Latest news with #Apache
The Irish Sun
14 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Brit AI-drone gunships to fly alongside Apache helicopters in war of the future
BRITAIN'S new AI-drone gunships will fly alongside Apache helicopters in future battles. Apache pilots will command up to six drones, known as mules, carrying missiles, sensors and jamming kit. Advertisement 1 Britain's new AI-drone gunships will fly alongside Apache helicopters in future wars The mules will also be programmed to fight autonomously and control swarms of smaller drones on the ground. This triple-layer system will give the Army far greater firepower and aims to protect our fleet of Apache AH-64Es, Challenger 3 tanks plus soldiers on the ground. More integration of crewed and uncrewed aircraft had been hinted at in the Strategic Defence Review announced earlier this month. Advertisement READ MORE ON DRONES 'Our Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (the mules) will fly alongside the Apache attack helicopters and enhance the Army's ability to strike, survive and win on the battlefield. 'This will be a game-changer. It will be applying the lessons from Ukraine in a world- leading way. It will be putting the UK at the leading edge of innovation in Nato.' Chief of the General Staff Sir Roly Walker said 80 per cent of the Army's weapons in future wars would be drones — as it could take months to build Apaches and tanks and years to train their crews. He said drones were vital as the Ukraine war had 'shown how a £20million tank and four experienced crew can be lost to a £1,000 drone operated by a kid with a few days' training'. Advertisement Most read in Tech He added of the mule drones: 'You don't want to lose them but, if you do, it's not a tragedy because, although sophisticated, they are uncrewed.' Israeli drones obliterate Iranian F-14 fighter jets in explosive aerial assault
Scottish Sun
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Brit AI-drone gunships to fly alongside Apache helicopters in war of the future
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BRITAIN'S new AI-drone gunships will fly alongside Apache helicopters in future battles. Apache pilots will command up to six drones, known as mules, carrying missiles, sensors and jamming kit. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Britain's new AI-drone gunships will fly alongside Apache helicopters in future wars The mules will also be programmed to fight autonomously and control swarms of smaller drones on the ground. This triple-layer system will give the Army far greater firepower and aims to protect our fleet of Apache AH-64Es, Challenger 3 tanks plus soldiers on the ground. More integration of crewed and uncrewed aircraft had been hinted at in the Strategic Defence Review announced earlier this month. Defence Secretary John Healey told this week's RUSI land warfare conference in London: 'From this year, we will be investing more than £100million in new, initial funding to develop land drone swarms.' READ MORE ON DRONES GULF EXIT Brit & US spy planes quit Gulf amid fears of Iran reprisals over Israel's attack 'Our Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (the mules) will fly alongside the Apache attack helicopters and enhance the Army's ability to strike, survive and win on the battlefield. 'This will be a game-changer. It will be applying the lessons from Ukraine in a world- leading way. It will be putting the UK at the leading edge of innovation in Nato.' Chief of the General Staff Sir Roly Walker said 80 per cent of the Army's weapons in future wars would be drones — as it could take months to build Apaches and tanks and years to train their crews. He said drones were vital as the Ukraine war had 'shown how a £20million tank and four experienced crew can be lost to a £1,000 drone operated by a kid with a few days' training'. He added of the mule drones: 'You don't want to lose them but, if you do, it's not a tragedy because, although sophisticated, they are uncrewed.'
The Hill
17 hours ago
- The Hill
Virginia man pleads guilty to shooting Latino men he thought were illegal immigrants
CAROLINE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) – A Virginia man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to pursuing and ultimately shooting two Latino men because of his 'anger at illegal immigration.' On Wednesday, June 18, Douglas W. Cornett pleaded guilty to two counts of federal hate crimes involving attempts to kill and one count of discharging a firearm during a federal crime of violence. Court documents identify the two Latino men Cornett shot as 'Victim 1' and 'Victim 2.' Authorities in Spotsylvania previously said they are both from Prince William County. On Feb. 28, 2024, Cornett was driving on Interstate 95 when he came up on a box truck driven by Victim 1. Per court documents, Cornett honked at the truck and remained behind it despite Victim 1 trying to let him pass. He then followed the truck to a fueling station. Upon his arrival, Victim 1 spoke to a friend of his who worked at the fueling station. He asked that friend, who spoke English, to ask Cornett what was wrong. After a brief conversation between the friend and Cornett, Victim 1 left the fueling station. Cornett proceeded to follow Victim 1 to the Thornburg area Sheetz, located close to the fueling station, according to court documents. Seeing this, Victim 1's friend called Victim 2 and told him that someone was following Victim 1. Victim 2 happened to be fueling up at the Sheetz at that time and he witnessed both Victim 1 and Cornett pulling into the station. Victim 2 then approached Cornett and asked him why he was following Victim 1. Cornett answered by asking Victim 2 how long Victim 1 had been in the United States. With Victim 2 translating for them, Victim 1 said he had been in America for about a year and a half. Cornett then pulled out a handgun and shot a total of six times. Victim 1 was hit three times and Victim 2 was hit once. Both had serious injuries. Per court documents, Cornett then left the scene, returned home and told the two people he lived with about what happened. When he was arrested the following day, Cornett admitted to the double shooting and said '[his] intentions were clear in [his] brain, at that time.' '[Cornett] then described his anger at illegal immigration, telling the detective that he was 'pissed' about undocumented migrants receiving welfare funds, phones and health insurance, and that he had 'driven around before with the same thought,'' court documents state. '[He] later asked the detective whether he could be 'charged for [his] thoughts,' and went on to explain that he fantasized about flying an Apache helicopter gunship to the border and firing on undocumented migrants traveling into the United States in order 'to deter' other undocumented migrants from attempting to cross the border.' Cornett's housemates also told detectives that he was 'kind of obsessed' with cable news stories about undocumented immigrants entering the United States. Notably, neither victim was identified as an undocumented immigrant within court documents. 'Crimes like Douglas Cornett's — acts of hate-motivated violence — victimize not just the individual, but harm families, communities and groups by robbing them of their sense of security,' said Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, in a press release. 'Every person has a right to live free of the fear of violence and the menace of hate, and my office is committed to eliminating both.' Cornett will be sentenced on Nov. 13. Per the terms of his plea agreement, he will receive no more than 24 years in prison.
Nahar Net
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Massive security operation for NATO summit turns parts of The Hague into fortress
by Naharnet Newsdesk 19 June 2025, 15:31 Locals, art lovers and diplomats like to meet over a meal and a drink in the historic Gastrobar Berlage behind a landmark art museum in The Hague. But the usual stream of visitors turned into a trickle when fences started rising outside as part of super-tight security around a meeting of NATO leaders that is smothering the Dutch city in a massive military and police operation called Orange Shield. Parts of the usually laid-back city, where NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte used to ride his bicycle to work while munching on an apple when he was prime minister of the Netherlands, are turning into a military fortress. "It's dead," Berlage owner Bianca Veenhof said as she looked at an almost empty terrace at the start of what should have been Wednesday's lunchtime rush. Parking spots have been blocked off by freshly installed security fencing, workers in nearby offices have been told to stay home and public transit lines near the grounds have been diverted. The city that markets itself as the global hub of peace and justice because of the international courts it hosts is turning into a city of security and inconvenience for the June 24-25 meeting that is scheduled to feature leaders of the 32-nation alliance, including U.S. President Donald Trump. The summit comes as global geopolitical tensions soar and conflict escalates in the Middle East. About half of the Netherlands' police force will be on duty In what they are calling the biggest security operation ever staged in the Netherlands, authorities are locking down parts of the city, closing off roads, and shutting down airspace. Temporary barricades and metal mesh fences surrounding the World Forum summit venue are just a fraction of the measures that radiate out from The Hague. Some 27,000 police officers — about half of the country's entire force — will be on duty around the summit along with more than 10,000 defense personnel. Military police will protect delegations. Frigates will patrol the North Sea, F-35 fighter jets and Apache helicopters will take to the skies and air defense systems will be on alert. Bomb squads will comb the venue for explosives. Convoys carrying leaders will be whisked with military police escorts along closed-off highways from airports to their accommodations. While civilian drones are banned from the airspace around the summit and other key locations, police and military drones will buzz around the skies over the summit venue and other locations where leaders gather. Police and riot police also will be on hand for several protests that have already been announced, including an effort by demonstrators to shut down a major highway into the city. Then there are the less visible but no less important measures being taken to provide cybersecurity. The country's top counterterrorism official declined to go into details. Boosting NATO spending and Ukraine are on the agenda The leaders are scheduled to have dinner with Dutch King Willem-Alexander at his palace in a forest in the city Tuesday night before a meeting the next day where they are expected to agree a new defense spending target. While the leaders are dining with the Dutch royals, foreign and defense ministers from NATO nations will hold meetings at the summit venue to discuss issues including the war in Ukraine. When the government heads meet Wednesday, they will seek agreement on ramping up military spending as Trump insists Europe must look after its own security, while Washington focuses on China and its own borders. The Hague is known for hosting international courts The summit venue is a conference center and theater close to the building that once housed the U.N. tribunal for the former Yugoslavia where Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, his military chief Ratko Mladic, and others were convicted of war crimes. The venue also is close to the headquarters of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the European Union's law enforcement and judicial cooperation agencies. Just down the road is the International Criminal Court, whose chief prosecutor and four judges have been slapped with sanctions by Trump. Closer still is the top United Nations court, the International Court of Justice, whose judges settle disputes between nations. Getting away from it all Many residents near the summit are not sticking around to watch the event unfold. At the end of the week, Berlage will close its doors and sunny terrace for a week, only reopening when the NATO bandwagon has moved on. Veenhof estimates the enforced closure and weeks of plummeting bookings will cost the bistro up to 150,000 euros ($173,000) in lost earnings. Veenhof and her partner Bauke van Schaik, who is the chef at Berlage, have had enough of the summit already and are fleeing the city for the duration. "Good friends of ours live in Portugal, so we going there for a few days," she said. "We'll be a bit further away from all the misery and frustration."
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
NATO summit brings tight security and disrupts life in The Hague
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Locals, art lovers and diplomats like to meet over a meal and a drink in the historic Gastrobar Berlage behind a landmark art museum in The Hague. But the usual stream of visitors turned into a trickle when fences started rising outside as part of super-tight security around a meeting of NATO leaders that is smothering the Dutch city in a major military and police operation called Orange Shield. Parts of the usually laid-back city — where NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte used to ride his bicycle to work while munching on an apple when he was prime minister of the Netherlands — are turning into a military fortress. 'It's dead,' Berlage owner Bianca Veenhof said as she looked at an almost empty terrace at the start of what should have been Wednesday's lunchtime rush. Parking spots have been blocked off by newly installed security fencing, workers in nearby offices have been told to stay home and public transit lines near the grounds have been diverted. The city that markets itself as the global hub of peace and justice, because of the international courts it hosts, is turning into a city of security and inconvenience for the June 24-25 meeting that is scheduled to feature leaders of the 32-nation alliance, including U.S. President Donald Trump. The summit comes as global geopolitical tensions soar and conflict escalates in the Middle East. Nearly half of Dutch police on duty In what they are calling the biggest security operation ever staged in the Netherlands, authorities are locking down parts of the city, closing off roads, and shutting down airspace. Temporary barricades and metal mesh fences surrounding the World Forum summit venue are just a fraction of the measures that radiate out from The Hague. About 27,000 police officers — about half of the country's entire force — will be on duty around the summit along with more than 10,000 defense personnel. Military police will protect delegations. Frigates will patrol the North Sea, F-35 fighter jets and Apache helicopters will take to the skies and air defense systems will be on alert. Bomb squads will comb the venue for explosives. Convoys carrying leaders will be whisked around with military police escorts along closed-off highways from airports to their accommodations. While civilian drones are banned from the airspace around the summit and other key locations, police and military drones will buzz around the skies over the summit venue and other locations where leaders gather. Regular police and riot officers also will be on hand for several protests that have already been announced, including an effort by demonstrators to shut down a major highway into the city. NATO forces are already watching the area, armed and alert from military helicopters overhead and from naval ships offshore, and with F-35 warplanes ready to deploy as needed, officers told an Associated Press journalist accompanying a security mission on Thursday. They're notably looking out for drones or other small aircraft. Then there are the less visible but no less important measures being taken to provide cybersecurity. The country's top counterterrorism official declined to go into details. NATO spending and Ukraine on agenda The leaders are scheduled to have dinner with Dutch King Willem-Alexander at his palace in a forest in the city Tuesday night before a meeting the next day where they are expected to agree upon a new defense spending target. While the leaders are dining with the Dutch royals, foreign and defense ministers from NATO nations will hold meetings at the summit venue to discuss issues including Russia's war in Ukraine. When the government heads meet Wednesday, they will seek agreement on ramping up military spending as Trump insists Europe must look after its own security, while Washington focuses on China and its own borders. The Hague known for its courts The summit venue is a conference center and theater close to the building that once housed the U.N. tribunal for the former Yugoslavia where Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, his military chief Ratko Mladic, and others were convicted of war crimes. The venue also is close to the headquarters of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the European Union's law enforcement and judicial cooperation agencies. Just down the road is the International Criminal Court, whose chief prosecutor and four judges have been slapped with sanctions by Trump. Closer still is the top U.N. court, the International Court of Justice, whose judges settle disputes between nations. Getting away from it all Many residents near the summit aren't sticking around to watch the event unfold. At the end of the week, Berlage will close its doors and sunny terrace for a week, only reopening when the NATO bandwagon has moved on. Veenhof estimates the enforced closure and weeks of plummeting bookings will cost the bistro up to 150,000 euros ($173,000) in lost earnings. Veenhof and her partner Bauke van Schaik, who is the chef at Berlage, have had enough of the summit already and are fleeing the city for the duration. 'Good friends of ours live in Portugal, so we going there for a few days,' she said. 'We'll be a bit further away from all the misery and frustration.' Mike Corder, The Associated Press Sign in to access your portfolio
