Kalashnikov Concern, Russia's largest weapons manufacturer, has plans to develop a massive 20-ton attack and spy robot, intends to break into the increasingly popular drone market and even develop video games, the company's top executive told TASS News Agency in a far-ranging interview published Tuesday. CEO Aleksey Krivoruchko touched on his company's plans to hit almost every part of the arms and technology sectors but also said an entire family of robots were in development and the progress would be unveiled later this year. "We are pushing ahead with this work and hope to show some of our achievements at the Army-2017," Krivoruchko said, referring to a military technology convention when asked about potential new robot projects. "I'm talking not about one vehicle but a whole family of reconnaissance and attack vehicles of different class that can operate as a team." After creating the Soratnik, an unmanned combat ground vehicle revealed in September, Krivoruchko was also asked if something even bigger was in the mix.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has given the Central Intelligence Agency secret new authority to conduct drone strikes against suspected terrorists, U.S. officials said, changing the Obama administration's policy of limiting the spy agency's paramilitary role and reopening a turf war between the agency and the Pentagon. The new authority, which hadn't been previously disclosed, represents a significant departure from a cooperative approach that had become standard practice by the end of former President Barack Obama's tenure: The CIA used drones and other intelligence resources to locate suspected terrorists and then the military conducted the actual strike. The U.S. drone strike that killed Taliban leader Mullah Mansour in May 2016 in Pakistan was the best example of that hybrid approach, U.S. officials said. The Obama administration put the military in charge of pulling the trigger to promote transparency and accountability. The CIA, which operates under covert authorities, wasn't required to disclose the number of suspected terrorists or civilian bystanders it killed in drone strikes.

Shifting from the drone policy of the Obama administration, President Donald Trump has given the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) new authority to conduct drone attacks against suspected militants, anonymous U.S. officials said. The new policy is in contrast to that of former President Barack Obama that limited the CIA's paramilitary role, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. Under the Obama administration, the CIA used drones and other intelligence resources to locate suspected terrorists and then the military conducted the actual strike. Although Obama pushed for the use of drones, he kept the military in place to conduct the actual strike. During Obama's two terms, a total of 563 strikes, largely by drones, targeted Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen compared to 57 strikes under George W. Bush, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

Iran deployed a jamming tool that is capable of cutting electronic connection of a drone from its command pilot and use the unmanned aerial vehicle against its operator, reports said Sunday. This comes as the U.S. military often uses several drones to counter the Islamic State group militants in Iraq and Syria. "The device, which resembles a rifle, is capable of locking onto a drone and jamming its communications. Once the device locks onto a drone, its operator is no longer in control. It is also reported that it has hacking capabilities, potentially rerouting a targeted drone. Additionally, its hacking abilities may allow the device user to safely land a drone," according to an analysis provided by the Army's Foreign Military Studies Office at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, the Washington Times reported.

WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump has given the Central Intelligence Agency new authority to conduct drone attacks against suspected militants, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing U.S. officials. The move would be a change from the policy of former President Barack Obama's administration of limiting the CIA's paramilitary role, the newspaper reported. The White House, the U.S. Department of Defense and the CIA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Obama had sought to influence global guidelines for the use of drone strikes as other nations began pursuing their own drone programs. The United States was the first to use unmanned aircraft fitted with missiles to kill militant suspects in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

TOKUSHIMA – In another downside to rapidly graying Japan, the nation's active hunters -- in decline and aging -- are having a hard time keeping up with their hunting dogs that dash after their prey. That's a big headache for prefectural governments nationwide that need hunters to go after deer, boars and other animals that cause extensive crop damage. The small mountain town of Naka, Tokushima Prefecture, is hoping to solve the problem by using drones and tracking devices on dogs to help increasingly frail hunters bag their targets. In December, the town conducted an experiment using a drone to locate a hunting dog in the mountains. In the experiment, a portable tracking device showed the location of the dog more than 900 meters away on the side of a mountain.

Critics of the targeted killing program question whether the strikes create more militants than they kill. They cite the spread of jihadist organizations and militant attacks throughout the world as evidence that targeted killings may be exacerbating the problem.

MOSUL, IRAQ – Iraqi forces said Monday that they have taken more territory from jihadists and were searching for militants and bombs on the edge of the Old City as they press an offensive in west Mosul. They are also striking IS with armed drones as part of a renewed push launched on March 5 that has forced the jihadis out of several neighborhoods and key sites, including the famed Mosul museum. West Mosul is the most-populated urban area still held by the jihadis, followed by Syria's Raqa, which is also a key target in the U.S.-led anti-IS campaign. Iraq's Joint Operations Command announced additional gains on Monday, saying that forces from the elite Counter-Terrorism Service had recaptured the Al-Nafat and Mosul al-Jadida neighborhoods. Lt. Gen. Raed Shakir Jawdat said that forces from the Rapid Response Division, another special forces unit, and the federal police were working to search and clear territory on the edge of Mosul's Old City.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army is permanently stationing an attack drone system and its support personnel in South Korea amid ongoing tensions with the North, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday. Officials said the deployment, due by next year, was not unique to South Korea and was being conducted across the Army to provide infantry divisions with better intelligence. But the announcement comes just one week after Pyongyang launched four ballistic missiles in its latest provocative test. "The U.S. Army, after coordination with the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and the U.S. Air Force, has begun the process to permanently station a Gray Eagle Unmanned Aerial Systems company at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea," Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. The sensor-rich MQ-1C Gray Eagle is capable of carrying Stinger and Hellfire missiles, as well as other armaments.

This isn't the first initiative intended to beef up jobs for qualified drone pilots, either. Last year, the Air Force started paying bonuses to keep pilots in the job, offering $10,000 more per year if they renewed their active duty status for five years. The military has also been increasing its use of drones like the MQ-9 Reaper for reconnaissance and missile strikes. More jobs means more reliance on these unmanned aircraft, with the Air Force moving to an all-Reaper drone fleet in the next year or two. The military branch intends to retire the older MQ-1 Predator next year, along with plans for eight potential bases to host new drone units in the near future.