Global Scans · Drones · Weekly Summary

• [New] The U.S. military said it had targeted Iranian military assets and facilities, including drone storage and coastal surveillance sites, to diminish the threat to commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. investing.com
• [New] The EU and Ukraine signed a letter of intent that aims to establish joint drone and anti-drone production by the end of 2026 and joint anti-ballistic missile production by 2028, as well as broader support for defence manufacturing. CP24
• [New] Israeli firm Axon Vision has unveiled a counter-drone system designed to tackle one of the fastest-growing battlefield threats: first-person view drones guided by fiber-optic cables that are largely immune to traditional electronic jamming. The Defense Post
• [New] QatarEnergy declared force majeure on its entire LNG output after Iranian drone strikes knocked out 17% of its capacity at Ras Laffan, with repairs expected to take up to five years. Clintel
• [New] UNICEF warns over rising child casualties, saying more than 300 children were killed or injured during the past six months, with 60% of casualties linked to drone strikes. More News From NowHere
• [New] The price of a barrel of oil climbed above $100 for the first time in two months after Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen claimed missile and drone attacks on two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, fueling concerns about potential disruptions to global oil supplies. RBC-Ukraine
• [New] Since the beginning of 2026, escalating Ukrainian missile and drone strikes on military and industrial targets inside Russia have succeeded in hampering the Kremlin war machine and sparking a fuel crisis that is threatening to destabilize Putin's home front. Atlantic Council
• [New] Mark Rutte, NATO's secretary general, announced the new Drone Edge initiative, which will include more than $40 billion in investments from allies in counter-drone capabilities over the next five years. Business Insider
• [New] NATO unveiled plans on Tuesday for a fivefold increase in trained drone operators by the end of 2027, part of efforts to prepare allies for the kind of conflict that's unfolding in Ukraine. Business Insider
• [New] On drones and robotics: To meet the DoD's 2025 Drone Dominance Initiative goal of 200,000 military drones by 2027 and reduced supply chain reliance on China, manufacturing capacity outside of the traditional defence industrial base will be necessary. MIT Initiative for New Manufacturing Substack
• [New] The drone delivery network is expected to launch in late 2027, with service beginning in the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area before expanding across Tampa Bay. Business Observer
• [New] Drone delivery revenue will grow significantly over the next decade, from approximately $2.2 B in 2026 to $25.3 B by 2036. OIA Global
• [New] Carnegie Mellon University is developing coordinated groups of drones - called drone swarms - and AI systems that can be deployed to keep more people out of danger. CMU - News
• [New] USAFRICOM teamed with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to field test a low-cost drone-swarm defence system, CURTAIN CALL, that detects and intercepts single and multiple drone attacks and threats. Fluet
• [New] India is projected to post a 17.5% CAGR supported by mapping programs and drone-based environmental monitoring. FactMr
• [New] The Association of Unmanned Aviation expects a 40% increase in the global commercial drone fleet between 2022 and 2030. The National Law Review
• [New] The cost of marine insurance in the Black Sea increased 204-fold in the second quarter of 2026, while the loss ratio for reinsurance covering drone-attack risks reached 2800%. Ukraine's Arms Monitor
• Manna Aero, the Ireland-based autonomous drone delivery startup, is scaling up in the United States with a factory and operations center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that it says will employ 1,000 in the next few years. TechCrunch
• The plan heavily funds Project NYX, an initiative to field up to 24 armed autonomous drones designed to fly alongside and team with Army Apache helicopters by 2030, and the Storm Shroud, an uncrewed electronic-warfare drone. / UK Ronin's Grips Analytics

Last updated: 02 August 2026