of lethal support since the start of the war. Continue reading...
One struck a market in North Darfur and the other hit a truck carrying civilians in North Kordofan as the country’s civil war approaches its fourth yearAt least 28 civilians have been killed in two separate drone strikes in Sudan, according to health workers, as the country’s brutal civil war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces approaches its fourth year.A strike hit a market in the town of Saraf Omra in North Darfur state on Wednesday, killing “22 people, including an infant, and injuring 17 more”, a health worker at the local clinic told AFP. Continue reading...
Ukraine president vows to respond to move that would draw Belarus more directly into the war; EU anger at Hungary over Russia information sharing. What we know on day 1,490 Continue reading...
Labor under pressure over fuel crisis as federal parliament returns. Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGovernments around the world are unprepared for the growing threat of drones being used to carry out terror attacks, a report warns.Advances in drone technology, 3D printing and AI-assisted navigation should prompt leaders, including those in Australia, to rethink anti-extremism strategies, the paper from the Lowy Institute says.The combination of easy accessibility and payload potential, and the limitations of domestic counter-drone systems, presents a growing challenge. Continue reading...
• Swarms of high-tech drones entered airspace over a U.S. military base housing B-52 bombers and the Air Force's nuclear command, prompting law enforcement warnings of "a significant threat to public safety and national security."
• The incident represents an escalation in reconnaissance or potential attack capabilities, occurring during the ongoing conflict with Iran in the Middle East.
• Military and security officials are investigating the drone incursion and assessing vulnerabilities to critical U.S. defense infrastructure.
• Law enforcement warns of 'significant threat to public safety and national security' after swarms of high-tech drones entered airspace over a US base housing B-52 bombers and Air Force nuclear command.
• The incident heightens tensions amid US military deployments to the Middle East and ongoing Iran conflict, raising fears of escalation or related threats.
• This comes as Trump weighs de-escalation in Iran while oil prices surge, potentially linked to broader geopolitical risks affecting US homeland security.
Ukraine’s president says mass attacks on civilians are no longer the preserve of a ‘madman like Putin’European nations should prepare for attacks by non-state actors including criminal networks, terror groups and lone attackers as drone technology advances, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned.The Ukrainian president said it was no longer just “a wealthy madman like Putin” who could afford mass attacks as he demonstrated the latest technology to British MPs and peers. Continue reading...
• Italy's military reported a drone attack on the Ali al-Salem air base in Kuwait on Sunday, marking an expansion of hostile activity beyond primary conflict zones in Iran and Lebanon.
• The strike demonstrates the geographic spread of military operations and drone threats across the Gulf region, threatening coalition infrastructure supporting operations in the broader conflict.
Government reluctant to dispatch ships amid concerns complying with Trump’s demands could escalate Iran crisisMinisters are drawing up plans to send minesweeping drones to the strait of Hormuz amid concerns in Whitehall that complying with Donald Trump’s demand to send ships could escalate the crisis.The government is considering dispatching aerial minesweepers to help clear the vital waterway of mines in an attempt to allow the flow of oil exports to resume. However, officials said that sending ships, as requested over the weekend by the US president, could worsen the situation given the volatile nature of the war. Continue reading...
Energy secretary says ‘any options’ to get crucial shipping lanes reopened are being looked at by the governmentMiddle East crisis – live updatesBritain is considering sending ships and mine-hunting drones to the Middle East in an attempt to reopen the strait of Hormuz, Ed Miliband has said.The energy secretary confirmed on Sunday that ministers are talking to their allies about how the UK can help secure the vital waterway after the US president, Donald Trump, urged Britain and other countries to deploy ships to the region. Continue reading...
The US and Iran are trading blows in the Gulf with a simple drone that costs as little as $50,000 to make. But why is a slow, cheap and relatively primitive drone seeing use in 2026 alongside hypersonic missiles and stealth jets?
Image: SiliconANGLE
