The capability was demonstrated in April at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, using a Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, or CROWS, equipped with software that has been designed to track and strike small drones while the vehicle is in motion.

The effort has been led by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center, according to the release.

The project, known as Simultaneous Weapon Autonomy Technology for Fire Control, or SWAT-FC, uses technology originally developed for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program and adapted to allow the weapons system to target and shoot from the ground.

The software uses sensors to provide constantly updating data, the announcement said, adding that once the system is developed fully, it will increase accuracy against small unmanned aircraft systems and decrease the number of rounds needed to disable them.

“It’s a great start to the effort,” Nick Cascia, the project’s armaments officer, said in the release. “The SWAT-FC team has put considerable time and effort into developing our advanced fire control algorithms and preparing for this test. Once we started destroying drones, it showed the hard work was paying off,” he said.

The technology, a hallmark of the fighting in Ukraine, arrived here shortly after Hezbollah launched an attack against Israel on March 2, following the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran that began days prior, reigniting a new large-scale war.

The tethered drones rely on a spool of fiber-optic cable that maintains a direct link between the operator and the aircraft, making them immune to jamming and to other regular electronic warfare measures. In the context of southern Lebanon, their appearance represents a major shift in the nature of the conflict.

Hezbollah released the first video footage of a fiber-optic drone attack on an Israeli tank in late March 2026.

Asked about the technology, Hezbollah referred to Ali Jazini, a military expert close to the group, who said that the drones are estimated to cost between $300 and $400 each. The craft appear to be manufactured locally using 3D printing technology, relying on available electronic components commonly used for civilian purposes.

“Hezbollah is one of the most sophisticated non-state actors in the world. But when it comes to FPV’s drones, they’re learning themselves,” Samuel Bendett, a military analyst and Russia defense expert with the U.S.-based Center for Naval Analyses, said.

Fiber-optic FPV drones have quickly become a critical weapon, and the only real requirement is having experienced operators, as improper handling can easily damage the cable.

“But if you are in your 30s or 40s, you grew up with PCs and PlayStations and know how to maneuver a joystick,” said Luxembourg-based defense commentator Hamzé Attar.

As part of the growing gamification of warfare, simulation tools now allow operators to train across a wide range of scenarios, significantly shortening the learning curve, “ultimately enabling Hezbollah to also deploy night-vision-capable FPV systems”, he said.

Fiber-optic FPV drones represent a solution born out of necessity to evade electronic warfare and enable more precise strikes, after the group’s supply line from Syria was disrupted following the fall of Assad regime. These drones do not require runways or any specialized launch infrastructure, and they also allow the pilot to retain visual contact with the target until the final seconds before impact.

Intelligence about launch sites and a pilot’s location is significantly more difficult to obtain than intelligence on other drone activity, and actors are banking on that asymmetry.

In that sense, Israeli forces seem to have been caught flat-footed. “No one is more aware of technological and drone developments around the world than Israel,” said Bendett. “So it was rather surprising to see the Israeli military not fully accounting for the potential use of these drones.”

This created a battlefield advantage for Hezbollah, alongside its deep familiarity with the terrain and geography of southern Lebanon.

Knowledge transfer of technologies and tactics typically occurs through multiple channels, including observation of other battlefields, widely available open-source footage, and training, according to analysts. Some of the expertise developed in Russia may have been transferred to Iran, and passed on to Hezbollah.

“Just as Iran has supplied technology and training for Russia’s use of Shahed drones, it is likely that Iran may have received training from Russian forces on the use of certain types of tactical UAVs”, Bendett said.

Analysts believe that any military engaged in conflict will, in one form or another, encounter technologies first seen in Ukraine, driven in part by the trade-off between efficiency and cost.

“We are seeing some of that in conflicts across the Middle East, Africa, the Sahel, and South Asia. We are also seeing the use of drones by drug cartels in Latin America,” Bendett said.

Countermeasures against the flying warheads include nets, acoustic warning sensors, spinning cables, or electromagnetic systems intended to disrupt electronics, but such measures can also risk affecting a force’s own assets operating in the same area.

According to Jazini, solutions remain limited at present, even for larger armies.

Said Attar: “They changed the battlefield and will continue to be a destabilizing factor in warfare until a proper solution is found.”

The most significant induction, which took place Sunday in the eastern city of Kolkata, was the stealth frigate named “Dunagiri.” One of India’s most advanced surface combatants, it is nearly 149 meters in length and displaces around 6,600 tonnes.

Equipped with advanced weapons, sensors and stealth technologies, the new warship is designed to perform air-defense, anti-surface, anti-submarine and long-range strike missions simultaneously.

In a statement, the Defense Ministry said the frigate represents a leap in indigenous warship design and combat readiness. “Built using modular construction techniques and armed with supersonic surface to surface missiles, advanced air defense systems, MR Gun, close-in weapon systems and advanced antisubmarine warfare capabilities, the frigate is designed for high-end operations.”

The warship is the fifth in a class of stealth guided-missile frigates inducted since last January. Armed with Brahmos cruise missiles, MF star radar, and Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles, these multi-role platforms will gradually replace aging warships. Two more frigates are scheduled for induction in the coming months.

The other two ships commissioned on Sunday will augment the navy’s capabilities in anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance. The increasing deployment of submarines by China and other countries in the Indian Ocean region has made these naval platforms are significant for New Delhi.

The anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft, Agray, is equipped with lightweight torpedoes, indigenous rocket launchers, and shallow-water sonar systems to detect, track and engage enemy submarines operating close to India’s coastline. The third vessel, Sanshodhak, will support hydrographic survey of coastal waters.

The three ships were built by a state-owned shipyard, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers in Kolkata with about 75–80% domestic content, according to the Defense Ministry.

Building and designing naval vessels is considered one of the more successful achievements of India’s efforts to increase domestic defense manufacturing and reduce its massive reliance on imports. However, analysts point out that while India is constructing complex naval platforms at home, it still remains dependent on foreign suppliers for key technologies such as propulsion systems and naval radars.

“India has done pretty well in terms of designing warships, but it still has a lot to do regarding the propulsion package of ships. It is also import-dependent on big-ticket ordnance such as missiles, guns and heavy torpedoes and so on,” according to retired Commodore C. Uday Bhaskar, director of the Society for Policy Studies in New Delhi.

“In the frigate Dunagiri for instance, the guns are with Italian collaboration, the engines have come from GE (General Electric) USA. But what has been achieved is positive,“ he said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized India’s goal of enhancing domestic defense production at the commissioning ceremony for the ships on Sunday. “Today India no longer wants to remain a mere buyer in the defense sector,” he said. “Our military power cannot become a market for the world, The definition of our power lies in self-reliance.”

The three new ships are among 19 vessels that India plans to add this year to enhance its naval prowess as protection of critical sea lanes becomes a priority amid rising geopolitical uncertainties. About 90% of India’s trade by volume and vital energy imports come via sea.

The Leonardo test jet flew alongside the Turkish drone at Baykar’s flight and test center in Çorlu, Leonardo said in a statement.

The flight followed the signing of a drone cooperation deal between Italy’s Leonardo and Baykar last year, which envisaged the construction in Italy of Baykar drones with Leonardo systems on board.

The flight test campaign in Turkey involved two Leonardo M-346 jets: a Leonardo owned M-346 Fighter Attack Variant, with an Italian Air Force trainer acting as chase aircraft - as well as the Kizilelma.

Following an autonomous taxi and take-off, the Kizilelma autonomously linked to the M-346 using “an advanced radio frequency data exchange system” to synchronize data, Leonardo said.

During the test flight, the two aircraft undertook a series of missions to test algorithms, tactics and procedures developed by Leonardo in Italy.

“Kizilelma’s advanced autonomy capabilities greatly simplified the integration process, allowing for seamless implementation and rapid deployment,” Leonardo said.

“Leonardo and Baykar set a major milestone in the development of Crewed/UnCrewed Teaming (CUC-T) and swarm tactics capabilities,” the firm claimed.

“The refinement and maturity of AI technology, algorithms and collaborative procedures will enable the uncrewed systems to incrementally shift from remote piloting to autonomy, with the aim of reducing pilot workload and increasing mission efficiency while maintaining full control and decision-making,” it added.

“New tests are planned in the coming months, with increasing complexity and additional functions,” the firm added.

Baykar contributed Smart Fleet Autonomy capabilities integrated into the crewed/uncrewed teaming algorithms using its own software and hardware infrastructure.

As a partner on the GCAP fighter program, Leonardo will be seeking to sharpen its skills in deploying Loyal Wingman drones - an envisaged key aspect of GCAP operations.

Another ambitious European effort to integrate crewed fighters with collaborative uncrewed systems had been the Franco-German-Spanish FCAS program, which envisioned remote carrier loyal wingman drones operating alongside a next-generation manned fighter.

The FCAS Next Generation Fighter component was terminated in June 2026 after Germany and France failed to resolve industrial disagreements, although other FCAS elements such as a Combat Cloud are expected to continue.

Devrim Yaylali in Istanbul contributed to this report.

The two systems, NMESIS and MADIS, were welcomed by personnel from the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, as key pieces in those threat recalibration efforts.

The NMESIS is a ground-based ship-killing missile system designed to be deployed in sea denial operations near coastlines.

The system features a Naval Strike Missile system — fixed to a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle — that can operate through both semi-autonomous and fully autonomous launches.

The short-range, surface-to-air defense capabilities of the MADIS make the highly mobile platform especially potent for low altitude air defense personnel taking on helicopters, fixed wing aircraft and small unmanned aircraft systems, or sUAS.

Mounted aboard two 4x4 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, MADIS operates as a complementary duo, with one vehicle primarily performing the role of counter-sUAS detection and elimination — via 360-degree radar, a command-and-control suite and an electronic warfare system — while the second vehicle combats fixed wing and rotary aircraft courtesy of a multi-Stinger missile pod, 30mm cannon and electronic warfare capabilities.

The 3rd Marine Division’s Hawaii-based 3rd MLR was the first unit to receive the NMESIS and MADIS. Since then, the Marine Corps has pushed to field the new tech across the Indo-Pacific to match the rapid evolution of regional threats.

Marines with the 3rd MLR in May deployed the NMESIS across multiple islands, as part of the Balikatan 26 exercise, after hitching rides aboard Air Force C-130Js and Army LCU-2000 landing craft.

Operating for three days in the Batanes Islands archipelago, Marines ran through a series of dry fire missions in which they practiced denying warships access to the Luzon Strait.

Days earlier, Marines in Zambales demonstrated the capabilities of the MADIS in knocking quad-copters and fixed-wing drones out of the sky.