TYB
Ancient beach on Mars discovered by China's Zhurong Mars rover: 'This strengthens the case for past habitability'
February 25, 2025
Today, Mars is a chilly desert of rock and dust — but 4 billion years ago, the planet had rivers, lakes and even oceans with sandy beaches.
Data from China's Zhurong rover recently revealed the first evidence of one of those long-lost Mars beaches, finding shallow sandy slopes perfectly preserved about 33 feet (10 meters) beneath the Martian surface.
Ground-penetrating radar aboard the rover measured thick layers of sand, sloping gently upward toward the rocky shore, as if washed up by ocean waves.
"The structures don't look like sand dunes. They don't look like an impact crater. They don't look like lava flows.
That's when we started thinking about oceans," Michael Manga, a University of California, Berkeley, professor of earth and planetary science and co-author of the study, said in a statement.
"The orientation of these features are parallel to what the old shoreline would have been.
They have both the right orientation and the right slope to support the idea that there was an ocean for a long period of time to accumulate the sand-like beach."
Zhurong spent a year, from May 2021 to May 2022, trundling along the base of a steeply-sloped rock outcrop at the edge of a wide, flat plain.
From the rover's point of view on the ground, it's hard to tell, but this ancient shoreline on Mars seemed to lie inside a 2,050-mile-wide (3,300-kilometer-wide) impact crater called Utopia Basin.
Utopia Basin is, in fact, the largest known crater in the entire solar system. Scientists had speculated Utopia Basin might once have held an ancient ocean, and they thought the escarpment overlooking Zhurong's route might once have been its shoreline.
And indeed, based on data from Zhurong, which researchers on Earth are still poring over, that speculation was right.
Along Zhurong's 1.2-mile (1.9-kilometer) route, its ground-penetrating radar beamed radio waves 262 feet (80 meters) down into the Martian ground.
The way those radio waves reflected back to the instrument revealed underground features they came into contact with, like the boundaries between layers of rock and sediment.
Thirty-three feet (10 meters) beneath the surface, the radar revealed smooth, gently-sloping layers of sand, several yards thick.
Those layers appear to run parallel to the rocky cliff, and they rise toward that cliff at a shallow 15-degree slope — which is typical of beaches here on planet Earth.
The buried beach could represent the first evidence of a true ocean from Mars' ancient past, and its presence means the Red Planet must have had an ocean for millions of years — long enough to leave behind the thick layers of sand Zhurong's radar measured.
And that ocean must have been fed by rivers, the scientists reason, as those rivers would have dumped sediment into the ocean. Waves would eventually have spread that resulting sediment along the shore, forming a beach that'd have been strikingly familiar to us.
"Shorelines are great locations to look for evidence of past life," Benjamin Cardenas, a geoscientist at Pennsylvania State University and co-author of the study, said in a statement.
"It's thought that the earliest life on Earth began at locations like this, near the interface of air and shallow water."
(It's not known exactly where or how life on Earth began, but shorelines like this one are a possibility, along with hydrothermal vents on the deep ocean floor.)
The discovery was a stroke of geological luck; Zhurong's beach would probably have eroded away into something unrecognizable over the last 3.5 billion years if it hadn't been buried beneath those 33 feet of rocky, dusty debris from asteroid impacts, volcanoes and dust storms.
"This strengthens the case for past habitability in this region on Mars," Hai Liu, a professor with the School of Civil Engineering and Transportation at Guangzhou University, a co-author of the study and a core member of the science team for the Tianwen-1 mission, which included China's first Mars rover, Zhurong, said in the statement.
https://www.space.com/the-universe/mars/ancient-beach-on-mars-discovered-by-chinas-zhurong-mars-rover-this-strengthens-the-case-for-past-habitability
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2422213122
SpaceX targeting Feb. 28 for next launch of Starship megarocket
February 24, 2025
SpaceX's Starship megarocket will fly again this week, if all goes according to plan.
The company is planning to launch Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, for the eighth time on Friday (Feb. 28), Elon Musk said via X yesterday (Feb. 23).
The 403.5-foot-tall (123 meters) fully reusable vehicle will lift off from Starbase, SpaceX's launch and manufacturing facility in South Texas.
The company has not yet announced a target launch time, but you'll almost certainly be able to watch it live whenever it happens; SpaceX has livestreamed all seven of Starship's flights to date.
The most recent flight took place on Jan. 16.
That mission was a partial success; SpaceX successfully caught Starship's giant first-stage booster, known as Super Heavy, with the "chopstick" arms of the Starbase launch tower as planned.
Ship, the rocket's 171-foot-tall (52 m) upper stage, was supposed to deploy a payload for the first time on Flight 7 — 10 mockups of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites — circle much of the globe and then splash down in the Indian Ocean about an hour after launch.
That didn't happen, however; the upper stage broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean about 8.5 minutes into flight, apparently due to a propellant leak.
SpaceX has not yet laid out the mission goals for Flight 8, but they're likely to be similar to those for Flight 7.
Over then long haul, SpaceX aims to catch Ship with the chopsticks as well; this recovery strategy will make inspection and reflight of the entire vehicle quite efficient, according to the company.
Musk has said that SpaceX wants to catch Ship for the first time in early 2025, but it's hard to imagine that happening on Flight 8, after the stage suffered a problem on Flight 7.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/spacex-targeting-feb-28-for-flight-8-of-starship-megarocket
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=starship-flight-8
SpaceX completes investigation into Starship Flight 7 mishap
February 25, 2025
Propellant leaks created by an unexpectedly strong harmonic response caused the loss of SpaceX’s Starship vehicle on a test flight last month as the company prepares for its next launch.
In a statement released Feb. 24, SpaceX provided new details about the seventh Starship/Super Heavy test flight Jan. 16, which ended with the Starship upper stage breaking apart over the Caribbean.
According to SpaceX, there was a flash in the aft section, or “attic,” of Starship near one of its six Raptor engines about two minutes after the vehicle separated from the Super Heavy booster.
That was followed by a pressure rise in the section that suggested there was a propellant leak.
A second flash followed about two minutes later, after which there were “sustained fires” in the attic.
“These eventually caused all but one of Starship’s engines to execute controlled shut down sequences and ultimately led to a loss of communication with the ship,” the company stated, with the last telemetry received about 8 minutes and 20 seconds after liftoff.
SpaceX noted that telemetry was lost before the autonomous flight termination system on the vehicle was triggered. That system instead activated about three minutes after the loss of communications with the vehicle.
The company concluded that the most probable cause for the loss of Starship was a “harmonic response several times stronger in flight than had been seen during testing, which led to increased stress on hardware in the propulsion system.”
That increased stress caused propellant leaks that could not be fully vented from the attic and allowed the fires that led to the engine shutdowns.
As part of the investigation, SpaceX performed an extended static fire of the Starship built for the next mission, Flight 8, firing its engines for 60 seconds in the Feb. 12 test.
“The 60-second firing was used to test multiple engine thrust levels and three separate hardware configurations in the Raptor vacuum engine feedlines to recreate and address the harmonic response seen during Flight 7,” the company stated.
“Findings from the static fire informed hardware changes to the fuel feedlines to vacuum engines, adjustments to propellant temperatures, and a new operating thrust target that will be used on the upcoming flight test.”
SpaceX said it is also adding vents and a gaseous nitrogen purge system to reduce the flammability of the attic section of the current version of Starship. SpaceX is moving ahead with the next Starship mission, Flight 8.
That is scheduled to launch as soon as Feb. 28 from the company’s Starbase site at Boca Chica, Texas, pending the Federal Aviation Administration’s approval of SpaceX’s investigation into Flight 7.
SpaceX said that Flight 8 will have many of the same objectives of Flight 7 that were not demonstrated, including deploying four mass simulators of next-generation Starlink satellites as a test of the vehicle’s payload deployment system.
Starship will also test new technologies to protect it during reentry, such as metallic tiles with active cooling.
As with the previous flight, SpaceX will attempt a “catch” of the Super Heavy booster back at the Starbase launch tower.
The booster includes changes such as upgraded avionics and power distribution systems, as well as an upgrade to igniters for the Raptor engines to address an issue on Flight 7 where one of 13 engines shut down at ignition during its boostback burn to return to the launch site.
“Starship’s seventh flight test was a reminder that developmental progress is not always linear, and putting flight hardware in a flight environment is the fastest way to demonstrate how thousands of distinct parts come together to reach space,” SpaceX stated in its summary of Flight 7.
“Upcoming flights will continue to target ambitious goals in the pursuit of full and rapid reusability.”
https://spacenews.com/spacex-completes-investigation-into-starship-flight-7-mishap/
https://www.spacex.com/updates/
Space Force to play ‘central role’ in Iron Dome U.S. missile defense initiative
February 24, 2025
The U.S. Space Force has assembled a team of technical experts to support the Trump administration’s Iron Dome missile-defense initiative.
This “integrated planning team” brings wide-ranging expertise that will be critical in laying out the missile-shield architecture to defend the U.S. homeland from missile threats, the Space Force’s chief of space operations Gen. Chance Saltzman told reporters Feb. 24.
“We are leaning forward establishing this technical IPT to start thinking about it from an overarching perspective,” Saltzman said.
The “Iron Dome for America” executive order, signed by President Donald Trump on January 27, directs Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to submit a comprehensive plan detailing the architecture, requirements, and implementation strategy for a missile defense system. A notable aspect of the directive is the emphasis on space-based sensors and space-based interceptors.
The Missile Defense Agency, which oversees the nation’s existing missile defense shield, has taken the lead in organizing meetings with the defense industry to assess the state of the technology.
The Space Development Agency, an organization under the Space Force, is acquiring hundreds of satellites for a proliferated network of missile-tracking sensors in low Earth orbit that would be part of the Iron Dome.
Given the future system’s heavy reliance on space assets, “I think we have a central role to play,” Saltzman said.
Trump’s executive order says the United States needs a multi-layer defense against advanced missile threats, including ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles.
The administration argues that an advanced missile shield would deter adversaries like Russia and China from leveraging their missile capabilities for coercion.
Meanwhile, some experts question the technical feasibility and financial viability of implementing a nationwide missile defense system akin to Israel’s Iron Dome, which is designed for short-range threats.
The Department of Defense analysis, which must be completed in the coming weeks, will identify which existing programs directly support Iron Dome requirements and where gaps might exist that would require research and development efforts.
One specific area highlighted in the executive order is the exploration of deploying missile interceptors in orbit.
https://spacenews.com/space-force-to-play-central-role-in-iron-dome-u-s-missile-defense-initiative/
Man arrested for drone use at Hong Kong International Airport’s Cherry Blossom Garden
7:59 PM Tue February 25, 2025
A 29-year-old man was arrested on February 23 after allegedly flying a drone in the restricted area of the Hong Kong International Airport’s Cherry Blossom Garden.
The incident drew immediate attention from security personnel, who intervened as the man attempted to take photos.
Following his apprehension, police confirmed that he was charged with violating the Small Unmanned Aircraft Order.
Witnesses reported seeing the man and a companion using the drone at the site, prompting concerns from netizens who highlighted the dangers of operating a drone near an active airport, where both aircraft and cable cars operate in close proximity.
Comments online labelled the man’s actions as reckless, with some calling for stricter penalties.
The suspect, who claimed he purchased the drone for personal photography, was released on bail pending further investigation.
Authorities will refer the case to the Civil Aviation Department, which enforces regulations prohibiting drone flights in designated no-fly zones, including areas surrounding the airport.
The Civil Aviation Department has established an electronic platform to inform the public about drone flight restrictions, emphasising the importance of compliance with the law. Under the current regulations, all drones weighing over 250 grams must be registered before use, except for operations within private residential boundaries.
https://www.dimsumdaily.hk/man-arrested-for-drone-use-at-hong-kong-international-airports-cherry-blossom-garden/
Around the Commercial Drone Industry: Anti-Graffiti Drone, New Bills Target Rogue Drones at Sporting Events and at the Southern US Border
February 25, 2025
This week’s “Around the Commercial Drone Industry” news round-up looks at an innovative anti-graffiti vehicle from Aquiline Drones and legislative action around combatting rogue drones at NFL, MLB, NCAA, SEC and NASCAR events and along the Arizona border.
Congress Considers Bill to Combat Rogue Drones at Sporting Events
ESPN reports that Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) have introduced a bill to Congress that would “give state and local law enforcement the ability to disable drones during sporting events.”
At present, the ESPN article said, “only federal law enforcement on-site at events such as the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Rose Bowl and the Boston Marathon can disable unauthorized drones,” and “nearly all other major sporting events, including thousands of NFL and MLB games, do not have officials on-site with the legal authorization to quickly remove a drone threat.”
Named “the Disabling Enemy Flight Entry and Neutralizing Suspect Equipment (DEFENSE) Act, the bill is said to have the support of the NFL, MLB, NCAA, SEC, and NASCAR.
For some perspective on drone security at large-scale events, read Why DJI's Decision to Stop Geofencing Hurts the NFL by Dedrone's Mary-Lou Smulder.
Arizona Legislators Seek to Waive Police Liability for Shooting Border Drones
In more “drones in public safety” news, a report from Newsweek details how state lawmakers in Arizona have introduced legislation that would allow “local law enforcement agencies shoot down cartel drones suspected of trafficking drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border.”
The bill “would grant authorities immunity from any potential injuries resulting from taking down unmanned drones within 30 miles of the southern border.”
Newsweek reports that “cartels often use drones to monitor law enforcement operations,” and “these devices help cartels evade agents and smuggle drugs into the U.S.”
The proposed legislation has bipartisan support in the Arizona legislature, but some have raised concerns that police responses to these vehicles “could lead to severe injuries if drones are disabled in busy areas.”
An Anti-Graffiti Drone System from Aquiline
CT-based Aquiline Drones announced that it has developed a “highly effective technology solution that can reduce the recurrence of graffiti by a factor of 10, especially in harder-to-reach areas.”
As reported in UAS Vision, the solution “blends key technologies – smart cameras, artificial intelligence (AI) and graffiti drones” to combat costly and hard-to-eradicate graffiti by providing “surveillance/monitoring, analytics, and push notification” along with “graffiti abatement using AD’s Spartacus Endure drones.”
Aquiline has completed a successful test of the system with the Washington State Department of Transportation, and it is now rolling the system out to states and cities nationwide.
https://www.commercialuavnews.com/around-the-commercial-drone-industry-anti-graffiti-drone-new-bills-target-rogue-drones-at-sporting-events-and-at-the-southern-us-border
Four men arrested after drone, drugs and contraband seized outside HMP Manchester
25th Feb 2025, 13:38 GMT
Officers responded to a sighting of a drone believed to have been flown from a car park on Sherborne Street West on February 7.
Upon investigating, they identified and arrested four men on suspicion of conspiring to smuggle prohibited items into prison.
Shortly after they were detained, the drone returned and landed nearby with a package still attached.
Suspected Class A and Class B drugs were seized after the drone and package were seized.
The four men, three in their 20s and one in his 30s, were later released on bail pending further investigation.
Det Sgt Jamie Heaton said: “The sophistication of these attempts continues to evolve, but so does our response. These arrests demonstrate our proactive commitment to disrupting the supply of illegal substances into our prisons.
“This isn't just about drugs and contraband - it's about dismantling organised crime networks that exploit vulnerable individuals both inside and outside prison walls.
“We'll continue to work tirelessly with our partners to identify, target, and prosecute those involved in these operations, sending a clear message that we will use every tool at our disposal to eradicate this problem."
Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, Lord James Timpson added: “I would like to thank our amazing prison staff for their role in these arrests.
“This Government is clamping down on the drugs and weapons that wreak havoc behind bars, and criminals who smuggle such items into our jails will feel the full force of the law.”
https://www.manchesterworld.uk/news/four-men-arrested-after-drone-drugs-and-contraband-seized-outside-hmp-manchester-5006608
Snowboarder Goes Uphill Using Modified Drone Propellers
February 25, 2025
A series of heavy duty quad-copter drones propellors mounted to a stick provided enough momentum to take this snowboarder up a groomed run at a ski resort.
While this design is somewhat gimmicky and impractical for catching a ride up a mountain and then riding down in a normal snowboard fashion, if it could fly down by itself and meet you at the bottom we would really have something.
Very cool to see tinkerers finding creative uses for drones in outdoor sports.
https://unofficialnetworks.com/2025/02/25/snowboarder-goes-uphill-using-modified-drone-propellors/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4VcQ83wzXo
Leaked Video Shows Russian Soldiers Used as Human Bait for Drone Strikes
February 25, 2025
A disturbing leaked video has exposed how Russian troops are reportedly using their own soldiers as bait for Ukrainian drone strikes, according to Militarny on February 25.
The footage shows a captured Russian soldier, Ivan Tretyakov, tied to a tree with wire around his neck, while fellow Russian troops interrogate him.
Tretyakov, a 22-year-old from Kamensk-Uralsky in Russia’s Sverdlovsk region, admitted he was terrified of running into Ukrainian drone attacks and even considered self-inflicted injury to avoid battle.
“I was scared to run under the ‘bird’ [a drone loaded with explosives], so I ran back and took cover,” he confessed.
When another soldier offered to shoot him in the leg so he could escape the frontline, Tretyakov refused—only to be accidentally shot anyway when another soldier attempted to injure himself.
As the interrogation unfolded, one of the Russian soldiers abruptly cut the conversation short, warning, “Oh, it’s coming. They’re about to greet us.”
Tretyakov immediately looked up in terror.
Another soldier added, “When it gets here, it’ll drop [explosives] immediately.” Moments later, the video ended—just as a Ukrainian drone strike was seemingly about to hit.
What makes the footage even more disturbing is that despite knowing an incoming drone was imminent, Russian troops made no attempt to free Tretyakov or shield him from the attack. This strongly suggests that he was intentionally left as bait to lure Ukrainian drones.
This brutal tactic is not new.
In December, Ukrainian special forces in Russia’s Kursk region discovered a notebook belonging to a dead North Korean fighter, Kyong Hong Jong, containing instructions on how to lure enemy drones by using a fellow soldier as bait.
Reports have also surfaced that North Korean troops in Russia are so afraid of being captured that they use grenades to take their own lives rather than surrender.
https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/world/leaked-video-shows-russian-soldiers-used-as-human-bait-for-drone-strikes/ar-AA1zKDRz
https://mil.in.ua/en/news/the-russians-have-started-using-their-military-who-refuse-to-fulfill-their-tasks-as-bait-for-drones/
https://t.me/supernova_plus/36419
Texas rancher killed by suspected cartel IED on Mexican border as authorities warn of ‘growing threat’
Feb. 25, 2025, 1:27 p.m. ET
A Texas border rancher was killed near the border by a suspected cartel IED earlier this month, the Texas Department of Agriculture told The Post Tuesday — as officials issued an urgent safety warning for the Rio Grande Valley.
Rancher Antonio Céspedes Saldierna, 74, who worked on both sides of the border, along with Horacio Lopez Peña, were killed in the blast in Tamaulipas, Mexico, which was just south of Brownsville, Texas. Lopez’s wife, Ninfa Griselda Ortega, was hospitalized with injuries.
Saldierna was driving on his ranch when he hit the explosive device, causing it to detonate, according to KRGV.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said the deadly explosion is part of a “growing threat posed by cartel activity along our southern border” and encourages ranchers “to exercise extreme caution” in the area.
“I encourage everyone in the agricultural industry to stay vigilant, remain aware of their surroundings, and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.
Additionally, you can avoid dirt roads and remote areas, refrain from touching unfamiliar objects that could be explosive devices, limit travel to daylight hours, stay on main roads, and avoid cartel-controlled regions,” said Miller.
Saldierna’s son Ramiro Céspedes, a US Army veteran who was injured by an IED during a deployment, was shocked to learn of his father’s killing back home.
“I consider this a terrorist attack because if I went to war to fight terrorists, and I’m seeing the same thing here to me – my personal opinion – it is a terrorist attack,” Ramiro said.
Border agents have received warnings about increased threats from cartels and the Trump administration has responded by designating some of them as foreign terrorist organizations.
https://nypost.com/2025/02/25/us-news/texas-rancher-killed-by-suspected-cartel-ied-on-mexican-border-as-authorities-warn-of-growing-threat/
Police recover surveillance drone in Bastar, ‘Naxal dump’
February 25, 2025 09:59 pm IST
In a first, a drone has been recovered in a dense left-wing affected area in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, leading the police to suspect that the Maoists are using these flying devices for surveillance.
Confirming the development, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) P. Sundarraj said the drone was recovered on Sunday in Sukma district’s Gundrajgudem jungle.
“A police team had gone to the area after receiving information about the presence of Maoists.
While they did not encounter any Naxal, they came across a dump [collection of articles used by Naxals] they had left behind and the drone was a part of it,” said Mr. Sundarraj.
paywall
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/police-recover-surveillance-drone-in-bastar-naxal-dump/article69262954.ece
New drone technology is helping police in northern Kentucky catch criminals
Updated: 11:16 AM EST Feb 25, 2025
KENTON COUNTY, Ky. —
Independence police and the Kenton County Sheriff's Department are teaming up to create a new drone program, marking a significant advancement in local law enforcement technology.
"Just being able to view things before we ever get there is a huge benefit," said Capt. Mike Brock of the Independence police. "We can launch it from a computer, at any time of the day, rain or shine, doesn't matter."
The new drone program aims to provide officers with real-time aerial views of crime scenes, enhancing their ability to respond quickly and effectively.
"For the type of technology this is and the cost efficiency of it, I mean, it's hard to compare it to anything else out there," Brock said.
This technology has already proven its worth in various situations.
During a recent search for a suspect who crashed on the Brent Spence Bridge and then hid under it, a Campbell County police drone with thermal imaging was used to locate the individual.
"I've seen some very unique hiding spots before, but none like that," said Capt. Don Dornheggen of the Campbell County Police Department.
The Hamilton County Sheriff's Department has also launched a drone program, creating a real-time operation center with live feeds monitored and relayed back to officers on the scene.
"The real hope is to provide oversight and safety to our officers," said Lt. Steve Sabers of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department.
"It's the future of policing. More agencies are going to have them, and it's not going to be surprising when every agency, at least up here, has them," Brock said.
The drone will be kept inside its own station at the Kenton County Jail and can be launched from a computer in any weather condition.
They hope to have it in operation by this spring.
https://www.wlwt.com/article/drone-technology-kentucky-catch-criminals/63917400
Killing monsters — the Ministry of Defense codified the Ukrainian drone “The Witcher”, which can operate at night
25 February 2025, 14:46
The Ministry of Defense has codified and approved for operation in the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine the «Witcher» drone.
This is a high-speed UAV capable of catching up with enemy wheeled vehicles.
This was reported by the Main Directorate for Life Cycle Support of Armaments and Military Equipment.
The «Witcher» is manufactured at a Ukrainian enterprise. It consists mainly of localized components.
The drone was developed taking into account the combat experience of Ukrainian soldiers.
The Witcher drone is compact in size, but it is capable of carrying a charge that can effectively hit armored vehicles and protected firing positions of the occupiers.
The drone can develop significant speed and can maneuver sharply. The Witchers can operate day and night, recognizing typical enemy targets.
The Ministry of Defense previously approved the use of ZEUS and HADES FPV drones from the Ukrainian company SkyForce in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The company produces a number of FPV drones of various sizes and capabilities, named after the Olympic gods.
https://dev.ua/en/news/killing-monsters-1740486806
Zelensky calls on partners to invest in drone production
25.02.2025 12:39
As part of the Support Ukraine summit, Ukraine demonstrated UAVs and FPV drones of domestic production to international partners.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in a post on social media, Ukrinform reports.
“Reconnaissance UAVs, FPV drones on fiber optics, ground robotic platforms, interceptor drones, electronic warfare and signals intelligence systems, communication systems, river drones, and drone missiles – all of these are actively operating on the battlefield, working and defending,” Zelensky noted.
The head of the Ukrainian state stressed that all of them are products of Ukraine’s defense industry, which has been revived and significantly developed over the past three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“These important items, which help our warriors, were shown to our partners at the Support Ukraine Summit.
Thank you for investing in our defense production, in what helps Ukraine become stronger. This year, we will produce even more drones of all types,” the President added.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry announced that more than UAH 44 billion will be allocated in 2025 for the purchase of FPV drones, including fiber optic drones.
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-defense/3964180-zelensky-calls-on-partners-to-invest-in-drone-production.html
https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1894321031944208525