Wall Street Journal
• Kelly Cloonan
Uber is partnering with Zipline to bring autonomous drone delivery to Uber Eats, beginning in participating markets this year. The companies aim to scale restaurant, grocery and retail deliveries across the U.S. to 1 million per day by 2029, potentially fulfilling orders within minutes.
UAV Development & Drone Programs
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Uber is partnering with Zipline to bring autonomous drone delivery to Uber Eats, beginning in participating markets this year. The companies aim to scale restaurant, grocery and retail deliveries across the U.S. to 1 million per day by 2029, potentially fulfilling orders within minutes.
Ukraine has disclosed a long-range uncrewed aircraft system as Russia expands infrastructure for Geran-family one-way attack drones, including heavier variants. The developments come amid reports of faster jet-powered Shahed derivatives, an 822-drone aerial assault and a Ukrainian strike on the Engels-2 bomber base.
The U.S. Air Force is seeking advanced target drones capable of simulating a broad range of aircraft performance, including stealth fighters and small unmanned aerial vehicles. The effort would support more representative training and testing against varied airborne threats.
Uber, DoorDash, Walmart and other delivery platforms are investing in drone delivery to reduce trip times. Uber’s stated ambition is to reach 1 million daily drone-delivery trips by 2029, signaling that logistics operators view unmanned aircraft as a potential tool for scaling last-mile operations.
Japan is testing Helsing’s HX-2 loitering munition, with Rakuten helping the German defense startup navigate the country’s complex procurement system. The effort highlights both growing interest in loitering weapons and the role of commercial intermediaries in accessing Japan’s defense market.
Rapid access to satellite imagery is strengthening Ukraine’s war-drone operations, linking space-based intelligence with unmanned systems on the battlefield. The episode underscores how timely commercial or government satellite data can directly support military decision-making and the effectiveness of drone missions.
High activity
A Spanish F-18 operating under NATO command shot down a drone after Romanian surveillance systems detected it entering the country’s airspace from Moldova near the Ukrainian border. The incident marks Romania’s fourth reported drone shootdown of 2026, following years of repeated Russian drone incursions.
The White House is imposing new import duties on drones and related components under a national-security rationale, with rates ranging from 25% to 100%. Lower tariffs will apply to qualifying allied supply chains, while the policy is designed to encourage domestic drone manufacturing and pressure users toward U.S.-made systems.
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