Daily digest, 26 July 2026

Priority 1. UAVs, C-UAS, military AI and breakthrough technologies

Microwave weapons (HPM) as a turning point in the economics of drone warfare — the main technological signal of the day

Several independent channels converged on one topic at once: microwave weapons (HPM — High Power Microwave, a directed microwave pulse that burns out onboard electronics) are moving from labs into a real arms race.

• [TECH] Breakdown of the Pentagon's Rapid Response Counter-UAS Roadmap 2025–2028 program — the US is developing microwave interceptor drones that do not ram the target but burn out its board with a pulse. Key thesis: you do not need to hit the target — it is enough to be close source. The author rightly raises the question of reciprocal evolution: if the adversary gets a serial microwave interceptor with a range of 500 m and a 10-second recharge, cheap FPV drones will cease to be a threat (they will be burned out in batches in a single sortie). The response is not to "make the same thing," but to rebuild drone architecture: shielding, distributed architecture, node redundancy, analog backups. This is the end of the "cheap FPV versus expensive interceptor" race and the start of the "shielded FPV versus HPM" race.

• A separate analytical thesis: HPM changes the economics itself — one pulse covers a group (unlike a laser, which hits one target), while protecting a drone makes it heavier and more expensive, killing the main advantage of mass source.

• The Russian side: information has appeared online about a microwave installation on a truck chassis for destroying UAVs, but without specifications, power or engagement zone — so far unverifiable source. Lockheed Martin's MORFIUS X-Rotor is mentioned as a "swarm killer."

Autonomous neural-network "Lancets" — a notable development of combat AI on the line of contact

Ukrainian sources (Pokrovsk direction) report a new Russian tactic: massed "Lancet" attacks on transport routes (Mezhova–Shakhtarske, up to 20 UAVs per night). Key point: the new versions fly without a radio signal, based on a neural network — they are not seen by ELINT or "Hrafit," EW is useless, and the drone autonomously selects and strikes the target source. This is a transition from "human in the loop" to autonomous target selection on a mass platform — if confirmed, a serious shift. (A development of the combat AI topic: previously recorded as experiments, here — use is claimed.)

[TECH] Breakdown of the Hornet ("Martian-2") — detailed specifications of the Swift Beat strike UAV

A full technical breakdown of the American Hornet (developer Swift Beat LLC of Eric Schmidt, Project Eagle), used by the AFU since spring 2026 source: takeoff weight ~15 kg, warhead up to 4.5 kg (HE-fragmentation / thermobaric / explosively formed penetrator), claimed range 130–145 km (confirmed with full load 60–70 km), pneumatic catapult, SE4720 electric motor. The computer is a Qualcomm QCS5430 (~3.5 TOPS): AI for searching/recognizing/tracking a target, but the power is insufficient for a swarm or full autonomy; the operator makes the decision to attack. It was the AFU's Hornet that filmed the new Russian "Sarma" MLRS (see below).

Small-arms interception of FPV drones — the myth of fiber-optic invulnerability

A resonant topic of the day (high forwards on many channels): footage of a drone being hit with small arms + a breakdown of the economics. A thesis from UAVDEV: interception with an expensive 7.62×54 cartridge (≈$1 for a "crap cartridge" with a velocity spread of 50–100 m/s) at 600 m against a moving target requires ~20 hits = $500–600 with no guarantee, whereas a 10-inch FPV interceptor with a good night camera costs 70–80 thousand rubles + 10 thousand for the warhead and reaches 20–30 km source. Conclusion: an FPV mobile fire group extends the interception zone to the level of a "Buk"; the components exist, but there is no will among decision-makers and no systematic training of crews.

C-UAS: detectors, EW, lasers/HPM — novelties

• The "Alissum-8" detector (Russia) detected the digital signal of a captured FPV with a Caddx Ascent GT PRO VTX 4W module in 2 seconds — previously this "digital" link was a blind spot source. Practical progress in detecting digital video systems. (Important: a detector is a means of detection, not of fire-control-quality target designation.)

• "Stryi" EW (InLab, Ukraine) source: range 300–6000 MHz, two independent channels of 100 W each (200 W total), FPV suppression up to 50 km (with line of sight), endurance up to 60 h / 10 h at maximum, rotating platform 300° in azimuth.

• External analysis confirms the combat effectiveness of C-UAS in a real conflict: the NiDAR system of Britain's MARSS (now part of Australia's EOS) successfully intercepted "Shaheds" in the Middle East source.

The "Le-4a" anti-aircraft auto-guidance unit (Russia) — cheap interception autonomy

Preliminary tests have been completed of the "Le-4a" unit, which can be connected to almost any FPV: the operator locks the target from a phone/tablet, followed by fully autonomous flight; there are scenarios with automatic landing and kinetic engagement source. A cheap alternative to expensive turrets with target lock.

Space as a combat domain — orbital hunting (development)

[TECH] The Russian inspector satellites "Kosmos-2609" and "Kosmos-2614" synchronously maneuvered to enter the plane of Finnish ICEYE SAR satellites (X-band synthetic aperture radar, 16–25 cm resolution, round-the-clock reconnaissance for the AFU), approaching to a critical 500 m source. Possible goals — inspection, electronic attack or degradation of antenna arrays. In parallel — ground-based suppression of Starlink by the "Tirada"/"Tobol" systems. A sign of Russia's developed counter-space defense.

[TECH] The VENOM-AFT program — autonomous control of the F-16

Breakdown of the DARPA/US Air Force VENOM-AFT (AI in the control loop of serial F-16s, pilot as supervisor) source: an overlay architecture without interfering with the baseline software, "human↔AI" switching in flight, the first full flight under the control of an autonomous agent — in July. An intermediate step toward the AIR program (swarm control) and the YFQ-42A/YFQ-44A drones.

New Russian MLRS "Sarma" — on the line of contact for the first time

The first confirmation of the use of the 300-mm "Sarma" MLRS (in development since 2022, shown in September 2025) — and the fact that it was filmed in the sight of a Ukrainian Hornet in the Dobropillia direction source. According to Ukrainian data, Russia ordered 12 launchers in 2024; deliveries were confirmed by Rostec.

External analysis on UAVs

• Ukrainian "Liutyi" with 4 missiles (Farnborough 2026): underwing pylons, warheads of ~20 kg each, two scenarios — strikes on airfields with series of hits and a "decoy" mode to distract air defense. According to UDI, in a "300-drone" strike up to 50 are decoys, and the main blow is delivered by other means source. This reveals the maturity of the Ukrainian concept of combined swarm attacks with decoys.

• MBDA Spear (SPEAR 3) has entered low-rate production: range up to 100 km, turbojet, two-way datalink, combined seeker; integration is expanding from the F-35B to the MQ-9B and the Gambit 6 CCA source.

• BAE Systems Brontanax — the first British autonomous "loyal wingman" (CCA) source.

• DIU (USA) is preparing demos for rapid scaling of ground-based long-range strike systems source.

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Priority 2. Military innovation (Ukraine, Europe, NATO, world)

Scaling up drone and communications production

• Fire Point: the plan for 2026 is >100 thousand FP-1/2 strike drones versus 22 thousand in 2025 (a fivefold increase), and this is only one of >10 types source. Plus — a network of joint production facilities under the Build with Ukraine program in Germany, Britain, the Scandinavian and Baltic countries.

• Orqa (Croatia): capacity growth from ~290 thousand to 500 thousand units by the end of 2026, joined the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance, an underground component plant in Ukraine, production without Chinese components source.

• Ukrainian satellite constellation: Stetman is launching 120 UASAT LEO satellites via SpaceX in 2027, 360 in total by 2030; the first UASAT-NANO — October 2026; terminals initially from Denmark's GomSpace source. A sovereign alternative to Starlink.

• [TECH] Kolibri 13 FR1 relay drone (TAF Industries) — a breakdown of the architecture of an airborne relay with optical stabilization; analogues are being developed in Russia source.

Cyber / OSINT / communications

• SBU: 1100 Starlink terminals, illegally activated by an FSB agent to adjust strikes and identify EW assets, were blocked before use source. Flash stresses: none of the terminals were used against Ukraine, but activation procedures need to be revised.

• Communications degradation in Russia: mobile internet traffic fell by 22% in the first half of 2026 (>40% in border areas) due to whitelists, DPI-TSPU and blocking. The analyst's thesis: military and civilian communications run over the same towers — restrictions hit backup target designation channels source.

• External analysis — open AI models: Palantir, Nvidia, Microsoft and Meta urged the US to support open AI models against the backdrop of China's Moonshot AI Kimi K3 and DeepSeek — a question of technological leadership source.

Ground robotic systems / robots

• [TECH] Unitree AS2-W ("legs+wheels" hybrid): speed >6 m/s, payload 16 kg in motion / 150 kg static, obstacle clearance 80 cm, 45° slope, 64–128-line lidar, up to 150 TOPS, open SDK. A civilian platform with obvious military potential (reconnaissance, logistics, patrolling) source.

• "Depesha-3" UGV with the "Moskit" module (Russia) + the new "Aspid" (evacuation module) and "Depesha-MK" at the "Army Innovators" exhibition; real-time target lock source.

• Dire Wolf (USA): BLADE is developing a six-wheeled logistics UGV with a diesel-electric power plant and Michelin Tweel airless tires source.

External analysis — air shows and air defense

• Indian long-range SAM Kusha: first flight test, interception of a high-altitude high-speed target, ranges of M1/M2/M3 — 150/250/350 km, speed Mach 5.5, entry into service — 2028 source.

• India: a 350 kgf expendable turbojet of domestic design (DRDO/GTRE, series production at Azad Engineering) for cruise missiles and loitering munitions — reducing import dependence source.

• Greece: Israel's "Achilles Shield" (Rafael/IAI) for $3.1–4 billion — integrated multi-layer air and missile defense, ≥25% localization, combat readiness in 35 months source.

• Saronic + Samsung Heavy Industries — a partnership on autonomous maritime platforms, strengthening the US shipbuilding base source.

• Raytheon: PAC-2 GEM-T order for Patriot — the first in 30 years ($441.6 million); GEM-T (~$2 million) saves scarce PAC-3 MSE (~$5.3 million) for priority targets source.

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Priority 3. The conflict around Ukraine — trends

• Strike on the "Armada" defense exhibition near Kyiv (Kapitanivka, Bucha district): 2–3 "Iskander-M" on open terrain, >300 participants, the nearest shelter 34 m² at 100 m. Officially 10 dead (in reality more — bodies are being collected by dogs), >100 wounded. The organizer has been detained. Killed were HUR/SBU Colonel Eduard Sirenko and head of a center of the State Protection Directorate Valentyna Savytska (who worked on UAV adoption) source. Signal: concentration of the defense sector in one spot = critical vulnerability; but Ukraine cannot give up forums.

• Ukrainian long-range strikes deep into Russia: the Tyumen and Antipinsky refineries (2000 km), Wildberries warehouses (St. Petersburg, Nevinnomyssk, Yekaterinburg — fell short), the "Aviatek" plant in Kirov (FP-5 "Flamingo" strike, a 20×20 m hole, 6 killed). The SBU's "40 days" campaign. The fleet suspended port calls to Ukraine — a Russian counter-campaign against Odesa/Mykolaiv/Izmail.

• Caspian incident: the SBU struck the Project 12418 "Molniya" missile boat ("Stupinets"), the Filanovsky oil platform and the vessels Port Olya 2 / Begey (transporting Iran–Russia military cargo). Iran threatened Ukraine with a response, including missiles — a new node of escalation source.

• DPRK: Zelensky — Russia expects another 30 thousand troops and launchers for ballistic missiles, deployment in Voronezh region source.

• Front: the Dobropillia direction has become a priority for Russia (large-scale mechanized assaults repelled by "Azov" — 7 tanks and 6 armored fighting vehicles destroyed); the number of Russian personnel in assaults is +18% compared with May (Brovdi). Tokayev proposed to Putin a "freeze" and Istanbul 2.0 — Peskov: a freeze is impossible given Kyiv's position.

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What to watch

1. Microwave weapons — a looming turning point. The HPM race (USA, China, Russia) threatens to nullify the mass advantage of cheap FPV drones. The strategic response is not "our own microwave," but re-architecting drones (shielding/distribution/redundancy). Whoever first puts a compact microwave weapon into series production will gain an advantage against swarms.
2. Autonomous neural-network "Lancets" (no radio signal, invisible to ELINT/EW) — if their use is confirmed, this is a qualitative shift in combat AI on a mass platform.
3. The Caspian strike opened an Iranian risk front for Ukraine — Tehran directly threatens a missile response. The synchronicity with "freeze" initiatives (Tokayev, US–Iran) hints at an attempt to slow down several wars at once.
4. Long range grows faster than the adversary's drone count falls — strikes on refineries and warehouses do not reduce AFU production; conversely, Ukrainian FP-1/2 are scaling ×5. Both sides acknowledge: the rear is no longer safe.
5. The strike on "Armada" is a lesson for the entire industry: any publicly announced defense event with an open geolocation = a priority target (the next candidate — IRON DEMO in Lviv on August 28–29).

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What's new in UAVs and counter-UAV

• Microwave interceptor drones (Pentagon Roadmap 2025–2028), MORFIUS X-Rotor.

• Autonomous neural-network "Lancet" without a radio link (Russia).

• [TECH] Hornet "Martian-2" — full specifications and a breakdown of the onboard AI.

• "Le-4a" anti-aircraft auto-guidance unit (Russia) — cheap autonomy on any FPV.

• "Alissum-8" detector (Russia) — detected a Caddx Ascent GT PRO digital signal in 2 sec.

• "Stryi" EW (InLab) — 300–6000 MHz, 200 W, up to 50 km.

• "Sarma" MLRS (Russia) — first confirmation on the line of contact.

• Ukrainian "Liutyi" with 4 missiles + the concept of a swarm with decoys (50 of 300 are decoys).

• MBDA Spear in low-rate production, integration on the MQ-9B and CCA.

• The UASAT satellite constellation (360 satellites by 2030) as a sovereign replacement for Starlink.

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Under the radar

• Communications degradation in Russia by 22% (zas_svo, low forwards) — a systemic risk: civilian and military communications on the same towers, restrictions hit backup target designation channels source.

• The "Le-4a" anti-aircraft unit (mil_hub, 6 forwards) — underrated cheap automation of interception source.

• "Kosmos" orbital hunting of ICEYE (18 forwards) — an early signal of confrontation moving into near-Earth space source.

• [TECH] Payload UAV breakdowns on RAACM/Rusty Dagger (1–14 forwards) — the deepest engineering analysis of the ERAM program: economics ($246k is the DSCA package divided by the number of missiles, not the unit price), production rates, distinguishing warheads for attributing debris source.

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What about our Chinese comrades?

• The 6th-generation Jian-36 (J-36) fighter: what is presumably the fifth flight prototype was spotted with modified air intakes and nozzles — the program is in a phase of intensive refinement, series production is not confirmed. The concept is not air superiority but a long-range multirole platform against AEW aircraft, tankers and command posts in the Indo-Pacific region source.

• Airshow China has been moved to December 7–13, 2026 (Zhuhai), for its 30th anniversary — premieres of equipment not previously shown are promised. The annual format reflects the accelerated pace of PLA modernization source.

• A new modification of the DF-26: CCTV for the first time showed a version with a flat nose fairing — probably a new maneuvering reentry vehicle and/or an active radar seeker for hitting moving naval targets (including aircraft carriers) source.

• Maritime militia: an animation of the actions of >1000 fishing vessels as a single formation — a signal of Beijing's readiness to fight with its entire civilian maritime potential source.

• China gains combat experience through Russia (The Economist): studying the use of drones, air defense, EW, reconnaissance and submarine stealth technologies — accelerating PLA preparation for a Taiwan scenario source.

• The PLA is integrating UAVs into naval exercises, purposefully practicing search-and-rescue operations in all types of terrain, and moving to real-time exercise debriefs source.

• J-10CE + PL-15: Chinese sources claim that Pakistani J-10CEs shot down Indian Rafale/MiG-29/Su-30MKI without AEW aircraft — a reassessment of the capabilities of the fighter+missile pairing source.

Top military-tech signals of the day

1. ↗209 · 👁4081 · @poisk_mil — 🇺🇦 Composition of the AFU Land Forces as of mid-2026 (excluding a numb…
2. ↗46 · 👁953 · @uav_tech — DARPA teaches drones to see physics, not a picture Military patents sponsored by DAR…
3. ↗41 · 👁1068 · @battle_technic — The other day, the Chinese company Unitree showed a new model, the Super Athlete AS2-W. Wh…
4. ↗59 · 👁1658 · @china3army — 🤖🇨🇳 A new robot dog storms cliffs The Chinese company Unitree Robotics presented…
5. ↗32 · 👁953 · @uavural — On the question of the effectiveness of small-arms interception of enemy drones.…
6. ↗26 · 👁838 · @battle_technic — On the question of the effectiveness of small-arms interception of enemy drones.…
7. ↗70 · 👁2299 · @china3army — ✈️🇨🇳 China continues tests of the prospective sixth-generation fighter Jia…
8. ↗820 · 👁31895 · @UAVDEV — On the question of the effectiveness of small-arms interception of enemy drones.…
9. ↗30 · 👁1177 · @RuporOfBattle — 📣📣📣📣📣📣 ANNOUNCEMENT Dear colleagues!!! Just yesterday the question of detecting and detec…
10. ↗29 · 👁1192 · @battle_technic — "DEAD HAND" A GUARANTEED RESPONSE EVEN AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF COMMAND CENTERS In…