The DragonFire system successfully shot down drones travelling at up to 650km/h at a range in Scotland, just as a £316m contract for its deployment on a

The drone war in Ukraine and the growing drone treat in the West is pushing industry and new innovation.

MBDA/DSTL/Jack Eckersley/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2025/Cover Images UK's revolutionary laser weapon shoots down high-speed drones in new trials. Britain’s ground-breaking DragonFire laser weapon has shot high-speed drones out of the sky for the first time.

Poland and Romania are deploying a new weapons system to defend against Russian drones, following a spate of incursions into NATO airspace in recent months that exposed the alliance’s vulnerabilities and put Europe on edge.

TRUPPENÜBUNGSPLATZ PUTLOS TRAINING GROUND, Germany— In a grassy field near the Baltic Sea, U.S. soldiers used net-shooting hunter drones, specially outfitted 557 rifles, and .50-caliber machine guns to drop dozens of drones, large and small, into the cold mud.

The world's biggest defence contractors, like Lockheed Martin and Boeing, are taking note, as are smaller drone-makers like US-based AeroVironment, which is listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Its share price has soared more than four-fold since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Despite those defensive measures and the small explosive payload drones carry, most of the armored vehicles damaged or destroyed in Ukraine were done in by armed drones. Over 70 percent of all Russian casualties are now the result of drone attacks.

A senior Ukrainian defense official told Business Insider that Russia has been modifying its Shahed drones and fielding new models.

The old continent is still mostly investing in old-fashioned guns, according to figures on defence investments funded by the EU budget sent to the European parliament, writes Laura Dubois.

Instead the army has ordered more of the new Infantry Squad Vehicle. This is similar to a dune buggy and consists of nine seats, some roll bars and an engine. This vehicle depends on speed and maneuverability to keep the troops safe.

KULR develops a next-generation 400V battery system for Counter-UAS directed energy weapons, supporting the fast-growing demand.