Turkish AKINCI Drone Achieves First Air-to-Air Kill Using EREN Loitering Munition Against Shahed-Type UAV

On 21 February 2026, footage and statements released by Baykar Technologies on its official X account confirmed that the Bayraktar AKINCI Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle had carried out its first successful air-to-air engagement using the EREN High-Speed Multi-Purpose Loitering Munition, destroying a target drone over the Black Sea off Sinop. The test comes at a moment when Türkiye has consolidated its position as the world’s leading exporter of armed UAVs and when allied airspace is increasingly challenged by massed kamikaze drones and cruise-missile-like threats on the eastern flank. By transforming a long-endurance strike UCAV into a cost-effective “drone killer” equipped with a turbojet-powered interceptor, Ankara has taken a visible step in rewriting the economics and tactics of air defence. For NATO planners, the demonstration points to a future in which persistent unmanned patrols complement manned fighters and ground-based air defence systems in a layered, networked shield over Alliance territory. Read Full Defense News At This Link.

Baykar Technologies announced that its Bayraktar AKINCI successfully shot down a target drone over the Black Sea using the EREN high-speed loitering munition, marking the platform’s first confirmed air-to-air intercept (Picture Source: Army Recognition Group / Baykar Technologies)

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U.S. Army Conducts Gunnery Exercise With Latest Air Defense System Sgt Stout.

U.S. Army officials confirmed that a live gunnery exercise at Fort Hood, Texas, is underway, featuring the latest-generation Sgt Stout short-range air defense system. The drills mark a significant step toward full operational integration as units across the force adapt to evolving threats from drones, rotary-wing aircraft, and low-flying munitions. It matters because Sgt. Stout enhances the Army’s ability to defend forward-deployed troops and critical infrastructure from modern aerial threats. Read full Defense News at this link ... A U.S. Army SGT Stout SHORAD air defense vehicle maneuvers into firing position during live-fire training with the 6th Battalion, 56th Air Defense Artillery Regiment at Fort Hood, Texas, on October 3, 2025. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War) Read More from World Defence News https://ift.tt/NYmsS1n via IFTTT

Tonight's Movie Is 'Decision Before Dawn' (1951)

From Wikipedia: Decision Before Dawn is a 1951 American war film directed by Anatole Litvak, starring Richard Basehart, Oskar Werner, and Hans Christian Blech. It tells the story of the American Army's using potentially unreliable German prisoners of war to gather intelligence in the closing days of World War II. Read more .... from War News Updates https://ift.tt/2QzrYGK via IFTTT

US Vice-President Kamala Harris Ends Her 5-Day Trip To France

Daily Mail: Kamala Harris says she 'remains very concerned' about potential Russian invasion of Ukraine - and then shows reporters the pots and skillets she just bought in Paris * While in Paris, Harris said she 'remains concerned' about Russia days after saying she's worried about their military amid tense immigrant crisis in Belarus * She said on Saturday - her last day in Paris - that the five-day trip is about 'making clear the long-standing relationship' between the US and France * Earlier this week, Harris was mocked for appearing to use a French accent while visiting the Institut Pasteur science lab * Meanwhile, the entire Biden administration appears to have growing fears of an imminent conflict in Eastern Europe * Harris said the 'eyes of the world' are on the Belarus border as Russia and Belarus carry out snap military drills where a migrant crisis is on Poland's border * Belarus said the drill was in response to the ...

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