TYB
Israel shoots Lebanese man, sends propaganda drone over two Tyre towns
March 3, 2025
An Israeli drone was hovering Monday over the Tyre district towns of al-Mansouri and Byout al-Siyyad, blaring “provocative statements,” the National News Agency said, in reference to anti-Hezbollah propaganda.
"Hezbollah is trying to violate the truce agreement and the ceasefire resolution through obstructing the Lebanese Army's work, and through this it is jeopardizing Lebanon's security and threatening to open the gates of hell," the drone's recording says.
A Lebanese citizen was later wounded in the foot after Israeli forces opened fire at him in the southern border town of Kfar Kila, NNA said.
According to media reports, an Israeli patrol also made an incursion into the plain of the southern border town of al-Abbasiyeh, apprehending a farmer who was cultivating his land before eventually releasing him.
Israeli drones meanwhile overflew the Eastern Mountain Range and eastern Baalbek towns at low altitudes, reports said.
A November 27 truce agreement ended more than a year of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, including two months of all-out war during which Israel wiped out most of Hezbollah’s senior leadership by airstrikes and sent in ground troops.
Israel continues to carry out regular strikes on Lebanese territory and the two sides regularly accuse each other of violating the truce, which nevertheless has largely held.
Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from Lebanon on Feb. 18 under the agreement. It however kept troops at five locations that it deemed "strategic" in Lebanon's south, near the border.
On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces would remain indefinitely in what he called a "buffer zone" in southern Lebanon.
https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/311344-israeli-drone-blares-propaganda-statements-over-tyre-towns
Jordanian Army foils drone-assisted drug smuggling attempt
March 03, 2025 | 12:23 PM
The Jordanian Armed Forces intercepted a drone attempting to smuggle narcotics into the country early Monday, according to a military source.
The source stated that Border Guard forces, in coordination with military security agencies and the Anti-Narcotics Department, detected the drone and tracked its movements before engaging under rules of engagement, successfully bringing it down within Jordanian territory, according to (Petra) news agency.
The confiscated materials were handed over to the relevant authorities for further investigation. Petra added.
The Jordanian Armed Forces reaffirmed their commitment to safeguarding national security and preventing the infiltration of narcotics into the country.
The military continues to deploy its full capabilities to counter smuggling attempts along Jordan's borders, Petra said.
https://www.gulf-times.com/article/701302/region/jordanian-army-foils-drone-assisted-drug-smuggling-attempt
Drones attack oil refinery in Ufa: Fire recorded
Mon, March 03, 2025 - 04:30
On the night of March 3, Russians reported hearing explosion sounds in Ufa.
It was later revealed that unidentified drones attacked a local oil refinery, causing a fire, according to Russian Telegram channels.
According to residents, at least one explosion occurred at 01:38 a.m. local time. The loud sound triggered car alarms.
Shortly before the explosions, Russians reported hearing drone sounds, and later footage of the fire at the oil refinery area spread online.
"A fire broke out at the enterprise in the area of the combustion furnace. There is no threat to the residents of nearby areas.
A laboratory has been dispatched to monitor air quality," reported the SHOT channel, citing the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Bashkortostan.
Simultaneously, other channels also reported that the Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed the fire at the refinery and stated that firefighters were working to extinguish the flames.
Starting from 03:39 Kyiv time, several Russian Telegram channels, citing the Ministry of Emergency Situations, began reporting that the fire had been localized.
On the night of February 26, Ukrainian forces launched drone strikes on the Tuapse Oil Refinery in the Krasnodar region.
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/drones-attack-oil-refinery-in-ufa-fire-recorded-1740966980.html
Oscars sees drone zoom down red carpet in eyebrow-raising moment
Updated21:06 ET, MAR 2 2025
One of the biggest stars on the Oscars red carpet wasn't an actor.
The first star to hit the red carpet on the biggest night for Hollywood was the Academy's own drone. The small, blue machine was captured flying down the red carpet by IndieWire and shared on their Instagram.
Those at the Academy Awards cheered in the video as the drone went up and down the carpet, and the person filming held out a microphone toward the drone as the video was captioned:
"The first guest on the #Oscars red carpet is @theacademy drone!" Fans in the comments went wild for the drone's red carpet debut.
"Drones got talent!" one person commented. Another joked: "Who is she wearing?" A third wrote: "Probably the best part of the show."
The Academy Awards will be hosted by Conan O'Brian, marking the comedian's first time hosting the award show.
Conan posted on social media earlier in the night sharing his "preshow ritual" for the night and included a photo of himself holding an acoustic guitar and a pipe in his mouth.
"Preshow ritual. I’m hosting the #Oscars tonight on @ABC and @hulu. See you there!" he captioned the post.
One of the traditions of the Academy Awards is the In Memoriam segment, which is set to include Gene Hackman, who was found just days before the award show.
Gene and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, along with one of the German Shepard dogs were found dead in their New Mexico home on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
A relative of Gene told TMZ that Morgan Freeman will speak at the award show about his late friend Gene. Morgan and Gene both starred in Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, which Gene won his last Oscar for in 1992.
https://www.irishstar.com/culture/entertainment/breaking-oscars-drone-red-carpet-34781470
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2025/03/the-armys-new-abramsx-tank-is-armed-with-drones/
The Army’s New AbramsX Tank Is Armed with Drones
March 2, 2025
Just six months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, defense contractor General Dynamics introduced a new version of the iconic M1 Abrams tank.
The tank, known as AbramsX, incorporated lessons from the ongoing war, specifically the importance of drones in modern conflict.
Although just a mockup of an actual tank, AbramsX could form a starting point for a new, third generation of the longest-serving tank in American history.
AbramsX: The History and Backstory
In October 2022 at the Association of the U.S. Army conference, General Dynamics unveiled a new version of the Abrams tank.
Dubbed AbramsX, the tank reflected a quick pivot to lessons learned from the Russian invasion of Ukraine the previous February.
AbramsX was not a working, operational tank but was intended to take lessons from the ongoing war, particularly the rise of drones, and use it to keep tanks not only relevant, but dominant on the modern battlefield.
AbramsX differs from the current M1A2SEPv3 Abrams in several ways. One is the reduction in crew size, from four to three. Finally, a main gun autoloader mechanism has been incorporated, eliminating the human loader.
The tank commander and gunner are repositioned into the tank’s hull, where they sit in a row alongside the driver.
The new arrangement allows the three crew members to sit side by side, increasing communication and the ability to share information.
The arrangement also means the entire turret is completely unmanned.
AbramsX Gets New, Modernized Weapons
AbramsX totally revamps and modernizes the M1’s armament. The German-designed M256 120mm main gun is replaced with the newer, lighter XM360 120mm gun.
The coaxial M240 7.62mm medium machine gun is deleted, since the loader position no longer exists, as is the M2 .50 caliber machine gun operated by the tank commander.
In its place is a Kongsberg Protector R6 remote weapon system (RWS) armed with the XM914 30mm chain gun, a derivative of the AH-64 Apache’s nose-mounted gun system.
The XM914 RWS is a welcome upgrade over the older M2 machine gun.
The M2 was originally meant to engage anti-tank teams, infantry, unarmored vehicles like trucks, and lightly armored vehicles like the BTR-70 armored personnel carrier.
XM914 allows AbramsX to take advantage of recent advances in sensors, fire control, and fusing technology.
The result is the ability to engage targets at night and through smoke screens, shower ground troops in trenches with 30mm shrapnel, deliver accurate fire while the tank is on the move, and penetrate the armor of next-generation armored vehicles like the Kurganets-25 infantry fighting vehicle.
The XM914’s proximity rounds can also engage incoming drones, detonating once they enter the round’s explosive kill radius, turning what would otherwise be a miss into a hit.
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Drone Protection Arrives
Speaking of drones, the Trophy active protection system is a second layer of protection against drones.
Trophy, designed by Israeli defense contractor Rafael, was originally designed to destroy incoming anti-tank rockets and missiles.
It uses millimeter-wave radar to detect and track incoming threats to the tank. The technology is identical to that used by self-driving cars to detect their surroundings.
Once Trophy determines the projectile is on course to hit the tank, it fires a kinetic energy interceptor to knock it down.
Rafael recently adapted the system to work against drones, shooting them down before they can drop shaped charges or conduct a kamikaze-style direct impact attack.
AbramsX Could Be a Drone Mothership
AbramsX not only plays defense against drones, it can also play drone offense. The tank is fitted with four Switchblade 300 loitering munitions, drones combat-proven in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict.
Switchblade has a range of up to 6 miles or a flight time of 15 minutes, whichever comes first, and sends a live video feed back to the drone operator.
If the operator locates a target, they can direct the drone to conduct a diving attack, using an explosive payload derived from the Javelin missile warhead.
This capability will allow AbramsX crews to conduct beyond line of sight attacks, hunting for enemy tanks and infantry and weakening the defense before launching a ground assault.
Will the Army Go for It?
AbramsX has not been officially adopted by the U.S. Army, but the window to adoption is there.
In 2023, the Army announced that the next minor update to the M1, the M1A2SEPv4, would be followed by the M1E3.
Each version of the M1 has been iterative, building on previous versions of the tank, incorporating new technology and capabilities.
(The first “E” Abrams, the M1E1, was the first to feature the 120mm main gun instead of the original 105mm gun, and once type-classified became known as the M1A1.)
The “E”, according to the Army, “represents an engineering change to an existing platform that is more significant than a minor modification and serves to designate the prototype and development configuration until the vehicle is formally type classified and receives an ‘A’ designation.”
In other words, right about the same level of changes AbramsX makes. However, the SEPv4 has been cancelled, and many experts are casting doubt on the overall future of tanks.
Here Comes DOGE
AbramsX is an intriguing concept and a step in the right direction for the M1 series of main battle tanks. Whether or not it will eventually become the M1A3 Abrams remains to be seen.
The Trump Administration’s directive to implement dramatic spending cuts at the Pentagon would almost certainly affect Army ground forces and the effort to upgrade the Abrams tank.
The direction America’s next tank should take is clear, but America must prioritize it first.
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W.Va. Guard team utilizes drone technology to increase port security
02.07.2025
The West Virginia National Guard’s Port Security and Resilience Assessment team is spearheading vulnerability assessments of critical port facilities across the United States and its territories through the innovative use of drone technologies.
The PSRA team, a unit within the Army Interagency Training and Education Center headquartered in St. Albans, West Virginia, conducts assessments at port locations throughout the nation in cooperation with the United States Coast Guard.
These assessments provide an all-hazards look at a port's ability to detect threats, prevent attacks, protect critical infrastructure, and respond effectively to potential incidents.
The results of these assessments help local, regional, and national-level decision makers enhance protective measures at ports and strengthen national security.
While multiple other Department of Defense units conduct port assessments, the WVNG’s PRSA team is currently the only National Guard or USCG unit utilizing unmanned aerial systems to execute missions.
Beginning in 2018, the Coast Guard’s Group-1 Unmanned Aerial System Prototype Program Initiative began utilizing commercial off the shelf UAS platforms to capture high-resolution imagery and video over land and water — tasks traditionally performed by helicopters.
UAS platforms provide lower operating costs and can be rapidly deployed providing greater efficiency and cost savings.
In April 2022, a memorandum from the USCG Commandant formally authorized National Guard members to support USCG PSRA missions as short-range UAS pilots.
Under the directive, team members are qualified after undergoing training to meet Coast Guard Aviation Forces standard operating procedures and obtaining Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 certification.
Recognizing the rapidly developing potential of such systems, the WVNG PSRA team began investing in UAS platforms in 2018, and now includes five certified UAS pilots operating a variety of airframes.
“Our PSRA team has far outpaced their competitors in achieving UAS pilot credentialing and operations in support of port assessments,” said Lt. Col. David Reynolds, AITEC deputy brigade commander.
“With these capabilities, the team is setting a new standard providing rapid, cost-effective, and reliable comprehensive imagery for infrastructure monitoring and resiliency.”
UAS flight missions are highly regulated. Before each flight, the designated pilot reviews airspace restrictions and files a flight plan if required.
Each drone mission mandates the presence of a pilot-in-command and a visual observer.
Once the flight is conducted, the imagery captured is then processed and stitched into a virtual tour of facilities resulting in products that integrate aerial views with 360-degree roadway images.
These products are then used by government and civil agencies for emergency planning, tabletop exercises and detailed vulnerability assessments.
Additionally, the products can help support Port Security Grant Program justifications, Area Maritime Security Assessment updates, and Maritime Security Risk Analysis Model data validation.
Since the drone program’s implementation with the USCG in 2022, the team has also served as a testing program for assessing UAS longevity.
Under current guidelines, pilots are expected to complete at least six sorties per drone type every six months, with updated standards that took effect in 2025.
“Our UAS capabilities continue to put the WVNG and AITEC at the very forefront of national security operations,” said Reynolds.
“The National Guard motto is, ‘Always Ready, Always There,’ and we will continue to do all we can to identify and mitigate risks, protect critical infrastructure, and protect and defend the United States and our fellow citizens today and always.”
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/491443/wva-guard-team-utilizes-drone-technology-increase-port-security
Oldest UFO Sighting In Minnesota Still Has No Explanation
March 3, 2025
People have been seeing strange phenomenon in the sky since the dawn of humanity. You can even see them depicted in the Bible and across history and civilizations.
So, they've been around a long time, but we're just recently having the government acknowledge, publicly, that the phenomenon is real.
I stumbled on a story of a very old UFO sighting that is from even before the Roswell incident in 1947.
Those crashed UFOs in the desert is the beginning of the UFO interest in the modern era, so sightings reported before that could be considered even more authentic.
Oh and by the way, Luis Elizondo (former member of Pentagon UAP Task force) says that Roswell incident did in fact happen.
South Long Lake 1932 UFO Sighting
The National UFO Reporting Center keeps track of ufo sightings online. Obviously the internet wasn't around in the early 20th century, so many of the reports were filed years later.
One in particular caught my eye, as a woman shares the story of what her mother saw near Brainerd, Minnesota.
The story goes that the woman's parents were at their cabin on South Long Lake near Brainerd, Minnesota in the fall of 1932. The weather was nice and they were outside enjoying the weather.
Suddenly, they saw a sing light flash across the sky. It paused and hovered over the lake for 5 minutes before taking off. It was completely silent.
Timeline rules out many other things.
In 1932 there wasn't much air traffic. Not to mention they didn't have any planes that could hover or accelerate that fast.
Helicopters weren't around until later that decade (the first practical one was invented in 1939.)
It couldn't have been a drone, a satellite, or anything else commonly mistaken as a ufo, because none of them existed.
Something Else?
It couldn't be a meteorite or fireball, because those don't stop moving. Shooting stars don't stop and hover, and this light was reported to hover directly above the lake.
Whatever it was, it was something supernatural to be moving like that in the sky in 1932. There simply is no other explanation.
https://b105country.com/oldest-ufo-sighting-in-minnesota-still-has-no-explanation/
Dr Steven Greer on Government Training Humans to Control UFOs Using Their Mind
Mar 02, 2025 3:30 PM
Dr. Steven Greer has unveiled intriguing insights into the government's covert operations involving UFOs and human cognition.
Through his C5 Contact initiative, Dr. Greer has explored contact with extraterrestrial sensors by leveraging human consciousness.
He asserts that communication via radio frequencies is impractical due to the vast distances in space, while human thought offers instantaneous interaction, suggesting an omnipresent, quantum-entangled consciousness field.
Unlike Greer's peaceful endeavors, he reveals that government programs have mirrored his initiatives for militaristic gains.
A program labeled P3 involves training humans, identified as psionic operators, to interface with extraterrestrial craft using mental capabilities.
This rigorous training is described as harsh, often resulting in severe injuries or death for participants.
The intention, Greer claims, is to convert peaceful communication into weaponized systems.
Despite the ethical concerns and high human cost, the aim remains to establish contact and control these unidentified crafts for military objectives, overshadowing the scientific advancements in peaceful extraterrestrial communications.
https://www.vladtv.com/article/309764/dr-steven-greer-on-government-training-humans-to-control-ufos-using-their
Jackie Gleason talks UFO's
Feb 27, 2025
"I think the biggest story in the world is flying saucers" Jackie Gleason talks UFOs, 1958
Jackie Gleason talks about various (international) UFO cases with Frank Edwards on the Long John Nebel Show, November 16, 1958. (audio only)
Apparently he also was interested in making a documentary on the subject of 'flying saucers' with Edward Murrow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeKwg_i2xpY
UFO enthusiast Jackie Gleason’s interview with Gray “Men in Black” Barker, 1958
Actor and UFO enthusiast Jackie Gleason interviews author Gray Barker (“They knew too much about flying saucers”) during Long John Nebel’s radio show, 1958.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY46YQWEPhQ
https://archive.org/details/gray-barker-they-knew-too-much-about-flying-saucers
Dead alien bodies and UFO debris allegedly were shown to Jackie Gleason at Homestead AFB in 1973
00:00-06:13 "Jackie Gleason’s UFO Encounter" by Bill Knell.
06:13-08:16 Presentation by Kenny Young, 2004.
08:16-16:26 Interview with Larry Warren by James Bartley, 2022.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q2Fir5adtE