Russia has built more than 50 air defense positions around Putin’s Valdai residence, most of them in October. That’s about half the number of new positions around Moscow, a region of more than 20 million people.
A missile strike set fire to Russia’s Energia plant in Yelets, which supplies batteries for Iskander-M missiles, Kh-35U cruise missiles, and glide-bomb kits. Open-source accounts say the missiles were Storm Shadows, but Ukrainian officials haven’t confirmed that.
PG Robotics added camera-based navigation to its Lucky Strike-2.1, so the drone can hold position and fly home without GPS.
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Ukrainian manufacturer Wild Hornets has launched serial production of its HV VTX Pro video transmitter, upgrading the digital communications used across several of its drone platforms. The module raises maximum transmission power to four watts, more than twice the previous version’s output. According to the company, this extends digital video range and improves resistance to electronic warfare jamming.
Wild Hornets says state trials confirmed the advertised specifications on three aircraft: the Sting high-speed interceptor, the Queen of Hornets heavy bomber and cargo drone, and the 10-inch Wild Hornets Digital anti-aircraft drone. Operators used the company’s Hornet Vision Ctrl controller during testing. The manufacturer also says some aircraft performance figures exceeded their official specifications, although it did not publish the measurements. The transmitter follows an earlier Hornet Vision upgrade that expanded independent communications channels from nine to 25, allowing up to 25 crews to operate simultaneously in the same radio environment, according to Wild Hornets.
Ukrainian manufacturer PG Robotics has introduced visual navigation to its Lucky Strike-2.1 drone lineup, enabling reconnaissance, surveillance, and fire-correction missions when GPS is unavailable. The upgrade centers on the Salamandra optical navigation module, which determines the aircraft’s position using images from a downward-facing camera. According to the manufacturer, this allows the drone to follow its route, hold position, and return to its launch point without satellite navigation.
The 15-inch aircraft builds on the serially produced Lucky Strike-2 and retains digital video transmission alongside satellite and visual navigation options. Listed specifications include a cruising speed of 60 kilometers per hour, a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour, and a payload of up to three kilograms. Its stated operating radius is 12 kilometers, extending to 20 kilometers without a payload; endurance similarly rises from up to 20 minutes to 40 minutes when unloaded. Three versions offer different camera packages, including daylight imaging, optical zoom, and a combined daylight-and-thermal option. Available through Brave1 Market, each aircraft comes with two battery sets.
Ukrainian manufacturer F-Drones has made its F-Captain medium-range strike drone available through Brave1 Market and DOT-Chain Defence, giving military units additional procurement routes for the system. Units can also order it using ePoints on Brave1 Market. Previously priced at $4,200 per drone, the F-Captain has a stated range of 100 kilometers and can carry a warhead weighing up to 10 kilograms.
The manufacturer says it combines GPS-independent navigation, digital communications, and daytime and thermal cameras, while supporting remote control. The complete system includes a launch catapult and ground control station, although the quoted drone price should not be read as the cost of that entire package. Development began in 2025 following military requests for an affordable medium-range strike capability and concluded in spring 2026, ahead of its summer unveiling. Its intended targets include Russian radars, air defenses, ammunition depots, command posts, and logistics facilities.
Ukrainian communications and navigation developer Sine Engineering has announced a research and development center in Finland, with plans to expand its local team to 100 people by the end of 2026. Building on an office opened in 2025, the initiative will bring Ukrainian and Finnish engineers together to develop, test, and manufacture communications, navigation, and onboard autonomy systems. The technologies are intended to operate under electronic warfare conditions, including when satellite navigation and conventional communications are unavailable or unreliable.
Sine says more than 200 Ukrainian drone manufacturers already use its solutions, including companies producing interceptors. The firm also signed an October memorandum of understanding with Finnish technology company Insta, although the proposed cooperation remains undisclosed. CEO Andrii Chulyk wants government backing and inclusion in the Ukraine–Finland Drone Deal, particularly to secure approvals for technology transfers, joint development, testing, production, and deployment across Ukraine, Finland, the EU, and allied countries.
