Helsing’s Contra system and sub-£100,000 interceptors show Europe’s air defence turning to cheap, AI-driven mass interception. With traditional high-end missiles too costly to sustain against Russia’s 4,000-a-month drone output, Europe and Ukraine are racing to build an affordable ‘iron dome’.
Allies have just about filled Ukraine's $27 billion gap for 2026, but next year looks bleak as Trump's Russian diesel deal and Starlink pressure weigh on Kyiv. Yet with Ukrainian improvisation, Taurus missiles and Russia's frozen assets, Kyiv is not done for.
Ukraine's Operation Vivaldi, dropping ground robots from carrier drones behind Russian lines, marks a new revolution in land warfare. Kyiv should be able to scale robot production faster than Russia, but the wider lessons of the battle must not be lost.
The Houthis have re-emerged as a major geopolitical threat, catching Western capitals off guard. With Saudi-UAE rivalry weakening the anti-Houthi front, a reconciliation and unified military command, backed by the Giants Brigades, is now imperative.
America's admission that it has weapons in orbit confirms space as the next great-power battleground. Britain has a strong space-industrial base of primes and start-ups, but turning it into national space power needs focus, leadership and serious funding.
