On September 12, 1961, a landmark event took place in the history of the R.1127: the second prototype (XP836) completed a flight through the full profile – vertical takeoff, transition to horizontal flight, transition to hover, and vertical landing. This confirmed in practice the viability of the VTOL concept with thrust-vector control incorporated into the R.1127’s design. […]
The first crewed flight has taken place for one of the most unconventional aircraft designs of the modern era. The Viceroy, developed by REGENT Craft, is a fully electric “seaglider” that combines a boat-like hull, wing-in-ground-effect technology, and hydrofoils in a single design. Aviation engineering occasionally produces remarkable solutions, but bringing three such concepts together […]
The Ukrainian side has called on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to urge its member states to completely suspend air traffic over the territory of the Russian Federation. The appeal came a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that flying there was becoming absolutely unsafe. On Tuesday, senior Ukrainian officials announced plans to step […]
What began as a routine police response to a reported break-in turned into a brief standoff between nature and technology. Last week, law enforcement in the city of Kirkland, Washington (just northeast of Seattle) responded to a 911 call from a resident reporting loud banging inside their home. Officers arrived expecting a human intruder, but were instead greeted by a more literal cat burglar: a trapped and confused bobcat.
Not wanting to risk a claw to the face, the officers backed out and reassessed the situation. They ultimately decided to deploy a remote-controlled drone into the house, to monitor the feline intruder from a safe distance. Video captured from the drone’s perspective and released on Facebook, shows the frustrated bobcat standing by a staircase, growling and arching its back at the hovering machine. After a brief standoff with the buzzing, metal alien, the bobcat carefully retreated, sidestepping into an adjacent empty room.
Police were then able to close their door and keep the bobcat isolated until a team from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife arrived. Wildlife officials then sedated the cat, loaded it into a crate, and transported it to nearby Forbes Creek. The feline was then released back into the wild, startled but safe. As for how a bobcat ended up in the house in the first place, Kirkland Police believe the adventurous intruder climbed a tree and jumped through an open window, possibly lured in by the resident’s indoor cat. Both the owner and its likely shocked cat were unharmed, according to the police. Thankfully, curiosity didn’t kill this cat.
The Kirkland Police Department did not immediately respond to Popular Science’s request for comment.
The aerial deployment was made possible by a public safety drone program the Kirkland Police began in 2022. Today, they reportedly maintain five drones and have 17 FAA-licensed pilots ready to operate them. The typical use cases for those drones include search and rescue, tactical search, scene documentation, and, apparently, bobcat removal.
The bobcat before its release near Forbes Creek. Image: Kirkland Police Department.
Drones are changing the way police surveil wildlife…and people
Drones and robotic dog-like quadrupeds are reshaping how local communities approach wildlife management. In Japan, authorities deploy a combination of camera-equipped drones and robotic Monster Wolves to locate and deter bears following a record spike in human-bear encounters driven by urban sprawl and declining farmland. In the United States, police in Santa Fe, New Mexico, recently used an aerial drone to track an errant bear wandering near a school. Expanded drone programs are also playing a greater role in locating lost or missing pets. Just last month, firefighters in t Florida used a remotely controlled drone to find an overly adventurous dog trapped in a storm drain.
But this increased prevalence of drones comes with other, more controversial concerns as well. Police forces around the country are ramping up “drones as first responder” programs, which civil liberty critics say could introduce unreasonable surveillance. Law enforcement around the country has already used these drones to monitor political protesters. Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is reportedly interested in using Boston Dynamics’ quadruped robot “Spot” to aid in immigration operations. Private security companies like Flock and Axon are also investing heavily in aerial surveillance drones.
On September 1 and during the night of September 2, 2026, Ukraine carried out strikes against a number of military targets belonging to the Russian aggressor. According to the official Facebook page of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the attack was successful, with Ukrainian Defense Forces units striking enemy ammunition and […]
The first flight of the largest battery-electric aircraft to take to the skies lasted nearly half an hour while costing just $5 of electricity. That aviation feat comes at a time when jet fuel prices have skyrocketed because of the US war with Iran.
The test flight of Heart Aerospace’s X1 demonstrator aircraft took place at Plattsburgh International Airport in upstate New York on August 12. The X1 aircraft is comparable in size to a small regional airliner and can achieve a maximum takeoff weight exceeding 25,000 pounds with the help of four wing-mounted electric motors. The battery-electric propulsion system delivered more than one megawatt of power during the maiden flight.
All-electric aircraft can offer quieter and cleaner flight without the emissions that come from burning jet fuel. They may also prove more reliably cost-effective than conventional aircraft that come with jet fuel costs subject to geopolitical disruptions.
Joby Aviation announced it was acquiring Dayton, Ohio-based defense firm Resonant Sciences in a $500 million deal, in a bid by the electric aircraft company to expand further into the military industrial complex.
Joby says it expects to finance the deal with $450 million in cash and $50 million in equity. After the deal closes, which is expected in early 2027, Resonant will continue its existing work as Joby's dedicated defense division, the company said. The commercial division will remain focused on air taxis, the first of which are expected to launch later this year.
The deal is the latest example of the fledgling electric aviation in …
On the evening of August 10, 2026, a MiG-29 fighter jet operated by the Ukrainian Air Force was lost while carrying out a combat mission. This was reported on the official Facebook page of the Ukrainian Air Force Command. It was reported that the pilot was carrying out a combat mission to destroy enemy aerial […]
Archer Aviation is buying three of Boeing’s aerospace subsidiaries: autonomous air-taxi developer Wisk Aero, military drone maker Insitu, and airspace-software firm SkyGrid. The deal also hands Boeing a stake in Archer.
Investors loved it. Archer (ACHR) stock jumped more than 20% on Monday, and the acquisition instantly turns a pre-revenue eVTOL startup into a company with a profitable defense business behind it.
Quelques nuages de plus, une éclaircie en moins ou un vent différent auraient pu modifier le destin de centaines de milliers de personnes. En août 1945, la météo a été un facteur décisif pour le largage de la première bombe atomique sur la population.
Bell Textron has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of the Navy with an estimated value of approximately $300 million. The agreement was signed in August 2026 at Bell’s manufacturing facility in Amarillo, Texas. The contract combines fixed-price, fixed-price incentive, and cost-reimbursement elements with fixed-fee provisions. The base contract, with options for extension […]
A security alert was declared at Leipzig/Halle Airport on the night of Wednesday following a potential security threat. Shortly before midnight, a drone was discovered near the runway. According to BILD, the drone was attached to an unidentified substance. Investigators were particularly concerned because it was also fitted with a detonator. The device was subsequently […]
France continues flight testing of the Airbus H160M Guépard, its next-generation multirole military helicopter. On July 31, the program reached another milestone as the second prototype completed its maiden flight. The first prototype has been in the air since July 24, 2025. The H160M is being developed for the French Armed Forces under the HIL (Hélicoptère […]
The recent announcement by the Ukrainian Army Aviation Command identifying the UH-60 Black Hawk as the preferred future helicopter for Army Aviation brigades has sparked debate among defense analysts over the merits of this decision and the potential alternatives. Today, we take a closer look at one such alternative – the Italian-built Leonardo AW149 multirole helicopter. Development […]
Russia has reportedly lost another aircraft following an aviation accident in Krasnodar Region. According to reports circulating online, the aircraft involved was an L-39 jet trainer. The incident was first reported by the Russian military blogger Fighterbomber on his Telegram channel. Few details have been released so far, although he claimed that the crew had […]
For six decades, aspiring U.S. Air Force fighter pilots have completed advanced jet training in the supersonic Northrop T-38 Talon before transitioning to frontline combat aircraft. During that time, several generations of fighters have entered service: the third-generation F-4 Phantom II gave way to the fourth-generation F-16 Fighting Falcon, while today the Air Force is […]
A new day brings new losses. Russian Telegram channels are reporting that a military aircraft has crashed several kilometers from the town of Zvenigorod in Russia’s Moscow region. According to preliminary reports, the aircraft may have been a Su-57, the only fifth-generation fighter currently in service with the Russian military. According to the Telegram channel Astra, […]
I recently covered the Turkish Hürjet trainer-light attack aircraft, whose first export customer turned out to be Spain. But four decades earlier, Spain had nearly developed an aircraft of the same class itself. The project, known as the CASA AX, appeared to be a realistic proposition. So why did the Spanish effort ultimately fail? Concept […]
Textron Aviation Inc., a subsidiary of Textron Inc., has announced that the clean-sheet single-engine turboprop Beechcraft Denali has entered the final stages of its flight testing program. The Denali development program remains on schedule, with completion of all flight tests planned for October 2026. Once testing is complete, Textron Aviation will submit the final certification […]
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