TYB
US Congress releases Epstein ‘birthday book’ (READ IN FULL)
9 Sep, 2025 03:20
The House Oversight Committee has published hundreds of pages of records from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, including the convicted sex offender’s so-called “birthday book.”
Republican committee chair James Comer has accused the Democrats of selectively “cherry-picking” documents to smear US President Donald Trump.
The disclosure on Monday evening followed a subpoena issued to the Epstein estate in late August.
Alongside the 238-page “birthday book,” the panel released Epstein’s will, his 2007 non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in Florida, and sections of the disgraced financier’s address book.
The professionally bound book, compiled in 2003 by Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell, features contributions from dozens of acquaintances, among them former President Bill Clinton and attorney Alan Dershowitz.
Some pages include lighthearted tributes, while others contain sexual jokes, staged photographs, and redacted names of women.
Republicans said the release was intended to provide transparency after Democrats publicized only the alleged Trump note earlier in the day, shaping headlines around the president and overshadowing the wider trove of documents.
The disputed page contained typewritten text inside the outline of a nude woman and appeared to be signed “Donald” below the waistline of the sketch.
Trump has called the note a fabrication and is suing the Wall Street Journal and its owner Rupert Murdoch for $10 billion in a defamation case.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt repeated on Monday that the president “did not draw this picture, and he did not sign it.”
Democrats on the Oversight Committee highlighted the alleged Trump message and demanded further disclosure of Epstein-related files, accusing the president of concealing damaging information.
Comer criticized Democrats for “cherry-picking documents and politicizing information received from the Epstein Estate,” while insisting that “President Trump is not accused of any wrongdoing.”
Epstein, convicted in 2008 on state charges of soliciting prostitution, was later arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges in 2019.
He died in a Manhattan jail the same year, in what authorities ruled a suicide. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 and is serving a 20-year sentence.
Epstein’s long-standing ties to prominent political, business, and academic figures continue to spark bipartisan calls for transparency, although the Department of Justice has said there is no “client list” linked to his trafficking crimes.
https://www.rt.com/news/624313-epstein-full-birthday-book/
https://oversight.house.gov/release/oversight-committee-releases-records-provided-by-the-epstein-estate-chairman-comer-provides-statement/
Mexican cartel was taught drone warfare in Ukraine – media
9 Sep, 2025 12:19
A powerful Mexican drug cartel has acquired advanced drone warfare skills in Ukraine, the Milenio newspaper reported on Monday.
Moscow has long argued that the Ukraine conflict fuels global instability by spreading weapons and fostering reckless behavior by Kiev in pursuit of its war aims.
Foreign fighters have become a key part of Ukraine’s military strategy as authorities face resistance to conscription at home.
Milenio examined propaganda materials released by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a major criminal group based in western Mexico, including footage showing a drone-armed hit squad operating with apparent military discipline and tactical expertise.
Experts cited by the paper said the group’s methods and armaments bore similarities to battlefield practices in the Ukraine conflict.
Mexican intelligence believes CJNG members received training in drone and urban warfare tactics in Ukraine, sources in the Jalisco state government told Milenio.
The report highlighted the cartel’s use of specific equipment, including DJI Matrice 300 RTK drones commonly employed in the Ukraine conflict.
The quadcopter aircraft, marketed for civilian use, can carry payloads of up to 3kg, operate at night, and fly long distances.
CJNG’s drone squad reflects “the future of criminal strife,” Milenio said, noting that technology once limited to armies and insurgencies is increasingly in the hands of well-resourced gangs.
Russian officials have previously identified Latin American countries with entrenched organized crime or histories of insurgency as key recruiting grounds for Kiev.
Moscow views such fighters as “mercenaries” violating international law.
Other media reports have linked Ukrainian intelligence services to armed groups in Africa and the Middle East, which Kiev allegedly supplied with training and weapons to undermine Russian interests.
Moscow has accused Kiev of engaging in “international terrorism.”
https://www.rt.com/news/624334-mexico-cartel-ukraine-drones/
https://twitter.com/Milenio/status/1964919812401889293
After Putin arrives in Sochi, alleged Ukrainian drone strike hits the city
Updated: September 9, 2025 12:23 pm
A reported Ukrainian drone strike on the Russian resort city of Sochi killed one person overnight on Sept. 9, Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev claimed.
The attack may have coincided with Russian President Vladimir Putin's working visit to the city. According to the Kremlin, Putin joined the BRICS summit online from Sochi on Sept. 8.
Russian independent media outlet Agentstvo reported that an Il-96-300PU presidential aircraft remained at the city's airport during the attack.
Fragments from a downed drone struck a car, killing one person, Kondratyev said on Telegram. Six houses were damaged, with broken windows, damaged facades, and roofs, he added. Emergency services were dispatched to the site.
Ukraine has not commented on the incident, which the Kyiv Independent could not independently verify.
Kyiv has regularly targeted Russian military and energy infrastructure with long-range drones in an effort to disrupt Moscow's war machine.
Sochi sits on Russia's Black Sea coast and is located about 310 kilometers (193 miles) from Ukraine and approximately 538 kilometers (334 miles) from Ukrainian-controlled territory near Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Putin's seaside residence, Bocharov Ruchey, is located in the city, though Russian independent media previously reported that the president had largely stopped visiting Sochi after Ukrainian drones began reaching the region.
The strike followed a series of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian infrastructure.
Ukrainian drones struck a fuel pumping station in Russia's Vladimir Oblast overnight on Sept. 7, the Commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces Robert "Madyar" Brovdi reported.
The strike hit a fuel pumping station that supplies diesel to the Moscow Ring Oil Product Pipeline, which serves Russia's capital and the surrounding area.
Drones struck multiple Russian oil facilities on Sept. 5, including oil company Rosneft's largest refinery in Ryazan and an oil depot in occupied Luhansk Oblast, Brovdi reported.
https://kyivindependent.com/drone-strike-on-russias-sochi-kills-1-damages-houses/
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/59752
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/59714
New Ukrainian Cruise Missile Drones Used in Decapitation Strike
Sept. 9, 2025, 3:36 pm
Ukraine launched a salvo from its new Peklo cruise missile drones to hit suspected military headquarters in occupied Donetsk, news reports and social media content from the Russian-occupied city confirmed on Monday.
The strike by at least five of the weapons battered the premises of a disused electronics plant in an industrial area of Donetsk, a city occupied by Russia during its first invasion of Ukraine in 2014.
Video recorded from several viewpoints showed the jet-propelled missiles diving in to hit and detonate. Multiple sources confirmed at least five strikes with major explosions taking place over a period of less than 30 seconds, shortly after 7:30 pm local time.
The Ukrainian weapons were not engaged by air defense fire as they bore in, social media video, photos and comment attested. Some minutes after the five explosions, a single anti-aircraft missile trail was visible above the city, with scattered small arms fire was audible.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense in its daily report of combat activity across the front on Tuesday claimed air defenses overnight had shot down 31 Ukrainian long-range drone strikes in engagements within seven western regions of the Russian Federation, but did not mention either the strike or the shooting down of Ukrainian drones over the city during the Monday evening attack. Post-strike images showed gray mushroom clouds and two fires rising over the site.
One geo-located video showed an attacking missile with a silhouette closely matching that of a Ukrainian Peklo (Hell) missile diving in to hit a building, part of the former Joint Stock Company Topaz, before detonating in a fiery orange ball.
The strikes targeted three building complexes on the territory of the Topaz, during pre-war days a major manufacturer of military electronics, independent analysts confirmed.
Ukrainian milbloggers and mainstream media reported three Russian command posts had been hit and damaged by the jet-propelled drones.
In the wake of the attack images appeared, initially in Donetsk-connected chat groups, of missile debris consistent with components used in the Peklo.
A few early reports suggested that the attacking missiles were Storm Shadow cruise missiles. Kyiv Post analysis found that missile speed, attack profile and shape was typical of the Ukrainian Peklo and different from the Anglo-French missiles.
Propeller-driven drones similar to the Ukrainian Liutyi drone were also spotted in the sky above Donetsk, but the ground strikes seemed to have been carried out by jet-propelled drones.
Ukrainian military observers identified two headquarters by name and unit as hit and damaged: the command post of the 41st Combined Arms Army, a major area command responsible for Russian army combat operations in the central eastern front, and the command post of the 20th Guards Motor Rifle Division, a major fighting formation currently participating in attacks against Ukrainian positions to the west of Donetsk.
The Topaz building cluster, which was formerly the Research Institute of Complex Automation, was struck by two Peklos, the independent censor.net news agency reported with video available on open sources supporting the report.
Kyrylo Sazonov, a Ukrainian army officer a frequent milblogger, in Telegram post about the Donetsk strike on Monday evening said:
“Donetsk is being heavily bombarded with various targets, but the Topaz plant is definitely a priority… It was a Soviet military-industrial complex, there is simply plenty of room there for warehouses, workshops, and personnel.
That is, the target is big. But information is leaking out that there was also a headquarters there, where someone with very high shoulder boards was sitting.”
Ukraine announced it had begun serial production of the Peklo drone, a cruise missile-like unmanned aerial vehicle propelled by a jet engine, in December 2024.
At the time Kyiv claimed it intended to produce about 100 of the weapons a month, but the Peklo has rarely been seen since then, although the first confirmed use was in June.
Ukrainian officials in meetings with NATO representatives in early 2025 stated the Peklo has a 700-kilometer (440-mile) range flying at 700 kph (440 mph), and is produced domestically using 70 percent Ukrainian components.
The size of the warhead is a Ukrainian military secret but some estimates put it at around 50 kilograms (110 pounds), the Ukrainian military research group Militarnyi reported.
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Pro-Russia Donetsk-based media covered the after-effects of the strike in detail and confirmed jet-propelled drones that were almost certainly Ukrainian Peklos had hit the city, but those reports omitted information about the number of hits or damage caused to Russian military targets.
According to the local TV channel TV Donetsk, the Ukrainian attack killed two civilians, injured sixteen, and damaged 18 buildings, claiming none of which were used by the military.
Among structures reportedly struck and damaged was a local government office, a school and a kindergarten, an auto parts store and apartment hi-rises and private homes.
Although the Donetsk headquarters appeared to be the main target for long-range Ukrainian drone attacks Sept. 8-9, other penetrations of Russian airspace by unknown aircraft, followed by ground explosions, were reported elsewhere in Russia overnight.
Local media reported a probable attack in the vicinity of an oil refinery and fuel storage site near the Black Sea resort city of Sochi to which the fire department responded.
Regional governor Veniamin Kondratiev said one civilian died in a statement without offering details of where the drone or drones hit or damage caused.
Ukraine’s UNIAN news agency reported that the presidential plane usually used by Russian leader Vladimir Putin had at the time of the strike been parked at Sochi airport.
Putin’s current whereabouts were not known but there was no evidence he had been targeted or hit in the strike, the report said
In Russia’s western Belgorod region, near the village Prokhovka, Ukrainian drones struck and set an oil refinery on fire, both Ukrainian and Russian media reported.
The Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that emergency response teams were on the scene and that the situation was under control in a Tuesday morning statement.
Images from the NASA-run FIRMS world fire watch satellite network on Tuesday showed more than a half of the Prokhovka refinery in flames, with the most intense fires centered on the facility’s fuel storage reservoirs.
Ukraine launched a campaign to degrade Russian crude-oil processing capacity at the end of the July by attacking oil refineries in European Russia with long-range drones. A reported 13 major plants have been hit since then, some two or three times.
Kyiv Post has estimated the strikes have reduced Russian Federation oil-processing capacity by at least 20 percent.
Refinery shutdowns and knock-on gasoline shortages and supply outages had been reported in Samara, Buryatiya, the Far East, on Sakhalin Island. Retail fuel deficits in the major cities Moscow and Petersburg were first reported on Monday.
Donetsk, on Monday evening. Most sources reported one or more Russian army headquarters at the Topaz facility had been targeted.
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Poland investigates two drone crashes near borders with Ukraine and Belarus
September 9, 2025, 14:11 (UTC +3)
Polish authorities are investigating two separate crashes of unidentified drones in the Lublin region in early September 2025, one near the Belarus border crossing at Polatycze and another close to the Ukrainian frontier near Majdan-Sełce.
Officials say neither object carried explosives.
First incident near Polatycze
Early on September 8, 2025, the local police department, Policja Bialska, announced in a statement that the duty officer at the Terespol police station received a report from border guard officers regarding debris from an unidentified flying object that had reportedly crashed overnight.
“We notified the authorities and the District Prosecutor’s Office in Biała Podlaska about the incident,” police said.
Agnieszka Kępka, Prosecutor of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Lublin, confirmed in a statement seen by local news outlet WP Wiadomości that the drone crashed in a cornfield approximately 300 meters from the border crossing in Biała Podlaska County, Lublin. Kępka added the device was unarmed and bore Cyrillic markings.
The prosecutor’s office said it has also secured the first CCTV recordings, which are currently being analyzed.
Kępka said she hopes that residents “will be able to provide some information regarding the flight trajectory or other circumstances”.
On August 8, 2025, Polish journalist Wojciech Sumlinski shared on X that the drone had crashed 30 kilometers away from his home in Polatycze, close to Terespol.
He also mentioned that he is beginning to “get used to drones crashing only in open fields”.
Second drone near Majdan-Sełce
A second incident was reported on September 6, 2025, when another drone was discovered near the village of Majdan-Sełce in Lublin Voivodeship, approximately 500 meters from residential buildings.
The District Prosecutor’s Office in Zamość said that the drone was made of lightweight material resembling foam and carried neither explosives nor contraband. Forensic experts have taken custody of the wreckage for further examination.
Local officials raised concerns that the aircraft went undetected by surveillance systems. Henryk Karwan, governor of the Lublin region, acknowledged the gap and said authorities hoped to establish the drone’s origin, with initial suspicions pointing to Ukrainian rather than Belarusian airspace.
Official assessments
Authorities in both cases said the drones were not military. “The drone did not contain any elements that would indicate it was a military or combat drone,” Prosecutor Agnieszka Kępka said about the Polatycze incident.
“It did not have any military characteristics,” the spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense said about the Majdan-Sełce incident. Authorities suggest instead that it was a smuggling drone, though no contraband was found aboard.
However, pictures shared by TVN24 strongly suggest that the unidentified object in Majdan-Sełce is a Russian-made “Gerbera” decoy drone, used to overload air defense systems during attacks on Ukraine.
A similar scenario played out on July 10, 2025, when a drone found near the border with Belarus was initially believed by the authorities to be a smuggling drone, but turned out to be one of Russia’s Gerbera UAV.
Other recent NATO airspace incidents
The discovery of drones in Polatycze and Majdan-Sełce comes amid a series of similar episodes along NATO’s eastern borders.
In July 2025, two Russian-designed Gerbera drones entered Lithuania. One crashed near the border and another flew over the capital Vilnius before eventually crashing inside a military training ground while carrying an explosive payload of two kilograms.
Both incidents involved Gerbera-type drones resembling the Iranian-made Shahed loitering munitions.
On August 20, 2025, an unidentified object fell from the sky and detonated in a cornfield in the village of Osiny, eastern Poland, damaging nearby buildings.
https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/poland-investigates-two-drone-crashes-2025
Trump state visit will see police drones and airspace limits over Windsor
Mon 8 Sep 2025 19.01 EDT
Donald Trump’s second state visit to the UK will see a big policing operation led by drones in the airspace over Windsor, police have said.
King Charles is to host the US president and his wife, Melania Trump, at Windsor Castle from 17 to 19 September, where they will be entertained with a ceremonial welcome and state banquet.
A round-the-clock policing operation will be in place in the Berkshire town during the event, with a temporary order restricting the airspace from 16 September – when the state visit rehearsal is to take place – until 18 September.
This means non-police drones and smaller aircraft cannot fly through the protected area, Thames Valley police officers said on Monday during a drone-flying demonstration at the force’s training centre in Sulhamstead, Berkshire.
The Stop Trump Coalition is to stage a mass demonstration in central London on the first day of the trip, with a further protest planned near Windsor Castle.
Each police drone can fly up to 120 metres (400ft) and is expected to stay up for 30 minutes at a time during the operation, with the replacement drone taking off shortly before the end of that period so as not to lose coverage.
The DJI Matrice 30T model introduced during the demonstration on Monday is already used by police on a day-to-day basis, usually as part of missing persons inquiries and drug warrants, officers said.
“It’s a significant policing operation for us,” Ch Insp Matthew Wilkinson of Thames Valley police’s joint operations unit said.
“However, Thames Valley police is proud to host these events and we have a good history of putting on these events for both the royal family and the country.”
Asked about the scale of the drone operation for the US president’s state visit compared with other high profile events, Wilkinson replied: “It’s one of the larger ones. It’s in line with other large-scale events we’ve put on as a force.”
Speaking on the restricted airspace order, he said: “Obviously it’s an offence to fly a drone in a restricted airspace and we will have resources to deal with any of those incursions.
“We will have plenty of capability in the sky when the time is appropriate,” he said, adding that the drones will act as an “eye in the sky” during the event.
It will be Trump’s second state visit to the UK – an unprecedented gesture towards a US president – after he came in 2019.
His first trip to the UK saw thousands of people turn out on the streets in London in opposition.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/09/trump-state-visit-will-see-police-drones-and-airspace-limits-over-windsor
Drone strikes hit power plant, arms factory, refinery near Sudan capital: witnesses
September 09, 2025 07:22
PORT SUDAN: A wave of drone strikes hit a power station, a weapons factory and an oil refinery near Sudan’s army-held capital on Tuesday, witnesses at the sites told AFP, while a military source said an air base had also been targeted.
The aerial assault ended a period of relative calm in Khartoum after the military ousted the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces from the area in May, a key battleground in the war that erupted in 2023.
The attacks occurred at around 5:00 am (0300 GMT), with witnesses telling AFP by phone, on condition of anonymity, that they had seen strikes hit the Al-Jaili oil refinery, the Al-Markhiyat substation in Omdurman and the Yarmuk weapons factory.
The military source, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strike on Wadi Seidna air base had been intercepted.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2614638/middle-east
Israeli defense official suggests strike on Hamas leaders could help bring war to an end
Today, 8:03 pm
A “senior defense official” in a statement sent out to reporters says the Israeli strike on Hamas’s leadership in Qatar today may bring about an end to the war in the Gaza Strip.
“The beheading of Hamas’s leadership today in Qatar is a brilliant and powerful operation carried out by the IDF and the Shin Bet in accordance with the directive of the prime minister and defense minister,” the official says.
He says the strike, dubbed Summit of Fire, “constitutes a significant step in the victory over the Hamas terror organization, delivers justice to those responsible for the October 7 massacre, and strengthens Israel’s deterrent image, and may also generate a change of direction that will bring an end to the war in Gaza under the conditions set by the State of Israel, foremost among them the release of all hostages and the disarmament of Hamas.”
“This is also a message to the residents of Gaza that the time has come to rebel against the weakened Hamas and to act to end the war,” the official adds.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/israeli-defense-official-suggests-strike-on-hamas-leaders-could-help-bring-war-to-an-end/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-chief-strike-on-hamas-leaders-shows-israel-will-settle-accounts-with-our-enemies-anywhere-in-world/
IDF says name of Qatar strike operation is ‘Summit of Fire
September 9, 2025 5:05 pm
The name of the IDF strike on Hamas’s leadership in Qatar is Operation Summit of Fire, according to the military.
Channel 12 previously reported the name was “Day of Judgment.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-says-name-of-qatar-strike-operation-is-summit-of-fire/
Secretive Lockheed, BAE labs team up to study new drone
Updated 09/09/2025, 09:12 AM
Britain’s BAE Systems and U.S. arms giant Lockheed Martin announced a tie-up between their secretive research units to develop a new uncrewed autonomous air system, a rare research partnership in the red-hot drone sector.
The pair laid out plans for a "strategic collaboration" between BAE Systems’ Falcon Works and Lockheed’s Skunk Works at the DSEI arms fair in London on Monday.
Dave Holmes, managing director of BAE FalconWorks said that by working together, the two could more efficiently and quickly develop a range of systems.
"Normally, prime organisations would seek to go and develop these things in isolation," Holmes told Reuters.
"The driver is about delivering a technical solution as soon as possible at an affordable price," he added.
The world’s biggest defence companies, often referred to as "prime" contractors, team up for big platforms such as the F-35 jet, but have rarely collaborated in the fast-growing autonomous arena, where specialist suppliers, such as U.S.-based Anduril, have made inroads in defence.
Their research units, which regularly deal with classified programmes, also rarely disclose their projects or partnerships.
Holmes said the "modular" products to be explored by the two research labs would first aim to counter electronic warfare by putting up "a wall of electronic resistance", allowing aircraft and weapons systems to beat enemy efforts to jam them.
Both BAE and Lockheed are involved in separate projects to build new generation fighter jets which are likely to include uncrewed assets, which work in tandem with crewed planes.
Holmes would not say when he expected any product to come to market but added that by working jointly, the two companies bring "complementary access to markets".
Lockheed’s Skunk Works has spawned legendary U.S. military aircraft including the U-2 spy plane and the "Blackbird" or SR-71 that could fly from New York to Los Angeles in just over an hour.
The rare tie-up with foreign researchers comes weeks after Lockheed posted $1.6 billion of programme losses, linked partly to a new $950 million charge for a classified Aeronautics program, indicating a setback for Skunk Works.
Lockheed also recently lost a major contest to develop a next-generation fighter to rival Boeing.
"Skunk Works is in need of a visible success after losing the NGAD (next-generation air dominance) contract to Boeing," said aviation historian and journalist Chris Pocock.
"The U-2 also provided a stream of revenue directly to Skunk Works but may soon be retired," said Pocock, author of "Dragon Lady Today," a history of the plane that first flew in 1955.
"Major manufacturers are also facing serious competition in drones from startups with lower costs," he added.
The announcement came at Britain’s biggest defence expo where delegates faced about 200 demonstrators outside the exhibition hall holding signs against UK arms exports to Israel.
https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/secretive-lockheed-bae-labs-team-up-to-study-new-drone-4231460
US Air Force Unleashes “Falcon Peak” to Hunt Rogue Drones
September 9, 2025
The skies over Florida are currently a battlefield. In one of the largest and most ambitious counter-drone experiments ever conducted on US soil, the US Air Force has kicked off Falcon Peak, a massive exercise designed to test the latest and greatest technology for zapping, jamming, and intercepting hostile drones.
Hosted by NORAD and USNORTHCOM at Eglin Air Force Base, this two-week-long event is a direct response to the growing threat of small, cheap, and potentially lethal drones.
It’s a critical stress test of the nation’s defenses and a glimpse into the future of homeland security and Army Recognition told us.
A Simulated Swarm Attack
The premise of Falcon Peak is simple: simulate a realistic drone attack on a US military base and see if the defenses can stop it. Every day, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., test drones are being launched from Santa Rosa Island, flying as hostile “aggressors” towards the base.
The goal is to test a multi-layered, integrated defense system in a real-world environment. This isn’t a clean, one-on-one lab test. It’s a chaotic, live-fire scenario designed to mimic the swarm tactics that have become so prevalent in conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The 96th Test Wing is enforcing a restricted maritime zone for the duration of the test, broadcasting warnings to boaters to stay clear of the live-fire exercise.
This is the military’s way of answering a very tough question: how do you protect a critical military base from a swarm of small drones that can fly below traditional radar?
The High-Tech Arsenal
Falcon Peak is a showcase of the most advanced counter-drone technology on the planet.
This isn’t just about a single weapon; it’s about weaving multiple systems together into a cohesive, intelligent network. The technologies being tested include:
Advanced Radars: To detect and track the small, low-flying drones.
RF and GNSS Jammers: To disrupt the drones’ communication and navigation links.
Directed Energy Weapons: High-powered lasers and microwave systems designed to fry the drones’ electronics.
Kinetic Interceptors: “Hard kill” systems, like Anduril’s Roadrunner or Raytheon’s Coyote, which are essentially small, fast missiles or dedicated drones designed to physically destroy the incoming threat.
All of this is being networked together under the Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) framework, allowing different systems to share data and create a kill chain that is faster and more effective than any single weapon could be on its own.
Why This Matters
The threat is no longer theoretical. We’ve seen the recent mystery drone flaps over sensitive sites in Arkansas, and we see every day how effective small drones are on the battlefield.
The Department of Defense knows that its bases are vulnerable, and Falcon Peak is a crucial step in plugging that gap.
The data gathered from this massive experiment will directly inform the Pentagon’s Joint Counter-sUAS Office on what technologies to buy and how to develop the tactics to use them effectively.
It’s a “critical milestone” that will shape the future of US homeland defense for years to come.
DroneXL’s Take
It’s one thing to read the spec sheet for a new laser weapon or an interceptor drone. It’s another thing entirely to see them all brought together in a massive, real-world orchestra of defense like Falcon Dagger. This is where the rubber meets the road.
“Real talk,” this is the only way to get it right. You can’t just hope these different systems will work together; you have to put them under pressure and see what breaks.
A battlefield is a chaotic place, full of electronic noise and unpredictable events. An experiment like this, designed to be as realistic as possible, is the only way to build a defense that is truly battle-ready.
As a professional pilot, I’m fascinated by the sheer complexity of it. You have friendly drones, enemy drones, jammers, lasers, and interceptors all operating in the same airspace.
The challenge of deconflicting all of that—making sure you don’t accidentally jam your own systems or shoot down a friendly—is a monumental task.
This is the sharp end of the drone industry. While we are using our drones to create, to inspect, and to save lives, there is this parallel world where a relentless cat-and-mouse game is being played out.
The lessons learned at Eglin Air Force Base will not only protect soldiers; they will eventually trickle down and make the entire drone ecosystem safer and more secure for all of us.
https://dronexl.co/2025/09/09/us-air-force-falcon-peak-hunt-drones/
House witness testifies UFOs nearly activated Russian nuclear missiles during 1982 incident
September 9, 2025 3:25pm EDT
A witness at a congressional hearing regarding unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) dropped an explosive allegation: In 1982, the Russians allegedly panicked over an unidentified flying object (UFO).
George Knapp, an investigative journalist, testified Tuesday before a House Oversight subcommittee hearing that, back in the 1990s, he obtained Soviet documents allegedly indicating a UFO almost triggered World War III.
According to Knapp, he obtained documents showing that an incident involving UFOs in 1982 almost caused Russia to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles, also known as ICBMs.
"There was an incident in October of 1982 over an ICBM base where UFOs popped up, was observed over this base, where the missiles are pointed at us, the United States," Knapp told the House Oversight Committee "Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets."
"These UFOs perform incredible maneuvers," Knapp said. "They split apart, they fuse back together, they'd appear and disappear.
And right at the end of this four-hour period, the launch control codes for the ICBMs lit up. Something entered the correct codes. The missiles were fired up and ready to launch, and they could not shut it down."
Knapp said Russian officers began "panicking," but the UFOs soon disappeared, and the launch control systems went back to normal.
The personnel at the time could not figure out what caused the issue, he said.
Knapp said the personnel did not blame EMPs (electromagnetic pulses), or power surges, or offer "the bologna excuses that the United States has given for similar events involving our nuclear missiles."
Rather, he said, they believed it was a message from wherever the UFOs had come from.
"That's a chilling thing. I mean, that was. We were a couple of seconds away from World War III starting, and the UFOs were responsible for it," Knapp said.
In addition to Knapp, several active-duty and former U.S. military personnel shared their experiences with UAPs.
U.S. Air Force veteran Jeffrey Nuccetelli described what is now known as the Vandenberg Red Square, a famous incident in which a UAP was seen over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California in 2003, then called Vandenberg Air Force Base before the founding of the U.S. Space Force.
Nuccetelli recalled hearing the chaos unfold over the radio. His friend screamed, "It’s coming right at us! It’s coming right for us!"
Just moments later, he said he heard them say the object "shot off and was done."
Additionally, Chief Alexandro Wiggins, an active-duty U.S. Navy officer who testified in his personal capacity, recalled what's known as the "Tic Tac" incident. He testified that the UAP showed no "conventional propulsion signatures" when leaving the scene.
While it is unclear where these objects came from, some lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee’s task force are curious as to why they have been hidden from the American people. Several demanded more transparency on issues of UAPs.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-witness-testifies-ufos-nearly-activated-russian-nuclear-missles-during-1982-incident
And other links.
This is nice.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/congress-revisits-ufos-third-hearing-mufon-expert-points-evidence-non-human-technology
https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/ufo/whistleblower-describes-uap-retaliation/
https://www.newsmax.com/us/ufo-uap-anna-paulina-luna-eric-burlison/2025/09/09/id/1225721/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-15080813/UFO-whistleblowers-encounters-coverups-Congress-hearing.html
https://www.the-express.com/news/science/183136/ufo-witness-congress-red-square-uap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNv2iEYqdRc
few more
https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos/moskowitz-ufos-definitely-being-lied-163200084.html
https://www.socialnews.xyz/2025/09/09/watch-witnesses-recount-ufo-encounters-in-opening-statements-at-house-hearing-video/
https://www.aol.com/articles/ufo-witnesses-testify-us-congress-134135541.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch-whistleblower-recalls-triangle-craft-flying-near-him-during-ufo-hearing/
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c1wgqdnxvr5t
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTiaxUhfmVY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXc2W3rLZr0
From Above the Clouds: 13 Countries Free Fall over the Great Pyramids of Giza
09.06.2025
GREAT PYRAMIDS OF GIZA, EGYPT – U.S. Army green berets assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group took part in a combined military free fall event with service members from 12 partner nations during BRIGHT STAR 25 over the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, Sept. 6, 2025.
During the multilateral exercise, U.S. Army special operations forces demonstrated high-altitude, low-opening capabilities alongside service members from Egypt, the United Kingdom, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, India, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, South Africa, and Yemen.
“On the special operations forces side, twelve different partners allows us to exchange tactics and procedures as well as exchange standard operating procedures", said U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Peter Klundt, U.S. special forces, task force Sgt. Maj.
“To be able to have better interoperability as we train together as well as deploy together in emerging requirements throughout the different areas of responsibility”.
The integration of SOF within BRIGHT STAR 25 offers opportunities to share best practices and strengthen relationships between participating forces.
Such collaboration supports regional stability and fosters conditions for sustained economic growth, development, and peace in the region.
“Building relationships is one of our tenants as special forces,” Klundt added. “So for my younger guys, this is key and paramount for them to start those relationships early that will carry on through their careers as a SOF operator.”
The combined efforts highlight how multilateral exercises like this one help build a stronger foundation for regional and global stability.
Training together enhances interoperability, sharpens operational readiness, and aligns participating nations on shared strategic objectives.
“The interoperability piece is going to be one of the most paramount things out of this operation,” said Klundt.
“Being able to work through different regulations and procedures through multiple different countries, it’s going to carry on into combat operations as well as sustainment operations.”
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/547631/above-clouds-13-countries-free-fall-over-great-pyramids-giza
https://www.nationalguard.mil/Development/Innovation/videoid/976031/dvpTag/BrightStar25/