News updates on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) including latest drone technology and use in conflicts around the world. Curated articles on the topics below are provided:
- JIATF 401 Guide to Drone Defense
- Air Force Task Force for C-Drone
- America’s LUCAS Drone
- JIATF 401 and FBI Deepen Relationship
- Army’s LOCUST Laser
- Army’s Drone Competition
- U.S. MQ-9 Reapers and the Indo-Pacific
- Drones and Border Cartels
- U.S. Not Ready for Drone War
- USMC 3D Printed Drones
- Beware of the Tech Trap
- Drones and Artillery in Ukraine War
- Drone Warfare in Ukraine
- Shotguns and Drones
- Turkey’s Drone Industry
U.S. Military and Drones
JIATF 401 Guide to Drone Defense. Joint Interagency Task Force 401 announced in a press release (Jan 30, 2026) that it has published a pamphlet entitled Guide for Physical Protection of Critical Infrastructure. This 3-page PDF is designed to help installation commanders and local law enforcement use passive measures to secure vital assets against threats from small unmanned aircraft systems (drones). The guide can be read online or downloaded here.
Air Force Task Force for C-Drone. The 319th Reconnaissance Wing has been selected to establish a collaboration hub that will help develop the Air Force’s counter small UAS efforts. It will work towards improving the ability to defend installations against small drones. The unit will build out exercises that will be hosted by the Point Defense Battle Lab. “Air Force creates task force to improve counter-drone tactics at bases”, DefenseScoop, January 28, 2026.
America’s LUCAS Drone. The U.S. reversed-engineered an Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drone in under two years and has now deployed it to the Central Command region. The Low-cost Unmanned Attack System (LUCAS) drone features a delta wing and round nose cone. It can be launched by multiple systems and can be integrated into the Multi-domain Unmanned Systems Communications (MUSIC) system. “The Rise of America’s LUCAS Drone: When Imitation Becomes Advantage”, Special Operations Association of America (SOAA), February 3, 2026.
JIATF 401 and FBI Deepen Relationship. The Joint Interagency Task Force 401 and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are cooperating. Representatives of JIATF 401 visited the FBI’s National Training Center for counter-small unmanned aircraft systems in Huntsville, Alabama. The FBI’s C-UAS center will be working closely with JIATF 401’s Joint Counter-Small UAS University in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. DoD, February 13, 2026.
Army’s LOCUST Laser. The U.S. Army has been acquiring multiple versions of the LOCUST laser weapon system that is used to shoot down hostile drones. Some of these units have been deployed on the Mexican border to combat drug cartel drones crossing the border. Reports indicate the counter-drone units are being used as airspace along the border has been shut down by the FAA on a temporary basis as recently as February 11, 2026. Read a detailed account of this new drone killer in “This is the Locust Laser That Reportedly Prompted Closing El Paso’s Airspace”, The War Zone, February 12, 2026.
Army’s Drone Competition. The Army’s first annual Best Drone Warfighter Competition was held in Huntsville, Alabama in early February 2026. The event was sponsored by the Army Aviation Association of America. It had over 800 attendees and teams drawn from across the Army. The competition categories were Best Operator, Best Tactical Hunter-Killer Team, and Best Innovation. “US Army lets soldiers flaunt their drone skills in first-ever competition”, Army Times, February 19, 2026.
U.S. MQ-9 Reapers and the Indo-Pacific. A dense web of MQ-9 Reaper UAS are spreading across the Pacific region to keep an eye on China. One intended outcome is that persistent drone surveillance may deter Chinese aggression. The drones are operating from Okinawa, South Korea, and the Philippines. The MQ-9s are a part of a layered and collaborative large-scale UAV ISR network in the South China Sea and surrounding areas. “MQ-9 drones sharpen US eye on China’s Pacific moves”, Asia Times, by Gabriel Honrada, February 18, 2026.
Drones and Border Cartels. The drug traffickers are using drones to find weak points along the border and plotting out new routes for smuggling drugs and humans. The aerial platforms are also used to carry drugs across the border. In 2025, there were 34,682 drone flights detected within 500 meters of the U.S.-Mexico border. George Headley provides a detailed account in “Drones and Border Cartels”, Small Wars Journal, February 13, 2026.
U.S. Not Ready for Drone War. Stacie Pettyjohn and Molly Campbell provide commentary on why the United States is ill-prepared to fight a war that will see heavy use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Drones as a means to drop munitions has been around for a while. ISIS used them during its defense of Mosul in 2016. Since then unmanned systems have proliferated around the world and have been featured in recent conflicts. U.S. air defenses can be quickly overwhelmed with drones. “America Isn’t Ready for a Drone War”, Center for Naval Analyses (CNA), February 12, 2026.
USMC 3D Printed Drones. “2d Marine Logistics Group Develops First Marine Corps NDAA Compliant 3D Printed Drone”, Marine Corps Forces Europe, January 28, 2026.
Drones and the Russia-Ukraine War
Beware of the Tech Trap. Gen (RET.) Nick Carter, UK, provides a warning of putting too much importance on the use of drones in the Ukraine conflict. He says we need to put the technological advances of drone warfare in a proper context – for fear that our military may jump to the wrong conclusions. Read more in “A New Way for Warfare Requires More Than New Tech”, War on the Rocks, January 5, 2026.
Drones and Artillery in Ukraine War. In the early days of the Ukraine War the use of artillery was the primary weapon system used by both sides. However, in the past few years drones have become an important factor in the four-year long conflict. An increasing number of casualties on both sides are caused by drones. Each weapon system, drones and artillery, have unique advantages. “Have Drones Replaced Artillery in the Ukraine War?”, The National Interest, February 20, 2026.
Video: Drone Warfare in Ukraine. Olga Chiriac, Armenak Ohanesian, and Ivan Grys discuss how drone warfare has evolved and why Ukraine’s experience is reshaping modern military thinking. Irregular Warfare Initiative, February 10, 2026. YouTube, 40 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLpADIa0bBs
Drones Around the World
Shotguns and Drones. The last line of defense for an infantryman attempting to stop a drone is likely one of the most inexpensive and easily mastered weapons available. “The Ever Versatile Shotgun: Clearing Drones, Trenches, Doors, Game, Trespassers”, Grey Dynamics, January 27, 2026.
Turkey’s Drone Program. One of the leading exporters of drones has arrived at a decision point. It has expanded its exports to countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. The European market is also open for lucrative contracts. However, there is a problem with a dual-track strategy of selling to NATO countries at the same time as exporting to conflict-afflicted regions to countries not aligned with the European Union’s interests. Doga Eralp explores this topic in “Turkey’s Drone Industry at a Strategic Crossroads”, War on the Rocks, January 30, 2026.
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Image. U.S. Marines and Sailors with 2d Reconnaissance Battalion, 2d Marine Division prepare to launch an RQ-20 Puma unmanned aircraft system from a combat rubber reconnaissance craft during Operation Baltic Sentry in Southern Finland, Feb. 28, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brian Bolin Jr.)
