Ukraine's FirePoint, founded by a film scout, an IT guy, and a concrete contractor, now produces 200 long-range strike drones per day. Each one costs $55,000. Flies 1,600 km. GPS-free. Seven generations of combat-proven navigation.  They account for 60% of Ukraine's deep strikes inside Russia. The entire company is 3 years old. U.S. dronemakers are finally getting the policy support, the domestic mandates, and the defense budgets. Now they need to build like their country's survival depends on it.   #BI# #BusinessInsider# #Drones# #UAS# #DroneIndustry# #DefenseTech# #Autonomy# $DRNZ

At XPONENTIAL 2026 in Detroit, AUVSI President Michael Robbins delivered the clearest signal yet of where the drone industry stands: The hard part is no longer proving drones work. The hard part is now manufacturing them at scale, integrating them into critical systems, and building supply chains that don't depend on adversaries. $AUVSI $DRNZ

2026, day 226 Good morning from Asia. ‘US eyes indefinite Iran naval blockade as oil supply shortfall deepens’ (Reuters); ‘US Treasury Secretary Bessent says US to apply measures 'never seen before' on Iran’ (JPost); ‘U.S. Sending Fresh Aircraft Carrier to Middle East Amid Iran War Strain’ (WSJ) - “USS George Washington is set to replace USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for more than 250 days”; ‘U.S. military has lost roughly 25% of its Reaper drones as Iran war depletes arsenal’ (WaPo); ‘Houthis claim drone attack on Saudi Aramco refinery’ (Gulf News); ‘MBS meets top US general for Middle East to discuss defense cooperation, reducing tensions’ (Al Arabiya); ‘Saudi Arabia considers backing Yemeni ground offensive to retake Houthi-held Red Sea coast’ (JPost); ‘Prince Khalid meets Iraq’s top general to discuss Saudi-Iraqi defense ties’ (Al Arabiya); ‘Board of Peace confirms Kushner to visit Israel and Egypt next week to discuss Gaza plan’ (ToI); ‘Fidan: Türkiye will take radical steps if Israel insists on Gaza stance’ (ClashReport); ‘US military launches first-ever multinational attack drone task force’ (Gulf News); ‘Trump Orders Navy to Restore Older Tech on Aircraft Carriers, Costing Billions’ (WSJ); ‘US floats prospect of joint strikes on Colombian armed groups’ (Reuters): ‘Oil, Hunters and Dr. Phil: How a Long-Shot Project Is Shaking Up Greenland’ (NYT); ‘Covert CIA program said to be behind mysterious attacks on Galápagos boats’ (WaPo); ‘What Venezuela's renewed ties with Israel could mean for Iran’ (JPost); ‘Britain warned it lacks firepower needed to defend shipping from Russia’ (Telegraph); ‘’Much faster than originally planned': Ukraine warns of Russian rival to Musk's Starlink’ (Politico); ‘Flight-tracking data shows continued Russian air bridge to sub-Saharan Africa’ (Defense News); ‘Tokyo issues angry response as Putin makes his first visit to the disputed Kuril Islands’ (Euronews); ‘Japan needs deterrence and renewal — not managed decline’ (FT); ‘Sirens blare and the streets empty out. Taiwan prepares itself for war’ (Telegraph); ‘Satellite images show 50 per cent boost to China's Type 054B missile capacity’ (SCMP); ‘Inside North Korea’s Operation to Conquer the American Job Market’ (WSJ); ‘North Korea slams joint US-South Korea drill: 'Will respond to new threat level'’ (Reuters); In geoeconomics, ‘Are global oil stocks big enough to weather another six months of US-Iran war?’ (Reuters); ‘Russia’s Diesel Exports Crash to Multiyear-Low amid Tight Global Market’ (OilPrice); ‘Can Takaichi's $2.3tn bet on industrial policy revive growth in Japan?’ (Nikkei Asia); ‘Japan’s Inflation Paradox Is Creating Its Own Winners and Losers’ (BBG); ‘Trump enlists US tech groups for cyber privateering push’ (FT) ‘US accuses Chinese exporters of masterminding 'Great Transshipment Scam'’ (SCMP); ‘Trump administration to impose tariffs on drone imports, White House says’ (Reuters); ‘Bangladesh seeks homegrown drone industry with Turkey, China partnerships’ (Nikkei Asia); ‘Microsoft retreats in China, but Al boom helps it keep a window open’ (Reuters); ‘Brazil opens reciprocity process against US over tariffs’ (Reuters); ‘US also wants trade deal before August 19 tariff deadline, Canadian source says’ (Reuters); ‘US court backs Trump's power to close 'de minimis' tariff exemption’ (Reuters); In politics, ‘Older Democrats walloped by midterms anti-establishment revolt’ (Axios); ‘Top Democrat Targets Supreme Court for Changes’ (WSJ); ‘China ‘funding pro-Palestine marches in UK’’ (Telegraph); In markets, ‘Diesel Crack Spread Tops $98 a Barrel to Hit Record High’ (BBG); ‘US sells 30-year bonds at highest borrowing costs since 2001’ (FT); ‘Anthropic investors bet on $2tn valuation in record IPO’ (FT); ‘Chinese banks test repo-linked corporate loans to make pricing more market-based’ (SCMP)