Light-up drones have been used to display public health messages in the sky above Seoul, South Korea.

Combat drone engagement is becoming a usual practice. The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) fight air defense and often win. Swarm tactic of drone engagement has emerged. It brings drone control to the foreground, as the usual operator-drone scheme often fails. Other technologies are necessary, the online Army Standard publication said.

Combat drone engagement is becoming a usual practice. The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) fight air defense and often win. Swarm tactic of drone engagement has emerged. It brings drone control to the foreground, as the usual operator-drone scheme often fails. Other technologies are necessary, the online Army Standard publication said.

DJI's new Mavic Air 2 folding-style drone is a huge improvement over the previous model--so much so that for most people, this is the perfect drone. The Mavic Air 2 is the middle child in DJI's consumer drone lineup, sitting between the smaller, lighter, but less capable Mavic Mini, and the more powerful, more capable, but also more expensive, Mavic 2. If you're just getting started with drones, the less expensive Mavic Mini (8/10 WIRED Recommends)--my previous top pick for most people--might be a better buy. That said, the Air 2 offers better collision avoidance systems, higher quality photos and video, and a wide assortment of automated flight features that newcomers and seasoned vets alike can appreciate. The Mavic Air 2 is slightly bigger than its predecessor, at least on paper. The folding design remains compact, and at 1.3 pounds, the drone is plenty portable.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo seized on a U.N. report confirming Iranian weapons were used to attack Saudi Arabia in September and were part of an arms shipment seized months ago off Yemen's coast; State Department correspondent Rich Edson reports. A fire and an explosion struck a centrifuge production plant above Iran's underground Natanz nuclear enrichment facility early Thursday, analysts said, one of the most-tightly guarded sites in all of the Islamic Republic after earlier acts of sabotage there. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran sought to downplay the fire, calling it an "incident" that only affected an under-construction "industrial shed," spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said. However, both Kamalvandi and Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi rushed after the fire to Natanz, a facility earlier targeted by the Stuxnet computer virus and built underground to withstand enemy airstrikes. The fire threatened to rekindle wider tensions across the Middle East, similar to the escalation in January after a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad and Tehran launched a retaliatory ballistic missile attack targeting American forces in Iraq. While offering no cause for Thursday's blaze, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency published a commentary addressing the possibility of sabotage by enemy nations such as Israel and the U.S. following other recent explosions in the country.

We already have drones and increasingly autonomous cars, so it's perhaps no surprise that several companies are already working on flying taxis – also known as passenger drones and electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The first piloted eVTOL services are expected as early as this year, but we could see pilot-less autonomous eVTOLs soon after that. That's right; autonomous flying taxis could be a reality in your lifetime. The number of hours we used to spend sitting in traffic before the coronavirus hit is almost too depressing to think about, particularly if you live in a densely populated, congested city like Los Angeles, New York or London. Some are suggesting eVTOL services could be the answer to our traffic prayers – transporting passengers on congested city routes through the air. Meanwhile, other companies are developing eVTOLs aimed at popular intercity journeys, such as traveling from my home town of Milton Keynes to London.

Iran has issued an arrest warrant and asked Interpol for help in detaining President Donald Trump and dozens of others it believes carried out the U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad, a local prosecutor reportedly said Monday. Interpol later said it wouldn't consider Iran's request, meaning Trump faces no danger of arrest. However, the charges underscore the heightened tensions between Iran and the United States since Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. Tehran prosecutor Ali Alqasimehr said Trump and 35 others whom Iran accuses of involvement in the Jan. 3 strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad face "murder and terrorism charges," the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Alqasimehr did not identify anyone else sought other than Trump, but stressed that Iran would continue to pursue his prosecution even after his presidency ends.

A drone has begun delivering urgent medical supplies to a hospital on the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. The trial is part of a government project to develop a transport system that allows manned and unmanned aircraft to operate safely in the same airspace. And it could have significant implications for the delivery of humanitarian aid to isolated areas.

Researchers from NCCR Robotics at the University of Zurich and Intel developed an algorithm that pushes autonomous drones to their physical limit. Since the dawn of flight, acrobatics has been a way for pilots to prove their bravery and worth. It is also a way to push the envelope of what can be done with an aircraft, learning lessons that are useful to all pilots and engineers. The same is true for unmanned flight. Professional drone pilots perform acrobatic maneuvers in dedicated competitions, pushing drones to their physical limits and perfecting their control and efficiency.

Army researchers have designed a new drone that can transform mid-flight, making it capable of both high-speed flight and hovering in place at a target destination. The drone was a joint effort from the US Army Research Laboratory and engineers Texas A&M, who presented their research at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aviation Forum and Exposition. The drone transforms by either bending its wings upward or fully extending them depending on the needs of the mission and the types of maneuvers it needs to execute. For'dash' segments of missions, which require travel to and from a target, the wings will be folded inward to allow for faster and more efficient travel, while'loiter' phases of a mission will see the wings fully extended for increased stability. 'During dash segments, short wings are desirable in order to go fast and be more maneuverable, but for loiter segments, long wings are desirable in order to enable low power, high endurance flight.'