Tehran, Iran – Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu, has met senior military and security officials in Iran and toured an exhibition of Iranian missiles and drones. Shoigu arrived in Tehran on Tuesday and was officially received by Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces. He has met Iranian Defence Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) aerospace chief Amir Ali Hajizadeh and security chief Ali Akbar Ahmadian. Bagheri told Shoigu that military cooperation is at the vanguard of expanding relations between Tehran and Moscow, who have been working on a new long-term cooperation plan for months. "This document has serious military and defence dimensions, and can act as suitable grounds to expand long-term cooperation between the two countries," he was quoted as saying by Iranian state media.

As new year approaches, crowds around the world may be expecting whizzes and bangs to light up the sky. One notable example was the opening ceremony of this year's Tokyo Olympics, while the Over the Top NYE event at Reunion Tower in Dallas is among those planning to combine fireworks and drones to welcome 2022. They are also being embraced at a local level: more than 1,000 people watched a drone display at Mercia Marina in Derbyshire to celebrate Bonfire Night this year. Ollie Howitt, the creative coordinator at SkyMagic, which used a fleet of 300 drones to create a display for the mayor of London's new year celebration last year, said demand had increased substantially, something the pandemic has helped accelerate. She added that drones were increasingly able to fly in greater density and for longer.

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

The spectacular sight of 1,218 drones forming the Olympic rings during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics was pre-recorded. Organisers had said that because of "possible freezing weather and strong winds" that part of the event had been "secretly pre-recorded". The International Olympic Committee said it was this footage that was used. "Due to impromptu logistical changes it (drone deployment) did not proceed," said an IOC spokesman. The feat was a Guinness World Record for drones used in a performance.