Drones can be more powerful than anybody expected.

All technical systems are entire. The manufacturing process and guidance systems are things that require small. And effective microchips. High-power, small-size, low-voltage microchips allow drones to run more complex algorithms than ever before. This is one of the things that causes grey hair for defenders. Even small-sized drones may have semi-active targeting systems. The idea is that the controller aims the camera at the target. And gives the attack order. 

After that, the drone locks its seeker to the target. This system can improve the optical-wire drone’s attack capacity. The operator can keep the wire connected to the drone. And then use its target camera to point at the target. Then the image recognition system locks the system and cuts the wire. The AI-based system can help drones avoid the fire. 

And attacks it. We can see that the use of drones is very versatile. The MQ-9 “Reaper” drones faced massive losses in Iran during operation “Epic Fury”. 24 of those drones are lost. That can mean. The MQ-9 has a mission. To pull enemy fire into them. And then stealth aircraft or some other systems attack those AA batteries. When the AA crew sees the MQ-9, there is no other possibility than to shoot. If Reaper sees the AA cannon and shoots its missile, the target will be eliminated. 

But this means that the next generation of drones is coming. Those drones are stealthy and far smaller than MQ-9. Or. Otherwise, they can be faster than MQ-9. That planned to operate in the airspace. Where there is no enemy fire. The slow. Push-propelled MQ-9 lacks stealth capacity. And that makes it vulnerable. Things like Chinese inventions that can generate electricity for small drones. It can make it possible. To create plasma-jet engine-based systems. They are very fast, small, low-cost, and easy to make. 

Geran-3

MQ-9 Reaper

U.S. Aircraft losses in operation “Epic Fury”. (TWZ)

One way to improve. The range of a drone is. To connect it to another drone.  The big drone can pull a smaller drone. But another thing is that. Things like solar-powered stealth drones can carry smaller strike drones to strike distances. Electric-powered solar-powered drones can have theoretically unlimited operational range. The only thing that limits those systems is the need for light. But remote charging systems can solve that problem. The small electric-powered drone. It can also use rocket auxiliary engines. When the drone is at the right distance, the system launches a rocket engine. That accelerates its speed. 

Those small drones can act. Like a bullet swarm. The shape of those systems can be similar to Geran-3, which uses jet engines. The Geran-3 can attack both airborne and ground targets from a very long distance. And we must remember that the Ukrainian operator hit the Shahed-drones in airspace that is 500 km from Ukraine. The thing is that. The new systems. That can include an after-burner using AI-boosted drones. 

Or a plasma jet engine using systems that can operate over very long distances can turn the drone war into the next generation. Fast-flying drones can hunt enemy planes and ground targets over long distances. And that means those systems can stalk aircraft near airfields. And when aircraft are ready to lift off. Or in the landing procedure, those drones can attack. 

The drone can affect the target itself. Or it can use things. Like GPS transmitters to the decks of warships. They can also drop those GPS locators in the ammo supplies. The drone itself can glue those transmitters to the point where they are invisible. The system. It can be a radio transmitter that helps munitions home to the target. This means that drones can be more dangerous than anyone expected. A drone can also drop things like eavesdropping tools to the enemy HQ. 

https://www.thebrighterside.news/post/next-generation-jet-engine-converts-electricity-directly-into-thrust/

https://defensemirror.com/news/39493/Russia_s_Geran_3_Jet_Powered_Kamikaze_Drone_Ready_for_Operations

https://interestingengineering.com/military/china-microwave-beam-recharges-drones

https://www.sustainability-times.com/research/the-end-of-jet-fuel-next-generation-engine-uses-electricity-alone-to-generate-thrust-in-historic-aerospace-breakthrough/

https://www.twz.com/air/operation-epic-fury-u-s-aircraft-losses-visualized

https://www.wionews.com/world/ukraine-claims-it-destroyed-russian-drones-from-distance-of-500-km-a-record-in-long-range-drone-warfare-1776759639898

The HAA (High Altitude Airship). As an atmospheric satellite.

Sceye's stratospheric airship.(Interesting Engineering)

The HAA (High Altitude Airship) can act as an atmospheric satellite. High-flying solar-powered airship could operate for over 12 hours. Or, the 12 hours is the time that those airships take to reach. But those tests are prepared to create systems that can operate for years. Those airships can cruise at a very high altitude. And collect information that their operators require. The value of those airships is realized in NATO. 

The airship that flies at a very high altitude can carry sensors, such as radars and cameras, that may help civil and military actors detect drone swarms, aircraft, and other objects, including wildfires. 

Those systems can observe and search for humans and vehicles. For both civil and military purposes. In law enforcement and intelligence work, the airship can use laser microphones. That allows them to hear things from inside the building. 

Many people think that a high-flying airship, which operates at the edge of space, is a good target for missiles. The fact is that those airships can be equipped with similar active protection systems. As tanks. Those systems can shoot bullets or laser beams at incoming missiles. The airship can also use a plasma stealth system. That system can cover the airship using plasma. And that makes those systems very hard to detect. The electric motor’s IR signature is very low. 

Kelluu is Finnish design. (Image: Kelluu corporation)

The airship can also deliver drone swarms to the area where it patrols. Those drones can carry sensors, like microphones, cameras, hydrophones, and sonar systems. Those systems can operate as an acoustic weapon.  As well as. They can also operate as kamikaze drones. Airship can drop torpedoes and underwater drones as well as regular quadcopters and other types of drones. 

The remote control. Or autonomous airship. It can also carry a space rocket to the edge of the atmosphere. The rocket. That has wings could be dropped to glide, and then the rocket ignites its engine. 

There might be many sizes of those atmospheric satellites. Some of them can be rugby-ball size. Some might be torpedo-size, and some of them could be the large-size zeppelins. There is a possibility of connecting the satellite with mylar balloons, filled with hydrogen. Those unmanned systems. Don’t need similar safety standards as manned systems. The air or oxygen. It must only be removed from the balloon. Then, a balloon can raise a satellite that can have the same missions as orbital systems. 

https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/new-solar-powered-airship-stays-airborne-for-12-days-at-52000-ft-altitude-in-test

https://kelluu.com/news/kelluu-raises-15mn-series-a-to-build-europes-persistent-aerial-intelligence-layer-and-strengthen-natos-surveillance-capabilities

AI-driven drones are coming.

R&D cycle in the drone ecosystem is faster than anyone believed. New and powerful microchips give flexibility. And the ability to run complex software. The complex software. It allows drones. To do complex things autonomously. The cloud-based system architecture is the thing. That allows drones. To share their calculation capacity and information over the entire drone swarm. This means that all drones can get the same information. The new drones can take commands. These are given. By using the spoken natural language. 

And that makes it easier to give commands to drones. Those drones can recognize their targets from images. And the flexible architecture makes it possible. Those operators. They can show targets on the screen. Drones can navigate to the target using camera images. Intelligent inertial. Or signals from other drones. Those drones can have a brain-mimicking way. To solve problems. In the future, those drones could also use cloned neurons in their microchips. 

Autonomous drone swarms can operate in a war zone. Or in the other planet’s atmosphere. They can search for people. And they can guide rescue teams. High-precision drones can build houses. But the same systems can also be used as ultra-advanced weapon systems. Drones can send information to the base. And when their battery runs empty. Those drones can attack enemies. The drone swarms can operate in the. Air or underwater. In some scenarios, places like the Kremlin can have drone defense. If there is a riot against people like Putin. They send those drones to eliminate that riot. And these types of visions make drones scary. 

The camera system can use a system called DSMAC. Digital Scene-matching area correlation. The navigation system uses aerial photos. Taken about its route. Then the AI compares the images the camera sends. That is stored in the memory of those drones. When those images are similar, the drone is on the right route. The system can use the same camera for navigation and target recognition. 

Advanced AI is the tool that makes drones. Avoid the defense. Or. Otherwise, the system allows drones to attack other drones. This makes those systems very flexible. 

The DNA-based mass memories are excellent tools for drone control. Those memories are high-capacity, low-voltage tools that can be used as drone control. The DNA-controlled nanomachines can act as artificial neurons. Those systems can control all types of drones. From pocket-sized quadcopters. To full-size robot combat aircraft. 

https://interestingengineering.com/military/drones-no-gps-ai-navigation

https://www.neuromorphiccore.ai/drones-that-listen-think-and-conserve-with-brain-like-precision/

https://scitechdaily.com/dna-meets-electronics-scientists-create-ultra-low-power-memory-breakthrough/

https://www.unikie.com/service/autonomous-drone-swarms/

Orbital data centers and AI-driven probes.

“StarCloud Launches the First Orbital AI Data Centers

In early November 2025, StarCloud, a Washington-based startup focused on space technology, successfully launched a satellite into low Earth orbit carrying a high-performance Nvidia H100 GPU. This GPU is one hundred times more powerful than any chip previously used in space.” (Welp Magazine, StarCloud Orbital Data Centers: The Biggest AI Breakthrough in Space)

Orbital data centers (ODC) are an interesting yet expensive concept. Those data centers are things that can answer. The data center’s huge energy problem. Those orbital data centers can use satellite swarms that communicate with each other using cloud-based architecture. Each of those satellites uses solar panels for energy supply. The same technology is used in drone swarms. And swarms of small probes that can someday research our solar system. The cloud-based architecture and swarm technology. 

Guarantees that the entity can operate even if one brick or satellite loses its control. There are huge problems. That this kind of plan faces. The orbital data centers require new satellites. All the time. When new microchips are coming. To marketing. But. On the other hand, the calculation power of those satellite swarms is easy. To enhance. By launching more data satellites into the swarm. That means those systems are easy.  But expensive to complete. 

The data satellite can be like all other satellites. Those satellites form the bricks of the entity. Called a cloud-based data center. When a satellite turns old. It just sends information that is stored in it to the satellite that replaces it. And then that satellite can be returned to Earth by using parachutes to the yard of the factory. This is the way. On how technology, like microcircuits, can be recycled. 

The ODCs, orbital data centers, are not impossible. They are made of existing technology. The main problem is financing. There is also a possibility. That some third-party nation tries to damage those data centers. 

“Artist's concept illustration of the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter, a cancelled unmanned NASA exploration craft.” (Wikipedia, Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter)

But those orbital data centers. This can be the pilot experiment, which opens the path. To the entire solar system. If we think that we send probes. And make bases on Mars and beyond, we need technology that solves communication problems. The AI-driven robots. Can make repairs to the nuclear-powered probes. And. They can make the bases for crews. But those systems require. 

A data-center-sized computing capacity. The AI-controlled probe must have models for all kinds of situations. Here we must notice that all the probes. In some models, the main probe can travel through the solar system and drop the sub-probes to the planets. This model is the lightweight version of the study project called Daedalus. 

The attempt to make a model of an interstellar probe that should research Alpha Centauri and some other solar systems. The Daedalus itself could travel past the targeted solar system. And launch the sub-probes that enter the solar system. The Daedalus requires stable bases all around the solar system. 

That I listed. In this text, remain at the conceptual level. The JIMO (Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter) was a study project that planned to send a probe to Jupiter in 2015. But that probe was never completed. The JIMO remains. As the name of the AI-controlled Jupiter-orbiters study project. The real name for those futuristic probes. Is. Some kind of ancient god. The probes that will travel to the outer solar system must be larger and more versatile than modern probes. They must have a very powerful computer system that can operate independently in the outer solar system. 

“Daedalus spacecraft concept” (Wikipedia, Project Daedalus)

This means those systems must be very independent. In visions, the system that controls JIMO, SIMO, NIMO (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune icy moon orbiters).  And the Kuiper belt probes are driven by AI that is similar to ChatGPT. A radio signal takes hours to travel to those probes. So they must operate very independently. Those probes would be larger than the probes that NASA sends to Mars. They can operate nuclear-powered vehicles. Those operate on the surface of those icy moons. 

The drone swarms could sink through the ice. They can use lasers or microwaves to travel through the icy shell. Or the probe can use high-power microwaves or lasers to remove ice and send probes to the icy oceans of Jupiter’s Europa and Saturn’s Enceladus moons. Those drone swarms can also operate. In the atmosphere of the gas giants. Or in the atmosphere of Saturn’s Titan moon. Those large probes use nuclear-powered systems. That guarantees the very long-term operational time. Their mission will be to map the far side of the solar system. But also test the AI that can operate independently in surprising situations. 

https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/orbital-data-centers-part-1-theres-no-way-this-is-economically-viable-right/

https://globalcarbonfund.com/carbon-news/orbital-data-center-guide-everything-you-need-to-know-about-this-next-gen-space-computing-technology/

https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/4ig-weighs-100m-investment-into-axiom-space-as-part-of-orbital-data-center-plan/

https://www.odchq.com/

https://satnews.com/2026/03/17/the-rise-of-the-orbital-data-center-solving-the-space-data-bottleneck/

https://www.starcloud.com/

https://welpmagazine.com/starcloud-orbital-data-centers-ai-in-space/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_Icy_Moons_Orbiter

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Daedalus

The problems with hypersonic flight can be solved. But it takes time.

Researchers face huge problems. With hypersonic weapon development. And. Hypersonic aircraft development is more difficult than hypersonic cruise missile development. Reusable hypersonic systems can turn many things faster and more dangerous than they are now. 

In normal cases, a hypersonic system can reach hypersonic speed only in high-flying conditions. The air must be thin enough that the temperature will not rise too high. The hypersonic aircraft travels in very thin air. The aircraft must have a system that prevents the body from overheating. One of the things. What can solve that problem is the wires or antennas, which can transport heat out from the hypersonic body. 

The antenna. That is behind the aircraft. It can help to stabilize the temperature. This thing. It is. To use the high-temperature ceramic shell, which chemically bonds to the titanium-wolfram-chromium metal composite. These kinds of materials. They are very resistant to high temperatures and pressure. Another thing is the stealth technology that the aircraft should use. That it survives the missions. A big problem. With hypersonic warheads like the Russian Avangard, is that. In high-speed flight, plasma. Covers those warheads. That plasma always acts in the same way. It causes the radio blackout. When a spacecraft travels through the ionosphere. And hypersonic aircraft travel in the ionosphere. 

The plasma makes it hard to detect those warheads or hypersonic aircraft. Making them invisible to radars. But. The same system denies those aircraft . And missiles to use radars. And other radio wave-based communication. Radio waves cannot travel through that plasma. But. The system can. Use a magnetic field to push that plasma away from the aircraft. The system can push air away from the aircraft body. Making the air thinner decreases friction. There is also a possibility that the aircraft uses lasers to create the plasma shield. The stealth system must use nano-lasers to create. The plasma. By ionizing air using those lasers. 

The plasma stealth or plasma shield requires. The system uses lidars. And optical-AI-based systems to search and intercept targets. The hypersonic system can use lasers. To create the bubble, the air is thinner. And that allows researchers to reach hypersonic speeds in lower altitudes. The fact is that hypersonic missiles can be used. The kinetic energy impacts the target. This system requires highly accurate target recognition and an attack system. 

This system cannot use radars to search for targets. And that means those hypersonic systems are hard to use nuclear detonators. Those systems use inertial navigation for starting navigation. Then the missile starts. To corner the target. At this point. It requires. Some kind of radar image. It can be used for high-accuracy operation. The problem is that the radar signal doesn’t pass the plasma layer. And that denies the use of radio transmitters that drones can attach to the roofs. The hypersonic system must slow its speed so that it can use the radar to search for targets. 

https://www.imeche.org/news/news-article/engineers-face-extreme-hurdles-as-hypersonic-weapon-development-accelerates

 https://interestingengineering.com/space/varda-space-flies-hypersonic-system

https://news.usni.org/2021/06/14/mda-u-s-aircraft-carriers-now-at-risk-from-hypersonic-missiles

New engines accelerate aircraft and missiles to hypersonic speed.

China tests a new engine that accelerates jet aircraft and missiles to speeds exceeding Mach 6. The thing that makes this engine remarkable is that it’s air-breathing. Air-breathing hypersonic engines enable the creation of lighter systems with longer flight times. The air-breathing hypersonic aircraft or missile can fly at high altitudes. Those systems fly higher than regular aircraft but lower than satellites. And the thing that makes hypersonic systems have that ability is that they fly so fast. The high-speed flight squeezes air into the air inlet. 

And. That makes it possible. To create a system that flies at very high altitudes. A big problem. With  hypersonic engines, there are their compressors. Will not work at hypersonic speeds. The centripetal force destroys the compressor. So, the system needs an engine. That doesn’t need moving parts. The answer to that problem is the ramjet engine. The ramjet engine doesn’t use moving parts. The engine itself is the tube, where the airflow creates the pressure that starts the combustion.  Normally, ramjet-driven systems are launched by using rockets. Or they are dropped from aircraft. And the rocket accelerates them to a speed that allows the ramjet or scramjet engine to start. 

The scramjet engine is the engine that starts at Mach 6-8. And that hypersonic amjet is made for the speed. Those are beyond the ramjet operational top speed. There is a possibility that scramjet-driven systems. Like Boeing X-51 Waverider. It can be shot to a ballistic trajectory. Then the system dives back. Into the atmosphere, and the scramjet breathes air. This allows. For making Mach 12-capable hypersonic cruise missiles. The hypersonic aircraft can also send satellites. To an Earth orbiter. They can make the ballistic jump out of the atmosphere. And then they can launch satellite carriers. Those systems can also act as space fighters. 

Boeing X-51 Waverider under B-52 Stratofortress. 

“Schematic diagram showing the operation of a centrifugal flow turbojet engine. The compressor is driven by the turbine stage and throws the air outwards, requiring it to be redirected parallel to the axis of thrust.” (Wikipedia, Turbojet)

“Diagram of a valved pulsejet. 1 - Air enters through the valve and is mixed with fuel. 2 - The mixture is ignited, expands, closes the valve, and exits through the tailpipe, creating thrust. 3 - Low pressure in the engine opens the valve and draws in air.” (Wikipedia, Pulsejet)

“Simple ramjet operation, with Mach numbers of flow shown” (Wikipedia, Ramjet)

“Diagram of principle of operation of a scramjet engine.” (Wikipedia, Scramjet)

Ramjets have been used for a long time in air-defense missiles. The problem is that the ramjet cannot be started. Before the aircraft flies at a speed of Mach 1. The answer to the problem . It can be the system that uses the regular turbojets for lift-off and acceleration. When an aircraft reaches Mach 1, the fuel injection to the ramjet starts. And then the aircraft can fly at a speed. That is about Mach 6. Another version could be the pulsejet. The pulsejet or flap engine was developed for Germany’s V-1 “Flying bomb” during WW2. The system closes the flap in the front of the engine. Then the fuel. It will be injected into the combustion chamber. And then the system injects the fuel. When the pulsejet needs air, it opens the front valve. 

And then the fuel injection starts in the combustion chamber. And then that system ignites the fuel-air mixture. The pulse-ramjet is a pulsejet that is formulated. As a ramjet engine. The system can use a compressor. That is the side of the engine. The compressor. It puts air. In the ramjet. The compressor system can transfer air to the ramjet. Before it reaches a speed of Mach 1. Then the system opens the front hatch. And let the air come into the combustion chamber. In rocket pulse-ramjets, the system can accelerate the aircrat to a speed of Mach 6. 

That is the limit for the ramject engine. Then the system closes the front hatch and uses internal oxygen. That turns the pulse ramjet into a rocket engine. That allows the system to fly outside the atmosphere. Or it can accelerate. It into. Speed about Mach 8. That is the limit for the scramjet engine start. The scramjet engine makes it possible. To create aircraft and missiles that can travel over Mach 8. The high-speed flight must be done. In extremely high altitudes. Friction in the air is extreme. So the aircraft must fly almost in space. 

https://www.afmc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/153475/x-51a-waverider-achieves-history-in-final-flight/

https://www.eurasiantimes.com/invisible-to-radars-is-us-air-force-set/

https://interestingengineering.com/military/china-engine-mach-6-speeds

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-51_Waverider

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_SR-72

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulsejet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramjet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scramjet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbojet