Countering small drones has become as much a financial challenge as a military one. Armed forces increasingly find themselves using costly interceptors against targets that are cheap to build and easy to deploy. Thales says its newest guided rocket was developed to restore that balance.

The company has unveiled the LGR275 Proxy, a 70mm laser-guided rocket designed specifically to intercept small unmanned aerial systems. Unlike traditional air defense interceptors, the new weapon aims to bring down drones without imposing unsustainable costs on military budgets.

Designed for drone hunts

At the heart of the LGR275 Proxy is a proximity sensor designed to improve engagements against aerial targets, adding a new capability to Thales’ established 70mm guided rocket family.

Instead of relying solely on direct impact, the sensor increases the chances of neutralizing fast-moving drones by triggering the rocket at the optimal moment. Thales paired the sensor with a military-grade warhead engineered to engage smaller airborne threats.

The result is a weapon designed to strike a balance between effectiveness and affordability. Modern militaries often deploy expensive missiles against low-cost drones. That mismatch can drain inventories and stretch defense spending during prolonged operations. Thales says the LGR275 Proxy addresses that problem by offering a more economical interception option.

The rocket supports both surface-to-air and air-to-air missions, giving commanders greater flexibility in how they deploy it. Forces could integrate the system into layered defense networks to engage threats before higher-end interceptors become necessary.

Class 1 and Class 2 drones have emerged as some of the most persistent threats on contemporary battlefields. They conduct reconnaissance missions, direct artillery fire, and carry explosive payloads. Their low cost and widespread availability make them difficult to counter using traditional methods alone.

Production set to expand

Thales Belgium plans to significantly increase the output of its guided rocket family over the next several years. The company expects production capacity to triple between 2026 and 2028. It also intends to strengthen its industrial footprint to support international customers seeking faster deliveries and dependable supply chains.

The production ramp-up reflects growing global demand for counter-drone capabilities. Recent conflicts have shown how quickly drone attacks can overwhelm traditional defenses and deplete interceptor stockpiles.

For defense manufacturers, production capacity has become almost as important as technical performance. Armed forces increasingly seek suppliers that can deliver at scale while maintaining consistent quality and shorter lead times.

Part of a broader shield

The LGR275 Proxy will also reinforce SkyDefender, Thales’ multi-layered Integrated Air and Missile Defence architecture. By adding a lower-cost interception layer, the company aims to provide customers with more sustainable protection against evolving aerial threats. Layered defenses allow operators to match the right weapon to the right target rather than relying on a single interceptor type.

Alain Quevrin, Country Director for Thales Belgium and Luxembourg, said the company developed the new rocket to help nations strengthen their readiness against the expanding drone threat.

He said Thales Belgium remains a leading producer of NATO-standard rockets and noted that the planned production increase would help meet the operational requirements of armed forces facing increasingly complex security environments.

A California startup says it has found a cheaper way to turn an overlooked farm waste product into sustainable aviation fuel, potentially opening a new pathway for airlines racing to meet emissions targets.

Circularity Fuels announced it has completed what it describes as the world’s first end-to-end conversion of raw agricultural biogas into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The six-month pilot transformed methane-rich gas from a California dairy farm’s manure digester into jet fuel that meets ASTM standards for commercial aviation.

The achievement could reshape the economics of SAF production. The company estimates that commercial plants using its technology would cost roughly one-fifth as much as comparable facilities currently being developed in Europe.

Turning waste into fuel

The demonstration took place at a dairy farm near Madera, California, home to more than 5,000 cattle. Like many operations across the country, the farm produces biogas through manure digesters. Much of that gas often goes unused or gets released into the atmosphere.

Circularity’s system converts that waste stream directly into aviation fuel on-site. According to the company, the pilot operated continuously for thousands of hours using untreated biogas composed of roughly 65 percent methane and 35 percent carbon dioxide. The process produced finished jet fuel that can blend with conventional Jet-A fuel at concentrations of up to 50 percent.

The system combines two modular reactors designed for distributed deployment. An electrified bi-reforming reactor converts the raw gas into synthesis gas, while a compact Fischer-Tropsch reactor transforms it into liquid hydrocarbons suitable for aviation use.

Circularity said its reforming unit achieved methane conversion rates above 98 percent and carbon dioxide conversion rates exceeding 90 percent during testing.

Lower-cost SAF pathway

Sustainable aviation fuel remains in short supply worldwide. Current production satisfies less than one percent of global demand. Most SAF today relies on used cooking oil as feedstock.

Critics argue that supply constraints and import dependence limit its long-term potential. Alternative approaches, such as power-to-liquid e-fuels, also face economic hurdles due to rising electricity costs. Circularity believes agricultural biogas offers a more practical option.

The company projects commercial installations could cost less than $100,000 per barrel per day of installed capacity. Those economics could allow SAF derived from dairy waste to compete directly with fossil-based jet fuel prices. “The hard part of this industry was never designing a theoretical plant that could make SAF,” said Dr. Stephen Beaton, founder and chief executive officer of Circularity Fuels. “It was proving you could do it continuously, from real biogas, at a cost that pencils.” He added that the company has now demonstrated the technology using “real feedstock from a real dairy farm.”

Carbon-negative potential

Circularity’s internal life-cycle analysis suggests the fuel could achieve a carbon intensity score of negative 350.7 grams of CO2 equivalent per megajoule under California’s regulatory framework. That figure stems from capturing methane that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere. Methane traps significantly more heat than carbon dioxide over shorter timescales.

Craig Hartman of Hartman Engineering said dairies have long lacked practical ways to monetize biogas without investing heavily in gas-cleaning infrastructure. “Circularity is the first team I’ve seen take raw biogas straight from a digester and turn it into finished jet fuel on-site,” Hartman said.

Following the successful pilot, Circularity plans to begin construction on its first commercial facility in 2027. The company is targeting dairy and agricultural regions across the United States while also exploring opportunities in Latin America and Europe.