Japan's Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency has approved mass production of the Terra B1, a 3D-printed rocket-powered interceptor drone built on Terra Drone's battle-tested A1 platform already used in Ukraine. The B1 beat out proposals from 37 other companies after demonstrating strong performance in range, speed, guidance and simultaneous-control capability during trials for Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Forces. Domestic production lines are expected to deliver the first units this month.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-09-05
Ukraine is releasing millions of data points from tens of thousands of drone missions to defense contractors and commercial companies, turning frontline combat into a unique training ground for AI systems. This data offers realistic, chaotic conditions that AI developers normally cannot replicate, making it highly valuable to the defense and tech industries. The move raises calls for new oversight since this wartime data differs fundamentally from typical commercial datasets.
technologyreview.com
· 2026-09-04
Enabled Intelligence, a US data-processing firm, says it has made available more than half a million hours of Ukrainian drone footage for use in training AI models, marketing the dataset for both military and commercial applications. This marks a shift from earlier programs like Project Maven, where combat sensor data stayed locked within classified defense channels, toward a broader, more open data marketplace.
technologyreview.com
· 2026-09-04
The Trump administration enacted tariffs on foreign drones this week, with thermal-imaging or heavier models facing a 100 percent duty and smaller consumer drones facing 25 percent. Allied nations including the UK, EU, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and Taiwan face tariffs ranging from 10 to 15 percent, while a broader 25 percent levy on non-sensitive drones takes effect in 2027.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-03
Mykhailo Fedorov, recently removed as Ukraine's defense minister, is starting a defense technology company that will count Palantir CEO Alex Karp as its first lead investor. Details such as the company's name, funding amount, and specific technologies remain undisclosed, though Fedorov's office says more about the Palantir partnership will be revealed over time.
cnbc.com
· 2026-09-02
California startup Pyka has built electric, cockpit-free fixed-wing aircraft that spray crops and deliver cargo, with about a dozen already flying missions over cotton and soybean fields in Brazil, work previously done by human pilots. The company is testing software updates at a site near San Francisco Bay while eyeing an eventual expansion into passenger flights along US coastlines.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-09-01
Washington expanded its restrictions on foreign-made robotics and drones in July and August, citing national security, adding steep tariffs on imported drones that take effect this September, with component tariffs to follow in 2027. The rules extend the FCC's Covered List, which previously targeted telecom firms like Huawei and Hikvision, to now cover drones and advanced robotic devices, even as Chinese firms dominate global humanoid robot shipments.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-08-31
Forensic investigators in Zaporizhzhia recovered downed Russian drones containing Nvidia Jetson Orin minicomputers, suggesting the aircraft used onboard AI to identify and strike targets rather than being remotely piloted. The drones lacked antennas or radio signals, and Ukrainian officials say one struck propane tanks near a gas station with precision consistent with autonomous targeting. UN and Red Cross leaders separately warned this week that autonomous weapons targeting humans cross a dangerous moral line.
futurism.com
· 2026-08-28
Meteoric, a startup founded by two Cambridge engineers, is developing autonomous drone fleets designed to fly into low- and mid-altitude clouds above solar farms and physically alter water droplets to reduce cloud reflectivity. The company says this chemical-free approach could boost energy output from existing solar installations by 10-30%, costing an estimated $30-60 per hour to operate, far cheaper than traditional cloud-seeding aircraft.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-08-23
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