The “BlueWhale” uses special sensors to spot underwater and surface threats, and can help clear mines. The cool bit? It’s fully autonomous and runs on batteries for weeks. Basically, a Roomba’s scarier cousin with serious military vibes.
Mysterious drones over New Jersey: Are they aliens?
© Yuliya Pauliukevich | Dreamstime.com, © Serhii Kuznietsov | Dreamstime.com
The drones hovering over New Jersey fly lower than commercial planes, a few thousand feet up, and produce a slight electric hum. Most are two to three feet long, but some are the size of an SUV.
The internet is bursting with conspiracy theories. Are they military tech? Foreign surveillance? Something not of this world?
I called up my radio pal, George Noory
He’s the host of Coast to Coast AM, heard on over 600 U.S. radio stations, and he’s a leading voice of the unexplained. I asked a question millions of people are wondering: Could this be alien technology?
“It’s bizarre,” Noory agrees. “It just doesn’t sound like the work of a hobbyist — some guy in his backyard with about 50 drones. There’s something else very, very nefarious about this.”
But alien tech? He says it doesn’t add up. “I’m going to rule out [the] extraterrestrial,” he says. “It sounds more like a military effort than anything else.”
What the heck is going on?
The drones gather in clusters at night and fly with their lights off. We’re not talking about little hobby drones or the bigger ones you’d find at tech expos. Reports describe these as massive, multirotor, helicopter-like drones.
The CEO of a remote aircraft company dropped a viral TikTok video claiming the only reason to fly an unmanned drone at night is if you’re “looking for something.” His theory? They’re sniffing out a gas leak or radioactive material. This freaked out podcaster Joe Rogan.
How do we figure out what they are?
There’s some pretty incredible tech that can help:
- Radio-frequency (RF) detection: It sniffs out the communication signals between a drone and its controller to pinpoint its make and model.
- Radar systems: Think of these as high-tech sky-scanning systems that track drones by analyzing their size, speed and flight patterns.
- Robin Radar: This one’s impressive. It uses 360-degree radar combined with AI to detect and track drones within a five-kilometer radius. In other words, it sees everything.
- Remote ID technology: Some drones are required to broadcast identifying details, including the location of their operators. It’s like a digital license plate for drones.
- Declassified radio wave tech: This reads electronic registrations and can track a drone right back to where it lands.
A Thanksgiving letter from Kim
ID 162420915 © Sonyakamoz | Dreamstime.com
Hello friends,
I hope you’re having a great Thanksgiving Day spending time with the people you love and eating delicious food. Along with watching the parade, having good conversations and slipping into a turkey coma, don’t forget to take a moment to reflect on your own life. I’m sure that there are many wonderful things you are thankful for.
Honoring our heroes this Memorial Day
Preserve your family’s military legacy. Here’s how to protect heirlooms and replace lost medals.
TSA gets it right: Gold Star families now have free PreCheck, plus a discount for military spouses, and TSA is adding expedited lanes in 10 cities. It’s part of their July 4th rollout that finally makes airport lines suck a little less to thank families for their service to our country.
40 feet
That’s the size of a new submarine-hunting sea drone called the “BlueWhale.” It uses special sensors to spot underwater and surface threats, and can help clear mines. The cool bit? It’s fully autonomous and runs on batteries for weeks. Basically, a Roomba’s scarier cousin with serious military vibes. Here’s a clip of it.
Introducing: Bolt & Bolt-M
🤖 OpenAI’s working with the Pentagon: The ChatGPT maker just landed a $200 million deal with the U.S. Defense Department. The goal? Use AI to tackle military and national security challenges. No, it’s not for weapons (yet). The focus is cutting paperwork and improving cyber defense.
🍕 When the Pentagon eats pizza: An X account tracked pizza shop orders near the Pentagon, and predicted Israel’s strike on Iran hours before it happened. Pizza spiked, then dropped. The bar went quiet. Suddenly missiles. It’s not the first time folks have linked local takeout to military action.
💰 Armed rideshares are popping up everywhere: The new Protector app (iPhone only) lets you book armed guards and Escalades to chauffeur you around for $200 an hour. Think Uber, but with active or retired law enforcement and military officers behind the wheel. BlackWolf hires military and law enforcement too.
Replace lost Veterans' medals
This Veterans Day, we honor the brave men and women who served in all branches of our military.
Robo-dog built to defend against drones
The U.S. military is developing a gun-wielding robot dog to protect our forces from aerial drones. The doggo is equipped with an AR-15-type rifle, electro-optical targeting system, infrared/thermal vision and a laser aiming device.
Use the NewsBreak app? Delete it
The most downloaded news app in the U.S. likely has ties to the Chinese military and was just caught using AI to fabricate stories. Here’s the scoop.
How to find lost military records and medals
Military awards are more than symbols; they carry the weight of history and personal sacrifice. But over time, they can get lost, stolen, or wear out. Here’s how to get replacements.
This guy will get you to sleep, seriously
Can’t seem to get to bed? Benjamin Boster reads dry Wikipedia articles to help people catch some Z’s on his ‘I Can’t Sleep’ podcast. Bad sleepers say he’s changed their lives. Plus, woman duped by Keanu Reeves deepfake, U.S. military used fake Cisco routers, and new Apple iPads.
Spy satellites are watching you
Yep, they’re not just looking at the the military — we’ve got the details. Plus, a massive cellular outage across the U.S., Google pauses Gemini’s image generator after a blunder and an Oklahoma man hacks a government auction website.
9 inventions you didn't know came from the military
The U.S. military creates a ton of stuff. Weapons, ammunition and armored vehicles are what come to mind. But the military has been instrumental in some of last century’s greatest inventions. So much so that you probably use something invented by it every day without knowing.
Can you really trust ChatGPT?
Would you let your AI make split second military or law enforcement decisions? Here’s why you shouldn’t, in 60 seconds.
Why the US Army's camouflage was a big mistake
Camouflage has been part of military strategy for millennia. It allows soldiers to hide in plain sight and attack without being seen. But a little over 20 years ago, the U.S. changed its military camouflage and everyone realized pretty quickly that it was a big mistake.
Why the Coast Guard uses a zig-zag when doing search and rescue
The U.S. Coast Guard is an integral part of our military. It protects our beaches and coastlines from invasion or enemies, but it also helps find and rescue those lost at sea. You might be surprised to learn the technique it uses to do this. Let’s just say it’s not straightforward.