Air Force combat search-and-rescue, also known as CSAR, is the military's force dedicated to rescuing downed aircrew. Combat search-and-rescue missions are dangerous under the best of conditions, ideally on dark nights with no moonlight.
The facility, known as Noctis-2, will include an optical array and potentially an infrared telescope. It will provide a "persistent stare capability" of the orbit used by geostationary satellites, broader monitoring of the skies and the ability to examine chosen objects, according to a preliminary market engagement notice published on 16 March.
Cooper said there's been a "collaboration between Russia and Iran over a long time on some of these issues," adding this is part of a "bigger pattern of cooperation between Russia and Iran. We know we have faced threats to our security in Europe from Russia," she added. "We see that in Ukraine, but also more widely those threats to Europe as well."
British forces have shot down multiple drones across the Middle East over the past 24 hours as Iran continues to retaliate against countries across the region in response to US and Israeli strikes. The UK said that the interception of drones above Jordan marks 'the first time an RAF F-35 has destroyed a target on operations.' The fighters were supported by Typhoon jets and a Voyager tanker aircraft.
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Two jets out of the four sent to Qatar have been allocated specifically to help Bahrain intercept incoming drones, as the US-Israel war with Iran has entered its second week. It comes as Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper landed in Saudi Arabia on Thursday amid continued concern about Iranian threats to the Strait of Hormuz - a key artery for commercial shipping.
Britain is to develop new air defence weapons alongside the EU's four biggest military powers, deepening ties with the European defence sector. The project will invite manufacturers in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Poland to submit plans to build low-cost missiles and autonomous drones. The allies are pledging a speedy process to build the weapons together, inspired by Ukraine's development of cheap drones to counter attacks from Russia.
The drone, launched from Lebanon by an Iranian-backed group, was found to contain a Kometa-B navigation system, which highlights Moscow's collaboration with Tehran on drone technology. Analysts say the wreckage recovered by British intelligence signals a new and dangerous phase of drone warfare targeting UK forces.
Baton Rouge bought the Stalker VXE30 from Edge Autonomy, which partners with Lockheed Martin , and began operating under the brand Redwire this week . According to reporting from WBRZ ABC2 in Louisiana , the drone, along with training and batteries, costs about $1 million.
The Royal Navy said on Friday that they have launched a new full size crewless helicopter which is designed to track submarines and will undertake missions in the North Atlantic. Since Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale war in Ukraine the defence industry has been remodelled as most European government's have increased military spending. The helicopter named "Proteus" has completed a test flight and was part of a £60 million programme,
ŠIAULIAI AIR BASE, Lithuania - A Spanish fighter wing deployed to the Baltics for air patrol missions alongside anti-drone defenses for the first time, a reaction to growing uncrewed threats to European infrastructure. Spain's 15th Wing arrived at Šiauliai Air Base in December to begin a four-month rotation contributing to NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission, designed to protect the airspace around Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The Crow counter-drone system came with it.
The first hours of the operation included precision munitions launched from air, land, and sea. Additionally, CENTCOM's Task Force Scorpion Strike employed low-cost one-way attack drones for the first time in combat.
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You're stuck in that airplane until you land safely, the veteran Australian pilot says. Amid the expanding war in Iran with missiles piercing the skies over the Middle East pilots' regimented routes have been thrown into chaos. They've been forced to turn planes around mid-flight or squeeze into narrowing air corridors, with hundreds of lives in their hands.
On Thursday, Ukraine's energy minister, Denys Shmyal, warned Ukrainians to prepare for more power blackouts in the coming days as Russian air attacks continued. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said Russia had struck energy infrastructure 217 times this year. Shmyal said 200 emergency crews were working to restore power to 1,100 buildings in Kyiv alone. Russia has been targeting Ukrainian power stations, gas pipelines and power cables since mid-January, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without heat or electricity at various points.
The United States has dispatched fighter jets after multiple Russian military aircraft were observed operating in international airspace near Alaska, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Two Russian Tu-95s, two Su-35s and one A-50 were detected and tracked operating in Alaska's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), NORAD said in a statement on Friday, adding that it responded by sending two F-16s, two F-35s, one E-3 and four KC-135s.
Russian "inspector" satellites are once again in the spotlight after evidence emerged that two spacecraft have been maneuvering unusually close to critical communications satellites in orbit, raising concerns across the wider tech and satellite industries about surveillance, signal interception, and the growing militarization of orbital infrastructure. According to defense and intelligence sources, the satellites, known as Luch-1 and Luch-2, have been conducting sustained proximity operations near European government and commercial satellites and are believed to be part of Russia's "inspector" satellite program.