The technology is hard and the economics of mass deliveries may never make sense.
Tag Archives: Drones (Pilotless Planes)
No One Can Hide From This Weapon in the War in Ukraine
In Ukraine, drones that film and fight have been used to bring international audiences right up to the front lines.
The Moral Cost of Killing Our Enemies in Secret
What does it mean to be a citizen of a state that kills for you but doesn’t tell you about it? Are you still responsible?
Crowdsourcing a War: How Online Appeals Are Bringing Weapons to Ukraine
A campaign to crowdsource donations and weapons is producing millions of dollars as well as a bounty of smaller weapons and other military equipment for the Ukrainian military.
The Unseen Trauma of America’s Drone Pilots
Killing targets in remote attacks has had a deep and troubling effect on those who fly the missions.
One Village at a Time: The Grinding Artillery War in Ukraine
The gains by the Ukrainian army in the north have been modest, but they are emblematic of both sides’ strategy across Ukraine: maneuvering artillery to make modest gains in territory.
What to Know About the Weapons Being Sent to Ukraine
Yemen’s Houthis Went From Ragtag Militia to Force Threatening Gulf Powers
Iran’s cultivation of the Houthis over the years of war in Yemen has armed them with missiles and drones, endangering Washington’s partners and Tehran’s rivals, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The Casualties at the Other End of the Remote-Controlled Kill
Capt. Kevin Larson was one of the best drone pilots in the U.S. Air Force. Yet as the job weighed on him and untold others, the military failed to recognize its full impact. He fled into the California wilderness.
Yemeni Rebel Attack Sets Saudi Oil Facility Ablaze
Saudi officials accused Yemen’s Houthi rebels of launching the attack, which cast a shadow over a Formula One car race aimed at international spectators.
For the U.S., a Tenuous Balance in Confronting Russia
Navigating between aiding Ukraine and avoiding an escalation with Moscow has led to a tangle of decisions and sometimes tortured distinctions over weapons and other elements of policy.
Iran’s Attack Was Response to Secret Israeli Attack on Drone Site
Israel and Iran are pushing the boundaries of a long-running clandestine war that is increasingly spilling out of the shadows.
House Democrats Ask Pentagon for Details on Plan to Reduce Civilian Casualties
In a letter on Tuesday, more than 40 lawmakers called it imperative that the military uphold “consistent standards for protecting the lives of civilians.”
Over Ukraine, Lumbering Turkish-Made Drones Are an Ominous Sign for Russia
The Bayraktar TB2 has become a rallying symbol for Ukrainians, who are singing songs about them and posting videos of their success.
Vermont, Dressed in Snow
For a longtime aerial photographer, snowfall in the Green Mountain State offers a fresh palette of possibility.
US Carries Out First Airstrike in Somalia Since August
The strike targeted Al Shabab militants who had attacked allied Somali security forces.
Austin Orders Military to Step Up Efforts to Prevent Civilian Harm
A new directive outlines steps intended to change how commanders think about their jobs, after New York Times investigations into botched airstrikes.
Calling Civilian Casualties a ‘Failure,’ Democrats Urge Biden to Do Better
In a letter to President Biden, dozens of Democrats in Congress raised grave concerns about “repeated civilian casualties arising from secretive and unaccountable lethal operations.”
Drone Strike Video Shows Killing of Civilians in Afghanistan
The New York Times obtained footage of the botched strike in Kabul, whose victims included seven children, through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
Yemen’s Houthi Militia Claims Rare Military Strike on U.A.E.
Emirati officials said that several people had been killed in an explosion of fuel tankers in Abu Dhabi, possibly as a result of a drone attack.
Foreign Drones Tip the Balance in Ethiopia’s Civil War
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed pulled off a stunning reversal in the year-old conflict with the help of armed drones supplied by the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Iran.
What to Know About the Civilian Casualty Files
A New York Times investigation found that the American air war in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan has been plagued by flawed intelligence, poor targeting and thousands of civilian deaths.
Why There’s a Growing Push to Ban Killer Robots
A U.N. conference made little headway this week on limiting development and use of killer robots, prompting stepped-up calls to outlaw such weapons with a new treaty.
As a Secret Unit Pounded ISIS, Civilian Deaths Mounted
An American strike cell alarmed its partners as it raced to defeat the enemy.
Birds Aren’t Real, or Are They? Inside a Gen Z Conspiracy Theory.
Peter McIndoe, the 23-year-old creator of the viral Birds Aren’t Real movement, is ready to reveal what the effort is really about.
Pentagon Chief Orders New Inquiry Into U.S. Airstrike That Killed Dozens in Syria
A four-star Army general will review reports that dozens of civilians were killed in a 2019 strike and that top military officers and civilian officials sought to conceal it.
Strike on U.S. Base Was Iranian Response to Israeli Attack, Officials Say
Iran has not acknowledged the attack, but U.S. and Israeli officials said it was retaliation for Israeli airstrikes, drawing the U.S. into Iran’s shadow war with Israel.
How a Dispute Over Groceries Led to Artillery Strikes in Ukraine
In a sign of volatile East-West relations, a dispute over shopping in the Ukrainian conflict zone spiraled into fighting that sent war jitters rippling through Europe and the U.S.
How the U.S. Hid an Airstrike That Killed Dozens of Civilians in Syria
The military never conducted an independent investigation into a 2019 bombing on the last bastion of the Islamic State, despite concerns about a secretive commando force.
When Kilauea Erupted, a New Volcanic Playbook Was Written
Scientists learned lessons from the 2018 outburst on the island of Hawaii that are changing how responders prepare for eruptions in other places.
Military Can’t Find ISIS Safe House That Prompted Kabul Drone Strike
The Pentagon’s latest admission illustrates the botched intelligence behind the strike that mistakenly killed 10 civilians in August.
Video Showed Child in Area Minutes Before Kabul Drone Strike
An investigation of the airstrike, which mistakenly killed 10 civilians, including seven children, did not recommend any disciplinary action.
U.S. Pledges to Pay Family of Those Killed in Botched Kabul Drone Strike
The Pentagon offered unspecified amounts to relatives of the 10 civilians who died in Aug. 29 attack and agreed to help relocate those who want to move to the U.S.
Biden Declared the War Over. But Wars Go On.
The president’s assertion after the withdrawal from Afghanistan that the United States is not at war for the first time in 20 years ignored continued smaller-scale conflicts.
A Botched Drone Strike in Kabul Started With the Wrong Car
An errant strike that killed 10 civilians has called into question the reliability of the intelligence that will be used to conduct future U.S. operations in Afghanistan.
A ‘Righteous Strike’
Inside the Times investigation that forced the U.S. military to acknowledge that a drone attack in Afghanistan was a deadly error.
Pentagon Acknowledges Aug. 29 Drone Strike in Afghanistan Was Tragic Mistake
The findings of the inquiry mirrored a New York Times investigation of video evidence, along with interviews with more than a dozen of the driver’s co-workers and family members in Kabul.
Pentagon Defends Deadly Drone Strike in Kabul
A New York Times investigation, with video analysis and interviews at the site, has cast doubt on the U.S. military’s account.
In U.S. Drone Strike, Evidence Suggests No ISIS Bomb
U.S. officials said a Reaper drone followed a car for hours and then fired based on evidence it was carrying explosives. But in-depth video analysis and interviews at the site cast doubt on that account.
Military Analysis Raises Questions About Deadly Drone Strike in Kabul
A preliminary analysis said that it was “possible to probable” that explosives were in the car and that drone operators took only a cursory scan of the courtyard before launching an attack.
How the U.S. Made War Humane and Endless
The withdrawal from Afghanistan is a final step in the transformation of American warfare into something sanitized and edited out of view.
Why Biden Didn’t See the ISIS-K Threat Until Too Late
Twenty years later, the terrorism threat from Afghanistan hasn’t faded. And militant competition from ISIS-K has merely increased the stakes.
Biden Didn’t See the ISIS-K Threat in Afghanistan Until Too Late
Twenty years later, the terrorism threat from Afghanistan hasn’t faded. And militant competition from ISIS-K has merely increased the stakes.
U.S. Conducts Drone Strike in Kabul and Winds Down Airlift as Deadline Nears
The strike eliminated what U.S. officials called an imminent terrorist threat. With the military evacuation of Afghans over, the United States and others say they will still get people out.
Afghanistan Collapse and Strikes in Somalia Raise Snags for Drone Warfare Rules
But the Biden administration is close to finishing a new playbook for counterterrorism strikes outside conventional war zones.
Amid Afghan Chaos, a C.I.A. Mission That Will Persist for Years
The spy agency had plans to de-emphasize counterterrorism operations to focus on rising global powers. History got in the way.
Ex-Intelligence Analyst Is Sentenced for Leaking to a Reporter
The former U.S. contractor admitted to disclosing details of the government’s drone warfare program.
F.A.A. Committee Recommends a Pivot to Gender-Neutral Terminology
The committee suggested that the aviation administration replace words and phrases including “cockpit” and “man-made” with terms like “flight deck” and “manufactured.”
Pentagon Weighs Proposal to Send Dozens of Troops Back to Somalia
The plan for a “train and assist” mission would partly reverse President Donald J. Trump’s withdrawal of nearly all American ground forces from the country.
U.S. Weighs Possibility of Airstrikes if Afghan Forces Face Crisis
The Pentagon is considering whether to intervene with warplanes or drones in the event that Kabul is in danger of falling to the Taliban, though no decisions have been made.