Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine was supposed to be a short campaign, but the larger country's swift victory anticipated by many analysts failed to materialize. Part of the reason for Ukraine's effective defense was Kyiv's early warning of the build-up of Russian forces on its border. U.S./allied intelligence warned Kyiv, but another non-government source tipped them off to the impending invasion: commercial imagery, especially Maxar's optical photos, publicly documented the build-up and the initial invasion, revealing the long convoy heading toward Kyiv on Feb. 27, 2022.
Ares Industries, a new American defense startup company, claims to be developing novel defense technologies. In particular, the company says they are developing prototypes for a new class of anti-ship cruise missiles, with the goal of creating missiles that are both smaller and cheaper. Instead of missiles costing $3 million to produce, Ares Industries is looking to produce missiles at just $300,000. Should the U.S. ever enter into a war with China, Ares Industries sees these weapons as essential,