"A riveting account of one of the most significant developments in contemporary warfare – the evolution and proliferation of drones. This is a very important book." – General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and Coalition and US Forces in Afghanistan, and former Director of the CIA
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN A photo of US forces during a drill on June 1 shows "U.S. Marine with Marine Rotational Force-Europe 20.2, Marine Forces Europe and Africa, launches a Wasp Unmanned Aircraft System into the air during UAS training in Setermoen, Norway, June 1, 2020. MRF-E conducts various exercises, including arctic cold-weather and mountain-warfare …
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN In 2018 in the hot Kuwaiti desert a US soldier launched a quadcopter. A photo of the incident notes that "CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – Staff Sgt. Warren Palmer, master trainer and senior intelligence advisor, Delta Company, 5th Battalion, 1st Security Forces Assistance Brigade launches a drone using Instant Eye technology, Mar. …
Continue reading Small tactical drones the US used in Middle East
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Combined Joint Task Force, Operation Inherent Resolve published photos of Scan Eagles being used in Iraq. The caption notes "civilian contractors launch a Scan Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle drone system at Al Asad, Iraq, Mar. 4, 2020. Scan Eagle provides capabilities ranging from intelligence and reconnaissance to surveillance flight capabilities." To …
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Iran's Secretary of Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei (رضائي) has said that Iranian drones flew over US ships during the crises regarding Iran sending four ships to Venezuela to deliver gasoline. Previously it was reported that he said when Iran sent the ships to Venezuela, some said, "Don't go, there will be …
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Iran has celebrated the downing of a US drone a year ago by hosting a "3rd Khordad" celebration where families can pose with the weapons system that shot down the Global Hawk. "On the first anniversary of shooting down the American MQ-4C spy unmanned aircraft, the 3rd of Khordad missile system …
Videos online show small quadcopter (actually six rotor) drones being used to put up a Pride March flag on a famous statue in Kiev. The statue is the well known giant Motherland Monument. https://twitter.com/baraban088/status/1274788479382302721 The surprising turn of events shows how drones can be used in innovative ways but also why security services or state …
Continue reading Drones reportedly used in Kiev (Kyiv) to put up Pride flag
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Turkey's new Hisar Air Defense System could be deployed to Syria, according to accounts online. The system was used earlier in 2020 to counter target drones. Built by Aselsan it fires Roketsan missiles. It went into serial production for the HISAR-A version. It is the first national air defense missile system …
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN In April 2020 the US army in northern Iraq's Erbil Air Base conducted a "dronebuster" drill against an unmanned aerial system. The training exercise in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq illustrated how the "dronebuster jams communication between the pilot and the drone which forces the drone to either land or return …
Continue reading A look at US counter-drone ops in Iraq: Background and history
John Bolton's new book discusses Iranian drone proliferation and the downing of the US Global Hawk in 2019
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN CSIS has a new article as part of its Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative that notes "China has deployed a network of sensors and communications capabilities between Hainan Island and the Paracel Islands in the northern South China Sea." The network consists of “Ocean E-Stations” or “floating integrated information platforms” (IIFP) which …
Continue reading China built floating stations for an “unmanned ocean network” that can aid UAVs
Drone Wars: The book 