US Drone

The deal involves India acquiring 31 predator drones, of which 15 will go to the Indian Navy and 16 will be distributed among the Indian Army and Air Force

Yemen's Houthi rebels shot down two American MQ-9 Reaper drones in under a week, the United States military acknowledged Wednesday, further highlighting the regional spread of the Israel-Hamas war. As the one-year anniversary of the war approaches, Houthis continue a campaign to target ships travelling through the Red Sea as US-led airstrikes pound their positions in Yemen. That's imperiled a waterway that typically sees USD 1 trillion of trade pass through it, as well as crucial shipments of aid to war-torn Sudan and Yemen. The US military said Houthis shot down the first Reaper on September 10, and the second on Monday. Online video showed the downing and the flaming wreckage on the ground afterward in Yemen's Dhamar province. General Atomics Reapers, which cost around USD 30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,240 metres) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The aircraft have been flown by both the US military and the CIA over Yem

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed early Sunday they shot down another American-made MQ-9 drone flying over the country, marking potentially the latest downing of the multimillion-dollar surveillance aircraft. The US responded with airstrikes over Houthi-controlled territory, the rebels said. The US military did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the Houthi claim. The rebels offered no pictures or video to support the claim as they have in the past, though such material can appear in propaganda footage days later. However, the Houthis have repeatedly downed General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper drones in the years since they seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa, in 2014. Those attacks have exponentially increased since the start of the Israel-Hamas war and the Houthis launched their campaign targeting shipping in the Red Sea corridor. Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree made the claim in a prerecorded video message. He said the Houthis shot down the drone over Yemen's .

India is fast-tracking negotiations to acquire 31 weaponised MQ-9B 'hunter-killer' remotely-piloted drones from the US as China has ramped up its supply of armed drones to Pakistan

Houthis' military spokesman, Yahya Saree, claimed responsibility for targeting the "British oil ship Andromeda Star" in the Red Sea with naval missiles.

Despite a month of US-led airstrikes, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels remain capable of launching significant attacks just this week, they seriously damaged a ship in a crucial strait and apparently downed an American drone worth tens of millions of dollars. The continued assaults by the Houthis on shipping through the crucial Red Sea corridor the Bab el-Mandeb Strait against the backdrop of Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip underscore the challenges in trying to stop the guerrilla-style attacks that have seen them hold onto Yemen's capital and much of the north in the war-ravaged country since 2014. Meanwhile, the campaign has boosted the rebels' standing in the Arab world, despite their own human rights abuses in a yearslong stalemated war with several of America's allies in the region. Analysts warn that the longer their attacks go on, the greater the risk that disruptions to international shipping will begin to weigh down on the global economy. On Monday, both the ...

TMS Ep458: Biparjoy cyclone, JioCinema, equity markets, MQ-9B drone

What are the economic implications of Biparjoy? After telcos, is Jio coming for OTTs? Where to invest as markets trade near record highs? What is the MQ-9B 'predator-B' drone? Answers here

India has long expressed interest in buying large armed drones from the United States. But bureaucratic stumbling blocks have hampered a hoped-for deal for SeaGuardian drones

The Pentagon released a de-classified video on Thursday showing a Russian military jet intercept a US drone downed over the Black Sea two days ago

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said he spoke to his Russian counterpart on Wednesday about the destruction of a US drone over the Black Sea, which had brought the two countries closest to direct conflict since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine a year ago. It was the first call between Austin and Defence Secretary Sergei Shoigu since October. I just got off the phone with my Russian counterpart, Minister Shoigu, Austin said at a Pentagon press briefing. As I've said repeatedly, it's important that great powers be models of transparency and communication, and the United States will continue to fly and to operate wherever international law allows. The US military said it ditched the Air Force MQ-9 Reaper in the sea after a Russian fighter jet struck its propeller. Russia has denied that it caused the incident. The US has said it was working on declassifying surveillance footage from the drone that would show Tuesday's crash. That Austin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu were talki

Russian authorities say that they will try to recover the fragments of a US surveillance drone that American forces brought down in the Black Sea after an encounter with Russian fighter jets. Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia's Security Council, said in remarks televised Wednesday that Russia planned to search for the drone's debris. I don't know if we can recover them or not, but we will certainly have to do that, and we will deal with it, Patrushev said. I certainly hope for success. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the drone was flying in international airspace and over international waters when the encounter with the Russian fighter took place Tuesday. He stressed that the drone's presence over the Black Sea was not an uncommon occurrence. Kirby said the MQ-9 Reaper drone had not yet been recovered and it was unclear whether it would be. Patrushev claimed the drone incident underlined the U.S. engagement in the hostilities in Ukraine. Sergei

Russia's defence ministry denied that its aircraft had come into contact with the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which it said had crashed after "sharp manoeuvring"

The US for the first time Friday said it will give Ukraine Scan Eagle surveillance drones, mine-resistant vehicles, anti-armor rounds and howitzer weapons to help Ukrainian forces regain territory and mount a counteroffensive against Russian invaders. A senior defense official told reporters that a new $775 million aid package will include 15 Scan Eagles, 40 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles known as MRAPs with mine-clearing rollers, and 2,000 anti-armor rounds that can help Ukraine troops move forward in the south and east, where Russian forces have placed mines. The official said the U.S. is looking to help shape and arm the Ukrainian force of the future as the war drags on. This latest aid comes as Russia's war on Ukraine is about to reach the six-month mark. It brings the total US military aid to Ukraine to about $10.6 billion since the beginning of the Biden administration. It is the 19th time the Pentagon has provided equipment from Defense Department stocks to Ukraine

But a comparison with global data suggests that India still lags the industry's international peers in terms of funding

Zipline, founded six years ago, already is in service in the US, where it has partnered with Walmart Inc. to deliver other products at the retail chain as well as drugs

The $600 million deal would be the first such sale since U.S. policy on the export of sophisticated and closely guarded drone technology was loosened by the Trump administration

The sensor-rich MQ-1C Gray Eagle is capable of carrying Stinger and Hellfire missiles

77 autonomous drone deliveries have been completed so far

China said its military seized the underwater glider to ensure the safe navigation of passing ships but would give it back