Threats

Fly Your Drone Near an Airport, and the FAA May Hijack It

New technology from CACI can wrest control of civilian UAVs, lawmaker says.

Science & Tech

Drones Armed With High-Energy Lasers May Arrive In 2017

Predator maker looks beyond Hellfire missiles to the weapons of the future.

Ideas

What Drone-Strike Data from Yemen and Pakistan Says about the ISIS Fight

Washington's drone program has cost a great deal of blood and money with little to show for it. Absent a political strategy, the effort in Syria will likely fare no better.

Science & Tech

Will Subdrones Cause World War III?

Smart, well-armed and built to operate on their own, underwater drones are becoming a dangerous wildcard.

Business

Should One US Service Rule the Military’s Drones?

Ten years ago, the Air Force lost its bid to control the Pentagon’s nascent UAV fleets. Some say it should try again.

Science & Tech

Chuck Schumer’s No-Fly-Zone Rule for Drones Won’t Work

U.S. lawmakers and the military worry about small consumer drones running afoul of planes and emergency crews. But there may be no simple fix.

Science & Tech

Predator Drone Maker General Atomics Flying Spy Missions For the Pentagon

The US military has hired General Atomics to fly some missions — just ISR so far, but what about the future?

Science & Tech

Someone At DEF CON Made a Drone That Hacks Computers

You can buy it for $2,500 — and turn it into a flying malware injector.

Science & Tech

The Air Force Wants To Make Its Drones Smarter and Deadlier

The Reaper's next chapter includes better sensors, more autonomy, bigger weapons.

Science & Tech

US Drone Pilots Are As Skeptical of Autonomy As Are Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk

There are many reasons to be cautious about greater autonomy in weapons like drones, according to the men and women at the joystick.

Science & Tech

In The War of 2050, The Robots Call The Shots

An Army-sponsored workshop on the future of war produces a mashed-up vision of swarmbots, cyborgs, and technology run wild.

Science & Tech

Robots Won't Be Taking These Military Jobs Anytime Soon

A chief Air Force scientist says that there’s no way to automate drone-based intelligence collection without a major technological breakthrough.

Business

America’s Drone Pilot Shrink Says They Need a Vacation From War

The men and women fighting America’s drone war can’t go home, no matter where they are.

Science & Tech

The Turf War Launched by America's First Drone Strike Is Still Raging

The CIA’s then-secret weapon missed the Taliban's leader, starting a 14-years-and-counting fight over who controls the U.S. drone program.

Science & Tech

US Special Forces Are Experimenting With Bug Drones

As intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance needs grow, devices are shrinking.

Business

Air Force Trims Drone Ops to Get Workforce ‘Healthy’

The service is dropping five of its 65 combat air patrols so its overtaxed pilots and intelligence operators can catch their breath.

Ideas

Ask Your 2016 Candidate These Questions on Drone Warfare

Our country needs to know where its next commander-in-chief stands.

Science & Tech

China May Be Selling Armed Drones to Jordan

Will the Wing Loong UAV soon be flying over Amman? Not if one congressman, and his largest campaign donor, have anything to do with it.

Science & Tech

The 9 Strangest Flying Robots from the World’s Biggest Drone Show

At a drone conference in Atlanta, everyone was looking for the next big thing in UAV design. Here’s a look at some of the most interesting, innovative and outlandish drones Defense One came across.