State of the World from NPR How drones are being used globally: in conflicts and by criminals
Mar 18, 2026
Ada Peralta, NPR reporter in Mexico covering cartel drone smuggling and local reaction. Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR reporter on West and Central Africa detailing drone strikes and humanitarian costs in Sudan. Joanna Kakissis, NPR correspondent in Ukraine reporting on air, sea and ground drone innovations. They discuss how drones are reshaping warfare, countermeasures, civilian harm, and criminal uses.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Drones Redraw The Battlefield
- Drones are reshaping modern warfare by being cheap, precise, and mass-producible.
- Ukraine uses hundreds of domestically made drones for interceptors, naval machine-gun boats, and land 'tractor' drones carrying ammo or explosives.
Interceptor Drones Counter Shahed Attacks
- Ukraine fields interceptor drones like the Sting to hunt Iranian-designed Shahed drones that Russia uses to attack cities.
- Interceptors change air defense dynamics by enabling real-time adjustments cited by Yuri Cheruvashenko.
93rd Brigade Shows Supply And Suicide Drones
- Ukraine's 93rd Brigade demonstrated ground drones that carry supplies and also 'big badaboom' explosives into enemy positions.
- DOSENT explained drones rescue wounded soldiers and access remote places frontline troops cannot reach.