drones

Drones have another weapon in the arsenal thanks to "Crazy Li" Xiao: lasers. Not just lasers, but ones powerful enough to vaporize human tissue on contact and cut through metal.

Looking like a miniature F-22 crossed with an equally small F-35B, SkyDefense's CobraJet is being marketed by the company as an AI-enabled eVTOL interceptor. It sports electric jets capable of speeds of over 200 mph (322 km/h) for taking out hostile drones.

Technology group Rohde & Schwarz has upped the ante in countering the threat of commercial drones to civil and military aviation with its Ardronis Wi-Fi system that doesn't just knock out drones, but infiltrates them and steals their data.

Three of America's leading AI companies have now signed up to share their technology with the US defence forces and military contractors, even after initially insisting they wouldn't – and the age of autonomous warfare seems close at hand.

Engineers at the University of South Australia have taken a page from the days of wooden sailing ships and developed a way for drones to navigate by the stars at night using simple, lightweight equipment for areas where GPS signals aren't available.

German defense technology company, Helsing, has just unveiled its first AI-powered, munitions-deploying strike drone, the HX-2, though its core components are already battle-hardened.

It’s not just the Mulders of the world watching the skies anymore – the Scullys are getting involved. The US Department of Defense (DoD) has released its latest report on UFOs, with some intriguing stats and stories.

Saronic, a defense-technology company based in Austin, Texas, has announced the Corsair, its largest autonomous surface vessel yet. It's a 24-ft-long sleek ship with customizable capabilities that can be deployed in "the thousands" for the US Navy.

Leonardo UK has publicly rolled out its BriteStorm electronic warfare system that allows air forces to penetrate hostile airspace by creating phantom squadrons of fighter planes and missiles to jam and spoof radar defenses.

Anduril Industries has just announced the Bolt and Bolt-M drone. These aren't your average hobbyist drones either, as the M stands for "munitions," packing up to a 3 lb (1.4 kg) payload of your favorite tactical ordnance.

Military drones are moving into the heavy-hitting league, as Stedicopter shows off its Golden Eagle HS (Heavy Strike) Rotary Unmanned Aerial System (RUAS). It's a 50-kg (110-lb) autonomous helicopter that can carry a heavy anti-tank missile.

October 1 is China's National Day – and the high-tech metropolis of Shenzhen celebrated with an eye-popping spectacle: a record-smashing swarm display of 10,197 drones in concert, showing just how far this next-gen entertainment technology has come.