OpenAI released GPT-4o in May 2024 as a natively multimodal model that accepts text, audio, image, and video input and can generate text, audio, or images, delivering GPT-4-level performance at roughly 50% lower cost and faster speed. Google DeepMind Gemini, unveiled in December 2023, ships as Gemini 1.0 Ultra, Pro, and Nano and has exceeded…
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In 1958, the Mirage III became the first Western European combat aircraft to exceed Mach 2 in level flight. The Mirage IIIC entered French service by 1961. The Mirage F1 first flew in 1966 and could land about 60 knots slower than the Mirage III. The Mirage 2000 first flew in 1978 and introduced fly-by-wire…
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By early 2025, Starlink was available in over 100 countries across every inhabited continent. In the past year, Starlink launched in 42 new countries and territories and surpassed 6 million active customers worldwide. In the United States, the standard Starlink plan costs about $90 per month with a $599 equipment kit. SpaceX added about 2,300…
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India bans unlicensed satellite communication and navigation devices, including Thuraya and Iridium phones and Garmin InReach, under the Indian Telegraph Act (1885) and Wireless Telegraphy Act (1933), with penalties up to three years in prison or ₹5 million in fines, and limited DoT licensing for Inmarsat devices. The 2008 Mumbai attacks involved a Thuraya satellite…
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The J-35 naval variant traces back to the FC-31 “Gyrfalcon” program, with its first carrier-focused prototype flight in late October 2021 featuring enlarged folding wings, reinforced landing gear, and a catapult launch bar. By mid-2025, evidence indicates the J-35 naval version has entered low-rate initial production, with photos showing PLAN markings and serial numbers 0011…
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NFL drone incursions rose from about a dozen in 2017 to 2,845 in 2023. The global anti-drone market quadrupled from 2018 to 2024 to about $2.4 billion and is projected to exceed $10 billion by 2030. Israel’s Rafael Drone Dome radar detects drone-sized targets out to about 3.5 km. RF jammers are a non-lethal countermeasure…
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In Q4 2024, YouTube’s advertising sales reached $10.5 billion, up from $9.2 billion in Q4 2023, boosted by U.S. midterm spending. Analysts estimated YouTube’s 2024 ad revenues at $35–36 billion, about 13–14% of Alphabet’s total ad intake, with some valuing YouTube at roughly $550 billion as a standalone enterprise. As of 2025, YouTube Premium and…
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In 2024, global smartphone shipments reached 1.24 billion units, up 6.4% year over year, with revenues exceeding $500 billion. Premium smartphones (≥$600) accounted for about 25% of global unit sales in 2024, while ultra-premium (> $1,000) comprised around 40% of premium sales. In early 2025, Samsung and Apple together controlled about 40% of global smartphone…
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Fiber-optic drones transmit control commands and live video through a physical fiber tether, making them jam-proof and radio-silent. There are two main categories: Tethered Power Drones (aerial elevators such as AT&T’s Flying COW) that draw power from the ground while carrying a fiber data link, and Fiber-Optic Guided Drones (free-ranging FPVs) that carry a 5–20…
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China formally unveiled a stealth aircraft carrier program in 2025, highlighted by CCTV footage showing two J-35 prototypes in a Shenyang hangar and Fujian sea-trial progress. The Type 003 Fujian is the first Chinese carrier with electromagnetic catapults (EMALS), configured with three EMALS launchers, displacing about 80,000–85,000 tons and measuring roughly 318 meters. The J-35…
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