Daily digest, 21 October 2026

Priority 1. UAVs, counter-UAV, military AI and new technologies in conflicts

Satellite communications on the LBS (line of contact)

update Starlink/Starshield — according to the WSJ, Musk imposed the throttling unilaterally; Kyiv expects restoration within 48 hours

The connectivity restriction story has definitively become a political rather than a technical one. According to the WSJ, Musk took the decision to throttle Starshield for Ukraine on October 14 unilaterally and only afterwards discussed it with Trump source. One of the outlet's sources claims they had discussed the restrictions in advance as well. Both, according to these reports, are displeased with Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, which Trump links to rising fuel prices in the US.

After talks in Oslo, Zelensky stated that Starlink service would be restored within 48 hours, and that the exchange of data on ballistic missile launches has already resumed source. On the same day, adviser Beskrestnov reported that the speed restrictions remain in effect source. In Washington, four Democratic senators sent SpaceX a formal inquiry source. Republican Congressman Fitzpatrick is threatening public hearings and budget cuts for the agencies involved source.

The sides assess the effect on the front differently. The Russian channel Rybar claims that because of the throttling, Ukrainian interceptor drones are not working and even old piston-engined Gerans are reaching western Ukraine source. Rogozin, by contrast, attributes the reduced activity of Ukrainian UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) to strong winds in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts source.

The signal here is this: the close-in layer of Ukrainian air defense depends on a single commercial provider, and this dependence is already being used as leverage. The next reference point is the expiry of the 48-hour deadline.

Russian long-range strikes: who strikes and where

update Geran-4 Seeker — the Russian Rubikon center has joined in employing it

Remotely piloted jet-powered strikes on the rear are ceasing to be the specialty of a narrow circle of operators and are scaling up. The Rubikon center has begun employing the "Geran-4 Seeker" with operator guidance in the terminal phase via a video link source. The first footage shows hits on warehouses in Novomoskovsk and the Epicentr logistics center in Pidhorodne, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

In parallel, strikes on locomotives with remotely piloted Gerans are under way in Kharkiv, Karlivka and Krasnohrad source. The Epicentr in Dubno was hit twice by jet-powered "Geran-5" drones, about an hour apart source.

The geography has shifted as well. From June to October, the bulk of strikes moved from the eastern oblasts to the western ones, Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast source. By Rybar's count, since the beginning of September no fewer than two dozen strikes on depots and stations and about 15 strikes on traction substations have been recorded. The electric locomotive repair plant in Zaporizhzhia — one of two such plants in the country — has been damaged source. In Kyiv, the Nyvky substation was hit, and explosions were heard near the Northern Bridge; the bridge in Dnipro has been attacked for the second day in a row source. The Russian channel milioptimist writes that the west is being struck mainly with piston-engined Gerans, and that there is almost no anti-aircraft cover there source.

Ukrainian intelligence (HUR) estimates the Geran reserve at roughly 6200 units. Monthly output, according to it, is about 4000 jet-powered and 2000 conventional airframes, while production of Kinzhals has been suspended due to low accuracy source. This ratio of jet-powered to piston-engined looks unusual, and there is no independent verification. According to Ukraine's Militarnyi, the DPRK has sent 12 thousand workers to the Alabuga special economic zone to assemble Shaheds source.

Countering jet-powered drones

Quantum Systems accelerated an experimental electric drone to 777 km/h

An electric UAV has for the first time demonstrated a speed at which a propeller-driven interceptor could theoretically catch a jet-powered target. The experimental Apex Recordhunter from the N3XT team of Germany's Quantum Systems reached 777 km/h. The GPS data were cross-checked against the onboard recorder logs; on the second run the battery caught fire source. A ShrikeNews commentator draws a practical conclusion: propeller-driven interceptors will in theory be able to catch jet-powered drones flying at 600–700 km/h source.

For comparison: jet-powered Geran-4s, according to Ukrainian intelligence as relayed by Defender Media, fly at an altitude of 5–6 km at speeds of up to 380 km/h source. A record-setting prototype with a single-use battery mode is not yet a production interceptor. But the speed margin is already twofold.

The Clark missile is to replace the discontinued Hellfire in the Tempest and Stash mobile SAM systems

The American company VoltX has found a solution to the main problem of the SAM systems (surface-to-air missile systems) that Ukraine uses against Shaheds. The Tempest and Stash systems fire the laser-guided version of the Hellfire AGM-114L, but it is no longer produced, and the Ukrainian side is using up the remaining stocks. At the AUSA exhibition, VoltX showed a replacement — the Clark missile source. The stated specifications are a range of 8 km, a 2.2 kg warhead, an AI-enabled optical and thermal-imaging seeker (homing head), and a price of 50 thousand dollars.

The price matters more than all the other figures. Even the "budget" PAC-3 ACE for Patriot will cost 2–2.5 million dollars source. Clark is 40–50 times cheaper.

Close-in protection against FPV

Austria's GuardAero demonstrated defeating maneuvering FPV drones from a moving vehicle

Active protection of armored vehicles against FPV drones (drones controlled via first-person-view video) has received its first public confirmation of firing on the move. The Graz-based startup GuardAero published a video of its APS1 system in action. It detects a drone, fires and hits it while the vehicle is moving source. The channel's author believes that stabilization errors are compensated for by a powerful buckshot round, rather than a shotgun or machine gun as in similar systems. So far this is a single manufacturer video, without independent testing.

A "smart" sight on a standard-issue rifle is becoming a mass-use means against small drones

The crew of the Japanese destroyer JS Teruzuki practiced firing at small kamikaze drones with Type 20 rifles fitted with Israeli SMASH 3000 sights source. Such a sight calculates the lead on a moving target itself and cues the shooter on the moment to fire. On the Russian side, the mil_hub channel drew attention to a similar individual sight presented by Filatov source. The logic is clear: the means of protection is always with the soldier and requires no extra weight.

Ukrainian long-range drones and Russian air defense

update FP-2 — versions spotted with 57-mm S-5 unguided rocket pods, a presumed Pitot tube and a new omnidirectional antenna

Ukrainian long-range FP-2s have begun appearing in non-standard configurations. Footage of Rubikon's anti-aircraft drones in action shows FP-1/FP-2 airframes with a presumed Pitot tube and a new omnidirectional antenna. One of the intercepted FP-2s carried launch pods for 57-mm S-5 unguided aircraft rockets source. The source does not disclose the purpose of the rocket armament.

The scale of employment is clearly visible from a single Rubikon compilation: about seventy intercepted FP-2s, 13 Lyutyis, 12 "Mayas", as well as an "Anubis", a B-2 and a "Bober" source.

In Rubikon's statistics, the share of downed fixed-wing UAVs is growing fastest

The Russian drone unit is increasingly operating as air defense. The center published 55 thousand episodes of combat work source. The first 5000 episodes took 297 days to accumulate; now each 5000 accumulate in roughly 25 days. Unmanned systems account for 49.7% of targets. Fixed-wing UAVs account for 15%, and since the 50 thousand mark their share has grown by 2.5 p.p., more than any other category. According to Lostarmour, Rubikon accounts for 22.8% of the Ukrainian armor and artillery losses recorded in 2026.

Ukrainian middle strike in September: 116 confirmed strikes, almost half on substations

A map compiled by the "Oko Gora" channel shows what Ukrainian middle strike is hitting in the occupied territories source. The count includes only strikes by the SBS, SBU, SSO, GUR and Navy with video confirmation, excluding the Ground Forces and the NGU. Of 116 attacks, 51 were on substations and CHP plants, 19 on ports and maritime transport, 17 on gas infrastructure. Another 9 strikes hit "Geran" relays, 8 hit radars.

These statistics will become increasingly incomplete. After the change of leadership (in the post: "with the arrival of Drapatyi"), the SBS, GUR, SBU, SSO and Navy have almost stopped publishing strike videos for the sake of OPSEC (operations security) source. The 3rd Army Corps has set up a separate operations security directorate responsible for covert troop movements and disinformation source. For OSINT (open-source intelligence), this means a systematic undercount of Ukrainian strikes.

Mines, communications, autonomy

One version of the Ukrainian "Dzyha" mine is triggered by the approach of an active Bluetooth device

An infantryman's smartphone or headset becomes a giveaway signature. The Russian channel "Voennyi inzhener" (Military Engineer) analyzed a recovered Ukrainian "Dzyha" anti-personnel mine source. The DMV variant is emplaced by drone and has a target sensor that reacts to devices with Bluetooth switched on. There are versions for emplacement by UGV (unmanned ground vehicle), a warhead for FPV, and a radio-controlled variant.

[TECH] The post gives full specifications: weight 1.45 kg, 250 g of TNT, 400 steel rollers and 500 cermet cubes, radius of complete destruction about 7 m. Arming after 10 minutes, self-destruction no earlier than 30 days. A NATO NSN number is listed.

FPVs continued flying after their carrier was shot down

The Russian channel UAVDEV noticed an anomaly source. FPVs dropped from carrier drones to attack mobile fire groups are usually controlled via the carrier acting as a relay. In the video, the carrier is shot down, yet the FPVs continue flying. It is unknown whether they remained under control or fell afterwards. If they remained under control, this implies a separate communications channel or an autonomous mode in the terminal phase.

Detectors and radio monitoring

Open-source SDR suite OnAir decodes DJI DroneID, Remote ID and analog FPV video

A free software package has become a ready-made building block for homemade drone detection systems. Version 0.2.8 of OnAir, an open cross-platform SDR suite (SDR: software-defined radio), adds a headless server, an HTTP/WebSocket API and streaming data outputs source. The suite directly decodes DJI DroneID with operator coordinates, Remote ID over BLE and Wi-Fi, and analog FPV video. It also reads DMR, P25, LoRa/Meshtastic and TETRA signaling data.

A sweep of the 1–6000 MHz range takes about 3 seconds, and the classifier identifies modulation automatically. HackRF, RTL-SDR, Airspy, PlutoSDR and other devices are supported. An important caveat: a significant part of the code was written with AI, and many modes have been tested only on synthetic signals.

Ground robots

Logistics UGVs have become one of the main targets of Russian drone operators

Ukrainian robotic logistics is holding positions, and that is precisely why it is being deliberately knocked out. The unmanned systems company of the Russian 72nd Brigade near Kramatorsk is hunting Ukrainian UGVs, including with fiber-optic drones source. In "Rubikon" videos, UGVs take up entire series of lines, and the mining of logistics routes is shown separately source. The Russian milinfolive admits that the garrison in Dobropillia may hold out even after losing the road, thanks to resupply by UGVs and cargo drones source.

Military AI, communications and cyber

US Army moved the 4th Infantry Division's C2 systems onto a single Anduril Lattice loop

The US Army is moving from disparate C2 systems to a single software platform, and is immediately paying for it with vulnerability. During 4th Infantry Division exercises, organic signal personnel without contractors deployed a network of 2500 terminals integrating 74 weapon types source. The open software increased the vulnerability of targeting channels to cyberattacks and spoofing (signal substitution). As a result, the Pentagon introduced a 30-day software update cycle. The same Lattice ran the mission of a 368-ton uncrewed HD Hyundai vessel during a demonstration off California source.

Russian MoD is building a centralized database of combat drone videos to train neural networks

According to Ukraine's Defender Media, more than 40 organizations are already connected to the Russian system source. This is a shift from disparate AI projects by individual manufacturers to a common dataset from the front. Such a dataset is needed for machine vision on interceptors, auto-lock systems and target recognition.

Separately, payloadUAV revisited the Tesla Model 3 hack via tire pressure sensors (Hexacon 2024). In a unit without CFI, ASLR or memory protection, where everything is readable, writable and executable, a memory write bug is easier to turn into execution of foreign code; this concerns the specific VCSEC and the firmware studied source.

Data centers as military targets

Image of Yandex data center in Kaluga: three hits on the roof, holes already patched

Strikes on data centers have become a separate campaign. A satellite image shows three drone hits on October 9 on the buildings of Yandex's Kaluga data center source. The extent of damage to equipment inside is unknown. Ukrainian SBS units claim that on October 18 they hit the VKontakte data center ("ITsVA") near St. Petersburg, and on October 11 a Yandex data center in Vladimir Oblast source.

The response is already systemic. According to the FT as relayed by "Rybar", AI data centers will begin to be built with blast-resistant concrete, EW (electronic warfare) assets and missile defense, while the UAE, after Iranian strikes, is moving to a network of dispersed and partially underground facilities source. The Russian e-commerce association is asking for downtime caused by a strike on a cloud provider's site to be treated as a loss source. RSPP head Shokhin proposes a tax deduction for companies financing air defense for their sites source.

Middle East and Africa

Houthis pound pro-Saudi forces with the heavy Rajum hexacopter bomber

A five-year-old drone proves decisive against an army without EW. In a recent battle in Yemen, the Houthis first sent the Rajum ("Stone-Thrower") hexacopter against a concentration of pro-Saudi forces' vehicles, dropping mines from high altitude source. The aircraft has been in service since 2021, carries 40 kg and flies up to 10 km; in August it was used to burn at least one Saudi Abrams. According to Al Akhbar as relayed by "Rybar", dozens of Syrian drone operators have arrived at camps in Asir, Hadramawt and Ad Dali, training Yemenis and having already formed UAV units source. The UK is sending Typhoon to Saudi Arabia for protection against missiles and drones; strikes on Yemen are not part of the mission source.

Iran claimed its 54th downed MQ-9

The IRGC announced the destruction of another American MQ-9, bringing the total claimed count to 54 aircraft source. A summary by the poisk_mil channel estimates American losses since February 28 at 81 aircraft, including at least 45 MQ-9 source. Heavy MALE drones remain expendable in dense air defense environments. The IRGC also threatened to strike seven undersea cables in the Strait of Hormuz source.

In Ethiopia, the defense forces displayed drones seized from the TPLF: they had been smuggled in via Eritrea source.

Priority 2. Military innovation

Germany is studying an uncrewed 155-mm self-propelled gun based on a KNDS module

The Bundeswehr is studying an uncrewed self-propelled howitzer; it may be based on the remotely operated AGM module from the RCH 155 source. The vehicle is envisaged to drive a route on its own, take up a position, fire and withdraw from counter-battery fire and strike drones. Control is planned from a Boxer UxV CS command vehicle with five workstations, coordinating artillery and reconnaissance drones. A tracked chassis is preferred, like that of the recently unveiled Loras self-propelled gun; all of this is still at an early discussion stage, and the control system has not been tested in field conditions source. The main risks are communications and operation under EW.

update AASM Hammer — France is considering a turbojet-powered 250 XLR version as an interim SEAD solution

The Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force, General Bellanger, acknowledged that France has lacked SEAD (suppression of enemy air defenses) capabilities since the retirement of the AS-37 MARTEL anti-radiation missile source. The new Hammer 250 XLR will receive a miniature turbojet engine, and its range will grow from roughly 70 to 140 km. It will not have radar-emission homing, so it is a half-measure rather than an anti-radiation missile.

Shield AI unveiled a full-scale mockup of the jet-powered VTOL X-BAT

At AUSA 2026, the American company Shield AI displayed a mockup of the combat UAV and a mobile launch and recovery system that does not require a runway source. The stated figures are a ceiling above 15.2 km, a range of over 3700 km and a combat radius of 1850 km. Three X-BATs fit on deck in the space of one crewed aircraft. Autonomy is provided by Hivemind, designed to operate under navigation and communications jamming. The first flight is scheduled for the end of the year.

The American jet-powered strike drone Hellhound S3 is 3D-printed

Cummings Aerospace manufactures the airframe of the compact jet drone using additive methods source. The vehicle launches vertically from a canister and accelerates to 618 km/h. Printing the airframe is a direct response to the requirement for cheap mass production.

The lower-cost PAC-3 ACE at USD 2–2.5 million will complete the three-tier Patriot lineup

The PAC-3 ACE missile is half the price of the MSE thanks to shorter range, fragmentation detonation instead of hit-to-kill, and a simplified motor and radar source. It fits into the M903 launcher 12 at a time and operates within the networked IBCS. ACE will cover the short-range zone, MSE the medium-range zone, and PAC-3 Edge the long-range zone against hypersonic threats (testing in 2027, deployment in 2031).

Other industry news:

• [upd] APKWS II — the Pentagon and BAE Systems concluded a framework agreement for the procurement of up to 25 thousand kits per year for 7 years, with an option for up to 35 thousand more for export source. This is a 70 mm laser-guided rocket that has become one of the mass-produced counter-drone weapons.

• Rheinmetall (Germany) launched a line in Albacete (Spain) for 1.2 million projectiles and 1.8 million cartridge cases of 20–35 mm caliber per year, including for AHEAD — projectiles with programmable airburst detonation against drones; about EUR 20 million has been invested source. The same Rheinmetall, together with MSC, bought the Romanian shipyard Mangalia on the Black Sea for EUR 138 million for civilian and military shipbuilding source.

• Germany abandoned the direct purchase of the Australian MQ-28 Ghost Bat and will hold an open competition for combat loyal wingman drones source.

• The Italian Air Force has begun procuring three Astore Levante systems. This is a land-based variant of the Turkish TB3 from the Leonardo–Baykar joint venture with Italian electronics; armament has not yet been determined, and the Air Force is negotiating with MBDA and Italian companies instead of Turkish weapons source.

• Australia has integrated up to 12 mines and the launch of tube-launched Altius UAVs into the Ghost Shark underwater drone source.

• France expects to obtain the Durandal (OWE 500+) — a jet-powered analogue of the "Shahed" with a range of 500+ km — within two years source.

• [upd] TerMIT — the first UGVs in Germany will be produced by the Quantum Tencore Industries joint venture by the end of 2026; some permits have already been obtained source.

• Ukraine's DevDroid and Norway's Inission Norge signed a memorandum on joint production of UGV remote control systems for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and later for Scandinavia source.

• Ukraine's "General Cherry" cannot sign contracts for four won lots totaling 31 thousand fiber-optic drones: there is no regulatory framework for the procedure source. This signals a bureaucratic bottleneck in procurement.

• Defence City now has 63 residents versus 31 at the end of May; their revenue from arms sales is about UAH 111.3 billion source.

• The US Marine Corps formed its first medium-range missile battalion with NMESIS (NSM missiles with a range of 185 km) source.

• Finland will procure one million domestically produced anti-personnel mines for about EUR 100 million; production will begin before 2028 source.

• A North Korean museum displayed for the first time a 22-canister launcher with rocket-boosted glide bombs — an analogue of the GLSDB with a range of about 100 km source.

• The Tu-160M2 is an 80% new aircraft with the same appearance; the supplier cooperation chain has been restored source. According to Defender Media, 16 hardened shelters for bombers are being built at Engels source.

Priority 3. The conflict around Ukraine: trends and signals

• Negotiations. After the meeting in Oslo, Zelensky stated that Ukraine and the US discussed the possibility of guarantees similar to NATO's Article 5, and that Witkoff will pass the document to Russia and fly to see Putin in St. Petersburg source. At the same time, Trump called for someone else to conduct negotiations on behalf of Ukraine source.

• Interceptors. Hegseth has neither rejected nor completed approval of the transfer of Patriot missiles from allies to Ukraine (according to WP) source. Sikorski stated that Poland has no more spare missiles and that the shortage has grown after the strikes on Iran source. Together with the Starlink disruptions, this creates a window for a Russian campaign against energy and railway infrastructure before winter.

• Front. The main pressure is near Dobropillia. Russian sources report fighting in Bilozerske and the semi-encirclement of the "Azov" brigade near Novovodiane and Petrivka source. OSINT analyst Clément Molin records a weeks-long infiltration into the town along two routes, but notes the solid flanks of the Ukrainian defense source. Biletsky took command of the "Center" grouping and appointed new commanders of three corps source.

• Strikes on Russia. Ukrainian drones hit the "Nikolskoye" linear production dispatch station on the "Druzhba" pipeline in Tambov Oblast, 460 km from the border source. Russian petroleum product exports fell from roughly 2 to 1 million barrels per day source; Brent is holding at USD 111.

• Europe. Tusk is demanding explanations from Kyiv over a Ukrainian drone that flew through Poland and exploded in Lithuania source. NATO is sending additional surveillance, reconnaissance and forensic assets to the Black Sea after drone attacks on ships off Romania and Bulgaria; Article 4 has not been invoked source.

What to watch

1. Ukraine's communications and air defense have become instruments of American pressure. The Starshield restriction, the Patriot delay and disruptions in ballistic missile warnings coincided in time. The next indicator is whether the promise to restore Starlink within 48 hours is kept.
2. Jet-powered remotely guided strikes are scaling up. "Rubikon" with "Geran-4 Seeker" plus a systematic campaign against depots, substations and bridges is an attempt to collapse logistics, not just energy.
3. Counter-drone efforts are pursuing cost and speed. The USD 50 thousand Clark missile to replace Hellfire in SAM systems against "Shaheds," an experimental electric drone at 777 km/h, and Austrian on-the-move vehicle protection against FPVs.
4. Both sides are closing up. Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces have almost stopped publishing videos; the 3rd Corps has created a separate OPSEC directorate. Open strike statistics will be understated.
5. AI is moving into infrastructure. The Russian database of combat videos for training neural networks and the US Army's transition to Lattice with a 30-day update cycle mean that software update speed is becoming a combat characteristic.

What's new in UAVs and counter-UAV

• Apex Recordhunter (Quantum Systems, Germany) — experimental electric drone, 777 km/h.

• Mercury (ANT, Ukraine) — the VTOL reconnaissance drone has been upgraded. Takeoff weight increased from 13 to 19 kg, ceiling to 4000 m, cruising speed to 90 km/h. Flight time extended from 2.5 to 4 hours, in practice up to 5. Total route is up to 300 km, but video is transmitted only up to 70 km, and the autonomous segment with onboard recording is up to 150 km source. Communications: 5.8 GHz and backup 433 MHz with FHSS (frequency-hopping spread spectrum). Under GNSS (satellite navigation) jamming, the drone flies on INS (inertial navigation system) and returns using radio beacons.

• Clark (VoltX, USA) — 8 km missile for USD 50 thousand for Tempest and Stash.

• APS1 (GuardAero, Austria) — active protection of vehicles against FPVs with on-the-move engagement.

• Skythunder (Valhalla Turrets, Slovenia) — 20 mm M197 and 70 mm laser-guided rockets.

• SMASH 3000 (Israel) — counter-drone fire control sights on Japanese sailors' rifles.

• [upd] FP-2 — versions with S-5 unguided rocket pods and a new antenna.

• "Dzyga" mine (Ukraine) — a variant with a Bluetooth sensor, versions for emplacement by drones and UGVs.

• OnAir — an open SDR system with a DJI DroneID and Remote ID decoder.

• The "Kuznechik G4" module (JR format, 200 MHz, FHSS, power 250 mW–2.5 W, relay mode) is sold for ₽12,200 source.

• Flesher 1.7.0 — a program for mass flashing of ELRS receivers and flight controllers with a ready-made set of "Bumerang-Strelets" firmware source.

• Hellhound S3 (USA) — jet-powered drone with a printed airframe, 618 km/h.

Military space and space-derived data

update Kosmos-2612 — LeoLabs estimated the approach to ICEYE-X36 at roughly 500 m; a theory of deliberately "burning off" the other side's fuel

The previously cited figure of 26 metres has been revised. According to LeoLabs, the distance was about 500 m source. The War Zone writes that Kosmos-2612 adjusted its orbit for three weeks to synchronise with the satellite, and the approach took place without the owner's consent source. The militaryrussia channel offers an interpretation not found in Western outlets: the goal may be neither imaging nor jamming. The Russian spacecraft may be forcing the ICEYE operator to spend fuel on evasive manoeuvres, thereby shortening the satellite's service life without any contact source. If the technique works, it will hit commercial SAR constellations (synthetic aperture radar imaging) consisting of dozens of spacecraft.

SPACECOM declared offensive counter-space capabilities a priority for 2029–2033

The head of US Space Command, Whiting, named five priorities source. These are "integrated space fires", establishing superiority, countering pLEO (proliferated low-Earth-orbit constellations), unified command and control, and awareness with on-orbit manoeuvre. Lieutenant General Zellmann explained that constellations of 10 thousand satellites will be attacked not with ASAT missiles (anti-satellite weapons) but with cyberattacks and lasers against failure nodes. The rationale is the growth of the Chinese constellation from about 100 satellites in 2013 to 1900 today, of which more than 500 are reconnaissance satellites.

An aircraft carrier controlled an MQ-25A via low-Earth-orbit satellite communications at 3380 km for the first time

USS Ronald Reagan in the Pacific Ocean established a control link with an MQ-25A unmanned tanker in Illinois source. The link ran through a pLEO constellation and an MD-5C ground station; no flight or landing was performed source. Controlling carrier-based drones from a moving ship via proliferated constellations is becoming a working arrangement.

In addition: China launched the Xiguang-4-01 Earth remote sensing satellite of the Wuyang constellation on a Gushenxing-1 rocket from a sea platform in the Yellow Sea; this is the launcher's 24th flight source. SpaceWERX contracted Tech7 for a test bed for PWSA constellation data-processing applications source.

Data access. Commercial SAR imagery functions as public intelligence. An ICEYE image published by The Times exposed construction of an over-the-horizon radar near Gvardeysk: three antennas over 500 m long in a Y shape, probably the 29B6 Konteyner with a claimed range of 900–3000 km source. The same material mentions at least 36 GPS jamming antennas in Kaliningrad Oblast source. Imagery of repair plants allowed analyst Jompy to record a near-complete halt in BMP-1 refurbishment and the probable scrapping of T-55, T-62 and BTR-60/70 source.

Under the radar

• Vulnerability CVE-2026-113380 in RingRTC, Signal's calling library, allowed a call participant to overflow the event queue and prevent the connection from closing source. Audio, and possibly video, continued to be transmitted after "hang-up"; the CVSS 4.0 score is 9.3. Encryption does not help here: the attacker is a participant in the call. The fix is included in RingRTC 2.72.0; it is the application itself that needs updating. For anyone using Signal as a field communications tool, this is a direct risk.

• A Ukrainian document on the development of the Air Force command and control system, published by a Russian channel source. [TECH] The document contains a step-by-step architecture for compatibility with NATO's NATINAMDS. First, integration of the JREAP-C protocol and ASTERIX category 62 fields into the 9S162 system and connection to "Nexdom" and "BC3". Then implementation of Link-16 and JREAP-A/B for direct exchange with NATO radars, SAM systems and aircraft. Currently, exchange is limited to unclassified tracks over Link-1. It also includes the composition of the VHF radio network (about 60% Motorola, selection of the Turkish Aselsan 9661) and a diagram of the TV and radio complex.

• The "Tekhnologii Pobedy" channel examines the thesis that in EW it is not power but the speed of releasing updates that wins source. The article covers modular architecture and a critical review of claims about the "Zhnets" system. The idea aligns with the American 30-day Lattice update cycle.

• Slovenia's Valhalla Turrets unveiled the new Skythunder source. It is a three-barrel 20-mm M197 with a rate of fire of up to 1500 rounds per minute and a muzzle velocity of 1030 m/s, plus 70-mm laser-guided rockets and an all-round radar. A typical example of the European "gun plus cheap missile" approach to protecting sites against massed drone attacks.

And what about our Chinese comrades?

• Crews of the new Changzheng-series nuclear submarines of the Northern Theater have set up an underwater operations laboratory based on digital maps, big data and AI; the group has received 20 defence patents source. Xinhua confirmed for the first time the July launch of a strategic missile from a new-generation boat; the Type 094 version is no longer the main one, and the use of the Type 096 and JL-3 cannot be ruled out source.

• China is building a second specialised vessel for transporting, launching and recovering uncrewed underwater vehicles — roughly a third smaller than the Shanghai one source.

• According to the Telegraph and RUSI, the Tsentr-2026 exercise (over 500 drones and 50 UGVs according to the Russian Ministry of Defence) served as a channel for passing to China experience in massed drone employment and counter-drone warfare source.

• Taiwan is preparing to procure wheeled UGVs for casualty evacuation and resupply under fire source. Requirements: at least 250 kg of cargo, 50 km range, operation in mountains and urban areas under GPS jamming.

• An FDD command and staff game in Taiwan modelled strangling the island without a landing: cyberattacks, jamming, cutting undersea cables and strikes on telecom substations source. The main open question is whether backup networks will withstand weeks of pressure. Hardened shelters against a first missile strike have been built at Ching Chuan Kang air base source.

External analysis

• Breaking Defense and The War Zone are cooling the figure for the Kosmos-2612 approach to ICEYE-X36. Telegram channels discussed 26 m; LeoLabs gives about 500 m source. What matters more: TWZ describes three weeks of deliberate orbit adjustment and calls the case the first of its kind in low orbit source.

• Western outlets differ on the details of the drone evacuation of a wounded soldier. Janes names Gurzuf Defence as the manufacturer of the "Ayudag-6" and cites a record of 130 kg over 15 m source. New Atlas names the company as Heavy Shot source. The Russian uav_tech considers the video staged source. Several sources confirm the use took place, but the details are worth double-checking.

• Defender Media adds something almost absent from the Russian information space: a centralised Russian Ministry of Defence database of combat videos for AI training with more than 40 participants, and the flight parameters of the Geran-4 — 820–880 km at an altitude of 5–6 km source.

• The War Zone explains the consequences of Germany abandoning the direct procurement of the MQ-28. The timeline for wingman drones shifts from 2029 to the early 2030s, and the competition includes Airbus/Kratos, Anduril, General Atomics and Germany's Helsing with the CA-1 Europa source.

• Naval News clarifies what the 368-tonne HD Hyundai and Anduril uncrewed platform did. Over three hours, it autonomously performed navigation, repositioning within a formation, machinery plant control and damage response, with streaming to shore source. No contracts have been announced as a result.

• Interesting Engineering clarifies that the carrier's link with the MQ-25A ran through a pLEO constellation without the aircraft flying or landing source. Telegram channels presented this as "remote control of a drone". In reality, only the control link has been confirmed so far.

Top mil-tech signals of the day

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3. ↗73 · 👁1263 · @quadro_code — OnAir: a free SDR system for radio signal monitoring About the OnAir project — a…
4. ↗14 · 👁270 · @theaterVD — 🇺🇸 Parameters of the budget PAC-3 ACE missile for the Patriot SAM system revealed. The cost of the new…
5. ↗17 · 👁427 · @theaterVD — 🇩🇪 🇨🇭 🇷🇴 Rheinmetall and MSC are acquiring a Romanian shipyard in Mangalia The German…
6. ↗261 · 👁6946 · @FPV_vyZOV — Ukrainian Fight Drone Simulator (UFDS) At the moment we have…
7. ↗13 · 👁348 · @theaterVD — ⚔️🇺🇸🇷🇴🇧🇬 NATO will send additional forces and assets to strengthen reconnaissance and sur…
8. ↗13 · 👁350 · @theaterVD — 🇺🇸 The US Marine Corps has formed its first intermediate-range missile battalion with system…
9. ↗14 · 👁381 · @theaterVD — 🇺🇦 3rd Corps has created an operations security directorate to conceal its activities The com…
10. ↗10 · 👁290 · @RuporOfBattle — OnAir: a free SDR system for radio signal monitoring About the OnAir project — a…