Samuel Bendett

Several trends are shifting defense tech toward Europe War, regulation, and distrust of the United States are tilting a big market homeward.

www.defenseone.com/business/202...

Iran strike marks first time US used new one-way attack drones in combat The LUCAS drone, fired at Tehran on Saturday as part of U.S. strikes on Iran, is itself based on Iran’s Shahed-136 drone.

taskandpurpose.com/news/us-iran...

...recyclable into ad infinitum...

Here we go (again)...

Putin Exposed by Ukraine’s Wicked Witches Vladimir Putin made a rare admission of Russia's weakness when he admitted Ukraine has better heavy drones than Russia.

cepa.org/article/puti...

Russian Defense Minister Belousov: "Approximately 80% of fire/strike missions in Ukraine combat are carried out using UAVs. The success of operations is largely determined by the effective UAV command and control." tass.ru/armiya-i-opk...

Для российских вузов вводят квоты по вербовке студентов в войска беспилотных систем — T-Invariant В Дальневосточном федеральном университете введены квоты на вербовку студентов в войска беспилотных систем — в феврале необходимо было набрать 32 человека

Russian universities now have a quota for "supplying" students (especially STEM-educated and tech-savvy ones) into the country's Unmanned Systems Forces. Full story: theins.ru/news/289730

‘We don’t have infantry’: Ukraine’s war machine evolves into machine war Outmanned by a nuclear power in the largest land war in Europe since 1945, Ukraine’s front line is increasingly held by machines.

‘We don’t have infantry’: Ukraine’s war machine evolves into machine war www.defensenews.com/global/europ...

YouTube video by Maanpuolustuskorkeakoulu Russia Seminar 2026 (Auditorium Itälinnake) Day 2

On February 12, 2026, I spoke on the Russian "People's VPK" - the ecosystem of volunteers/tech startups that supports the Rus military - at the #Russia Seminar hosted by the
Finnish National Defense University. I start at 1:55:50 www.youtube.com/watch?v=T30T...

Russian Robots Attack! West Point Comic's (Plausible) Future War - Breaking Defense “Is this possible? Probably,” one retired Army officer told me. “Are the Russians trying to figure out how to disable all the M1s so they can run over us with their robots? I hope that’s where they’re...

Blast from the past: is this comic book still relevant? breakingdefense.com/2018/04/russ...

Rapid scaling, soldier-led market key to US drone ambitions, Army secretary says U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said the service will soon launch a soldier-led marketplace to market drone innovations alongside private industry.

www.militarytimes.com/news/your-mi...

'10 steps ahead' — Fedorov outlines Ukraine's plan to force Russia to make peace "Our benchmark is more than 200 eliminated occupiers per square kilometer," he said.

'10 steps ahead' — Fedorov outlines Ukraine's plan to force Russia to make peace kyivindependent.com/10-steps-ahe...

Russia thought it would take days to seize Ukraine. 4 years later, war is still raging Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago, and the fighting continues. Here's a look at where the war stands today.

Russia thought it would take days to seize Ukraine. 4 years later, war is still raging www.npr.org/2026/02/24/n...

Exploration of Ukraine's "kill zone" with charts and graphics. ig.ft.com/ukraine-kill...

YES. But who would listen…

Move over, Best Ranger; the Army’s looking for the best drone pilots The Huntsville competition is also meant to shape the selection and training of unmanned systems operators.

Move over, Best Ranger; the Army’s looking for the best drone pilots www.defenseone.com/technology/2...

Four Years Of The Ukraine Invasion: Has Russia’s Military Learned To Fight A Better War? Four years of war against Ukraine means four years of learning for Russia’s armed forces. But how much have they actually learned, how much have they actually reformed, and how worried should people b...

Four Years Of The Ukraine Invasion: Has Russia’s Military Learned To Fight A Better War? www.rferl.org/a/russia-mil...

Инженерия войны⚔️ Гусеничная версия радиоуправляемого аэродрома для дронов Специалисты НПО «Кайсант» разрабатывают радиоуправляемый аэродром для дронов «Муравей» на гусеничном шасси. На текущий момент мелкая серия "Му...

Russian developers are discussing "Muravey" (Ant) UGV carrier platform for FPV drones to bring such UAVs as close to the combat launch point as possible to minimize human involvement. t.me/binary_glass...

Russian 'mothership' drones prompt Ukraine to weigh passport requirement for SIM card sales Russian forces are using LTE mobile networks and Ukrainian SIM cards to remotely control FPV drones, Serhii Beskrestnov, adviser to Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, said.

kyivindependent.com/ukraine-weig...

Ukraine’s battle-hardened soldiers to teach Bundeswehr—Germany braces for real-world drone and mass-strike warfare - Euromaidan Press German troops will gain hands-on lessons in high-intensity combat scenarios that only Ukrainian soldiers have faced daily since 2022.

Ukraine’s battle-hardened soldiers to teach Bundeswehr—Germany braces for real-world drone and mass-strike warfare

euromaidanpress.com/2026/02/17/u...

Russian MOD wants to ban Telegram and does not mind not using Starlink - both commercial products. OK then. These photos of a Russian Molniya FPV pilot are published in the "Izvestia" state media outlet. How many commercial IT/computer products are in these images then? iz.ru/2038197/dmit...

Marine Corps looking into new medium-range tactical drone as it pushes small UAS capabilities The Marine Corps issued an RFI to industry about medium-range tactical drones.

Marine Corps looking into new medium-range tactical drone as it pushes small UAS capabilities defensescoop.com/2026/02/17/m...

Ukrainian ground robots carry out over 7,000 missions per month, defence minister says Mykhailo Fedorov says that Ukraine is systematically scaling up the use of ground robotic systems on the front. In January 2026 alone, more than 7,000 missions were carried out using ground robotic sy...

Ukrainian ground robots carry out over 7,000 missions per month, defense minister says www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/202...

Russia’s war is getting cheaper. That’s the worst news Europe has heard in years. - Euromaidan Press Four years of data show Russia trading tanks for drones—while its new armor heads not to Ukraine, but to NATO's border.

"Russia’s war is getting cheaper. That’s the worst news Europe has heard in years." Four years of data show Russia trading tanks for drones—while its new armor heads not to Ukraine, but to NATO’s border. euromaidanpress.com/2026/02/14/r...

Ukraine’s War of Endurance The fight for advantage in the conflict’s fifth year.

Happy to share the latest. My views on the current battlefield dynamics and where the war stands in 2026. Happy to share the latest. www.foreignaffairs.com/russia/ukrai...

From X/Twitter - this tracks

The Army is writing the book on using small drones in a tank formation The goal is to make every soldier a drone operator.

www.defenseone.com/technology/2...

Marine Corps seeks troops with small drone and AI expertise for warfighting lab fellowship The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory is looking for troops with expertise in small UAS and AI to join the fiscal 2026 fellowship program.

Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory is looking for Marines with expertise in small unmanned aerial systems and artificial intelligence to join the organization’s fiscal 2026 fellowship program. defensescoop.com/2026/02/09/m...

Drones: The latest weapon used by al-Qaeda and Islamic State-linked jihadists in West Africa Insurgents have carried out a wave of drone strikes on military positions in the region.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

That's not it - the article explains it.