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President Donald Trumps bowling-ball attitude to international relations and business was in evidence again this week as he announced a landmark $100 billion deal with Taiwanese computer chip manufacturer TSMC to bring more production capacity to the United States. The agreement with TSMC plans for five new factories to be built in the U.S., signed alongside TSMC CEO C.C. Wei in the White House on March 3. We must be able to build the chips and semiconductors that we need right here, Trump said as he announced the deal. Its a matter of national security for us. The move to onshore production of the chips that are powering the AI and broader tech revolution may well shore up U.S. national security. But those watching the dealalongside the stock market, which reacted by lowering the price of TSMC sharesworry that the agreement trades strengthened U.S. national security for weakened Taiwanese security. TSMCs additional $100 billion investment is likely to further expand the U.S. presence in global advanced chip manufacturing, which is currently dominated by Taiwan, says Ray Wang, a Washington D.C.-based analyst focusing on U.S.-China tech competition and the semiconductor industry in Asia. Thats good news for the United States. But onshoring the production of advanced computer chips that help power the AI revolution isnt necessarily good news for Taiwan. TSMC’s newly announced investment in manufacturing, packaging, and R&D in the United States will likely diminish Taiwans strategic importance for the U.S. and broader global economy in the long run, says Wang. For years, Taiwan has managed to fend off the threat of a Chinese invasion of the small island nation because of its strategic importance as the key global factory for computer chips. Its an advantage that the Taiwanese dubbed their “Silicon Shield.” Indeed, just days ago, the countrys economy minister, Kuo Jyh-huei, described Taiwans semiconductor industry as its sacred mountain protecting the country. Yet that sacred mountain looks a little more surmountable now. Ultimately it reduces U.S. dependence on Taiwanwhich reduces Taiwanese leverage over the U.S., says William Matthews, senior research fellow for China and the world in the Asia-Pacific program at Chatham House. Losing that leverage is a dangerous move, Matthews says, not least because of the way the United States has taken a more transactional approach to international relations, even with its allies, under Trump. From that point of view it reduces the incentive in Washington to defend Taiwan from China, explains Matthews. Unlike Ukraine, there isn’t an ongoing war, but Trump’s approach to the mineral deal is indicative of his attitude to international partnershipstransactional and potentially extractive while minimizing costs to the U.S. The Taiwanese economics minister said earlier this month that no deal with TSMC would be signed without the express agreement of the government, suggesting that TSMC hasnt yet granted the ability for U.S. plants to build the highest-spec chipsfor now. The Taiwanese government has said it will retain the most advanced tech but that doesn’t mean that it will do so forever, or that the U.S. won’t leap ahead with access to more advanced chip production on U.S. soil, warns Matthews. And at that point, theres little reason for the U.S. to defend Taiwan should the worst happen. That said, Wang, the tech competition analyst, isnt certain that its a zero-sum game. This additional investment could also strengthen U.S.-Taiwan relations economically and technologically, first potentially reducing the risk of being targeted by tariffs under the Trump administration and serving as a good start for future collaboration between the two governments, he says. But Matthews worries that it further isolates Taiwan geographically and could result in real worries in the Asia-Pacific region, where China has long threatened to invade Taiwan. The risk for Taiwan is that China’s approach is not one that prioritizes a war outside specific circumstancesthe declaration of formal independence or action taken by Taiwan or the U.S. that puts eventual unification in jeopardy, says Matthews. Instead, Matthews foresees there could be a long game of increasing grayzone activities like joint air and naval patrols, cyberattacks, and cable cutting, with an aim of wearing down Taiwan’s resolve. Such asymmetrical actions that come below the point of outright military intervention make it less and less likely that Trump would intervene now that much of the chip production the U.S. relies on Taiwan for has been onshoredbut ratchets up the tension nonetheless. It also gives China time to muster forces furthermuch as happened in Ukraine with Russia. All of this means that if and when China does take the step to occupy Taiwan, the costs of U.S. involvement will be much greater, says Matthews. If all goes to China’s plan, the U.S. will decide not to get involved in a conflict it could lose, and will be even less inclined to do so if the material incentive of protecting Taiwan’s chip sector is gone.
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E-Commerce
Nearly all job growth since 1980 has been in occupations that are social-skill intensive. Teamwork, for instance, is now considered very or extremely important in eight of 10 occupations. Not surprisingly, a Stanford study shows that people working collaboratively persist on a task for 64% longer than those working individually on the same task, and they exhibit higher levels of engagement. According to the platform LinkedIn, the most in-demand skills in 2024 include teamwork and communication. Jobs that require high levels of analytical and mathematical reasoning but low levels of relational skills have been declining because they are easier to automate. As a result, workers in positions requiring social skills are demanding higher wages. These trends align with the fact that there has been a decrease in demand for jobs involving routine tasks, whereas those that require the human touch for enhancing team productivity and flexible adaptation to changing circumstances are on the rise. David Deming, who studies social skills at Harvard University, analyzed team performance and showed that there really is such a thing as a team player. He was able to isolate and replicate the effect of an individual team members contribution across multiple groups, showing that a team player increases group performance quite meaningfully. Similarly, in a large research study referred to as Project Oxygen, Google examined what made the companys employees good managers. The assumption was that it was technical skills. In fact, most successful managers were relational individuals who made time for one-to-one meetings, helped employees work through problems, and took an interest in their lives. The future belongs to those with relational intelligence, and its vital to instill these skills from an early age. The workplace increasingly values the skills that are typically nurtured in a preschool-like environment. Paradoxically, however, preschools are starting to shift toward a more rigid, academically focused model reminiscent of the pedagogy of the industrial era, potentially neglecting the importance of play and peer interaction. James Heckman, a recipient of the Nobel Prize in economics, conducted pioneering research establishing the equal importance of noncognitive abilitiesincluding social skillsalong-side cognitive ones. Heckman asserted that these attributes are teachable, although he pointed out that American educational institutions may not consistently focus on cultivating them. To prepare students for the future, education systems should focus on and measure relational intelligencethe ability to interact and work effectively with othersnot just mastery of academic skills or acquisition of content. A love of learning is also gaining importance in the ever-evolving world of work. Maintaining a thirst for learning is like having a dependable compass in a shifting landscape. We know that the average American will change jobs twelve times between the ages of 18 and 54, and will switch careers between three and seven times. About one in five American workers has a job with high exposure to artificial intelligence, according to OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT. Over time, automation may create as many jobs as it eliminates, but those new jobs will require people to retrain and acquire new skills. As technology hurdles forward, those who embrace learning will navigate the twists and turns of the modern job market with greater ease. They will have a knack for staying in the know about the new tools, technologies, and industry trends that will be crucial for remaining competitive in their careers. But the significance of a love for learning goes beyond just professional growth. Its about personal empowerment. Its akin to having a versatile tool set for life. A curious and open attitude can make you more adaptable, more resilient, and a sharper problem solver. When you love learning, you tend to approach challenges as opportunities for growth rather than insurmountable obstacles. That kind of mindset not only helps you flourish in your career but also enriches your personal life. In my opinion, a love of learning is an understudied competency, despite its vital role in human flourishing. What is a love of learning? It characterizes an individuals approach to acquiring new information and skills, encompassing both a general enthusiasm for learning and a pronounced interest in specific subject matter. When I think of a love of learning, I picture someone like my younger daughter, whose passion for dance and desire for mastery cause her to continue dancing across our living room after formally training at her dance school for five hours straight. When people possess a strong love of learning, they become mentally engaged and derive positive emotions from the process of acquiring new skills, satisfying their curiosity, building upon existing knowledge, or delving into entirely new topics. Young children simply love learning. Four-year-olds ask as many as two hundred to three hundred questions a day. How can we keep that love alive and well? Adapted excerpt from Love to Learn: The Transformative Power of Care and Connection in Early Education by Isabelle C. Hau (PublicAffairs, 2025).
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E-Commerce
This desert city gets less than 9 inches of rain a year and experienced the two hottest years in its recorded history in 2023 and 2024. But El Paso Water started planning decades ago for this hotter, drier climate. Last Thursday, the utility broke ground on its latest project to secure water for the city of 700,000: an advanced water purification facility that will deliver 10 million gallons per day of purified water from the citys wastewater stream directly into its drinking water supply. El Pasos Pure Water Center, which will go online by 2028, is the first direct-to-distribution reuse facility in the country. Treating wastewater for reuse as drinking water has long been controversial. But as the technology has advanced and water resources dwindle, more cities are exploring direct reuse. El Paso is the first out of the gate, but Phoenix and Tucson are expected to follow suit. Elsewhere in Texas, communities from the Panhandle to the Hill Country are considering their own facilities. Colorado and California recently adopted rules to regulate the treatment technology. El Paso, Texas, is the center of the universe in water recycling right now, said Gilbert Trejo, vice president of operations at the utility, during the groundbreaking Thursday. A rendering of the Pure Water Center, which broke ground on February 27 and is expected to be operational by 2028 [Photo: courtesy El Paso Water] Growing Acceptance of Direct Reuse El Paso Water began a pilot study in 2016 to test direct potable reuse of sewage and other wastewater with a four-step treatment process. The utility sent water samples to state-certified laboratories for testing and found that the water met all drinking water standards. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) reviewed the pilot data and authorized El Paso Water to move forward with the design of a full facility. After nearly a decade of work, TCEQ approved construction of the facility in October 2024. The advanced purification process begins with treated wastewater from the Roberto Bustamante Wastewater Treatment Plant in El Paso. This source water then goes through a multiple barrier system, first going through reverse osmosis, in which a membrane separates water molecules from other substances. Then hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet light are used to kill bacteria in the water. Next, activated carbon absorbs chemicals or compounds in the water. Lastly, chlorine is added for disinfection. TCEQ requires an online monitoring system with alarms and automatic shutdown capability. Trejo said this real-time monitoring will detect constituents breaking through the treatment process. Before we start to break any type of threshold that would worry us, we will know well in advance so that we can take action, he said. The utility will also work to educate residents and businesses in El Paso to discourage them from putting chemicals and pharmaceuticals down the drain. Trejo acknowledged that unwanted material will inevitably enter the sewer system, so the treatment process is designed to remove these potential contaminants. Environmental advocates have raised concerns about contaminants of emerging concern in the purified water, like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which arent yet regulated in drinking water. The environmental nonprofit Food and Water Watch warns, Its impossible to monitor every potential toxin in a direct potable reuse system. Trejo said that the treatment process was designed to remove pharmaceuticals, emerging contaminants of concern, and future contaminants. The first step was understanding the baseline quality of the source water. To that end, the utility began collecting data from its sewer system in 2016. The utility commissioned an independent panel of experts through the National Water Research Institute to review its designs for the plant. [Image: Paul Horn/Inside Climate News] The good thing is that our multiple-barrier approach to remove viruses, pathogens, and any of these emerging constituents of concern is in place, Trejo said. Its a very robust system. TCEQ spokesperson Richard Richter said the agency has met with El Paso Water since 2014 to review the project. TCEQ issued an authorization for the facility under Chapter 210 of Texas administrative code, which governs reclaimed water. Richter said each authorization is tailored to the specific plant design and source water quality. While TCEQ and the Environmental Protection Agency do not have specific design standards for direct potable reuse facilities, the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act are the foundation for design choices. Once the facility is constructed, there are multiple steps still required in the TCEQ review process before approval can be given for the facility to send water to customers, he said. El Paso Focuses on Reuse El Paso Water CEO John Balliew said Thursday that the Pure Water Center is the culmination of our efforts so far to diversify the water supply of El Paso. The utility has spent decades securing a diverse water portfolio in the Chihuahuan Desert. El Paso historically relied on the Rio Grande, whose flows have diminished, and groundwater pumped from the Hueco Bolson, an aquifer shared with Ciudad Juárez across the border. Alex Mayer, a civil engineer and director of the University of Texas at El Pasos Center for Environmental Resource Management, said El Paso has been a leader in drought-proofing water supplies. The utility has been very effective in putting together plans that make sure the water availability is there, he said. In the 1960s, El Paso bega its water reclamation program, which distributes treated wastewater to irrigate outdoor areas. El Paso Water has also treated wastewater to drinking water standards to recharge the aquifer since the 1980s. In the 1990s, El Paso Water undertook an educational campaign to encourage residents to conserve water, which successfully brought down average consumption. Green lawns were replaced with native desert landscaping. Meanwhile the utility set in motion plans to diversify its water supply. El Paso Water brought the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant online in 2017. The plant, the largest inland desalination facility in the U.S., treats brackish groundwater from the Hueco Bolson. The utility also acquired land in Dell City, Texas, from which it will import groundwater in the future. Federal funding has aided El Paso Waters projects. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation provided $3.5 million for design of the advanced water purification facility in 2019 and provided another $20 million in 2022 for construction. Utility officials have estimated the total project cost to be $295 million. Balliew said the utility will seek additional state and federal funding to complete the facility. Balliew said the cost of water from the Pure Water Center will be about $500 per acre foot, which is comparable to the cost of water from the desalination plant. However, this is several times more expensive than the fresh water pumped from the aquifers and the Rio Grande. Mayer commended El Paso Waters very progressive water rates that charge lower rates to households that consume less water, which are typically low-income. But as water rates trend up with new water sources coming online, he has researched the impacts on low-income residents. Nearly one in five El Pasoans live in poverty, well above the national average. In a 2022 PLOS One paper, UTEP researchers Josiah Heymen, Jessica Alger, and Mayer used climate change and groundwater depletion scenarios to project the impact of water rates on low-income households. They found that paying for basic water supply could become a significant burden for 40% of all households in El Paso. Mayer said he is confident the utility will continue its progressive rate structures for low-income households. I am just a little worried about how far that can go, he said. Texas, Western States Move Ahead on Direct Potable Reuse The first direct potable reuse plant in the world opened in 1968 in Namibia, southern Africas driest country. The New Goreangab Wastewater Reclamation Plant replaced the original facility in 2002. The technology is poised to grow in the U.S. as southwestern states contend with aridification and growing populations. The Texas Permian Basin town of Big Spring is home to the first direct reuse project in the United States. The Colorado River Municipal Water District began treating wastewater in Big Spring for direct reuse in 2013. Unlike in El Paso, the purified water is combined with raw water before distribution. Wichita Falls, Texas, also operated a temporary direct potable reuse facility from 2014 to 2015. Both Big Spring and Wichita Falls resorted to direct potable reuse during a severe drought. The federal government relies on states to regulate direct potable reuse. Texas adopted a guidance manual in 2022 to regulate direct potable reuse facilities. Colorado adopted rules in 2023 and California followed suit in 2024. Arizona is in the process of updating its rules for direct potable reuse. Several cities are moving ahead with new facilities. The Tucson City Council voted in January to accept $86.7 million from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to construct a direct potable reuse plant by 2032. In exchange, Tucson will leave a portion of its water supply from the Colorado River in Lake Mead over a decade. Phoenix plans to add direct potable reuse to its 91st Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant to purify 60 million gallons per day by 2030. Communities across Texas, from Amarillo to Dripping Springs, have plans for direct potable reuse in their regional water plans filed with the Texas Water Development Board. The TCEQ spokesperson said that Liberty Hill, north of Austin, has notified the agency of its intent to pursue direct potable reuse. All eyes will be on El Paso as El Paso Water begins construction on its advanced purification facility. This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News. It is republished with permission. Sign up for its newsletter here.
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E-Commerce
Beauty mogul and Rhode founder Hailey Bieber recently posted a a series of editorial photos on her Instagram to tease an upcoming collaboration with Fila. One of the pictures is not like the rest. In it, Bieber is caught mid-gasp as an artful collection of vibrant carrots, ripe bananas, and glossy tomatoes tumble from a brown bag cradled in her arm. The image has ignited an impassioned discussion on social media. One X user wrote of Biebers post, That one influencer that predicted fresh food would become part of fashion in 2025, because groceries are too expensive, & its a status symbol to waste fresh produce ate so bad. The influencer in question is TikTok user @kfesteryga, whose account is dedicated to tracking where food is being positioned as a status symbol, from the Instagram accounts of the Kardashians to the bodice of Zendayas Met Gala outfit. While this theory is finding traction online (the aforementioned tweet has already racked up 507,000 likes), produce-as-status-symbol is a trend thats actually been cooking in various forms for years. According to Andrea Hernández, author of the food and beverage trends newsletter Snaxshot, Its not new so much as its now getting more attention because of conspiracy-style TikTok videos. Food industry experts may have sniffed this out years ago, but now, flexing with vegetables is primed to go fully mainstreamand the reality of the phenomenon is pretty depressing. How did we get here? Groceries as a fashion statement can be traced all the way back to the 1930s, designer Elizabeth Goodspeed points out for Its Nice That. But the trend has seen several revivals over the years, including the bacon craze of the 2010s or the twee cupcake fad of the same era. In 2014, the grocery store itself became a site of high fashion when Chanel hosted a supermarket-themed show that was basically unavoidable on fashion Twitter. Months later, Kristen Stewart was photographed by Elle magazine sandwiched delicately between rows of lush green lettuce and processed peanut butter. In the past few years, the trend has trickled down from runways and magazine spreads into the hands of the average consumer, most often in the form of kitschy novelty goods. There have been bags inspired by Heinz packets and pizza boxes, hand-beaded butter purses, and enough tomato-inspired prints to last a lifetime. The food-inspired design frenzy has historically been unoffensive. Recently, though, a bleaker take on the trends appears to be emerging, and it strips away the glitz and whimsy to reveal the unfortunate truth: Fresh produce is increasingly considered a luxury good. Carrot-chic Ongoing inflation has consistently ranked as a central concern for Americans in the years since the pandemic, and 2025 is no different. According to a report this month from the Labor Department, the consumer price index increased 3% year-over-year. The index accounts for rises in key purchases like gas, cars, and groceries. [Groceries-as-luxury] is definitely a post-2020 sentiment, and as were halfway in the decade, its no surprise to see it permeate into the mainstream, Hernández says. Food scarcity and grocery prices skyrocketing is real, and our generation made fancy smoothies a form of affordable affluence. Its Gen Zs avocado toast trope. Indeed, despite outrage over the ever-increasing cost of living, Gen Z seems almost morbidly fascinated with trends like Erewhons $20 smoothies or, more recently, the stores viral $19 strawberry. You cant afford a house, but you can splurge on $25 smoothies, Hernández quips. Meanwhile, on social media, Gen Zers are earnestly romanticizing a frugal adult life, one that still seems out of reach in the current economic climate: One day youll be buying groceries to cook dinner in the small apartment you rent, a viral aspirational tweet reads. As grocery prices surge, luxury foods gain more mystique and social clout. Now, though, prices are so prohibitive that access to plain old produce is becoming a wealth signaler. Biebers recent Instagram post is one example of this shift, but, on her TikTok account, @kfesteryga has documented plenty of other recent instances of the trend. These include an Instagram story from Kim Kardashian highlighting an untouched plate of out-of-season grapes; a Stylist cover of Adam Brody next to a cake topped with bright red cherries; and a photo shoot of Pamela Anderson enjoying a multitier fruit platter. These posts show that theres no longer the need for the aesthetic trappings of the supermarket or the eye-catching repurposing of processed foods into leather handbags to convey a sense of exclusivity. A simple brown bag of carrots and bananas can do that all by itself.
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E-Commerce
Alexander Balan was on a California beach when the idea for a new kind of drone came to him. While tossing a football, he realized that its form factor could translate into a lightweight unmanned aerial system (UAS) designed for rapid deployment and autonomous targeting. This eureka moment led Balan to found Xdown, the company that’s building the P.S. Killer (PSK)an autonomous kamikaze drone that works like a hand grenade and can be thrown like a football. To create the PSK, Xdown teamed up with several defense companies, including Corvid Technologies, a North Carolina-based military contractor that specializes in the design, development, and prototyping of weapons systems. While the Xdown hasnt completed all the planned capabilities of the drone (it’s currently in the testing phase), its form factor, deployment mechanism, and propulsion system could completely change the way soldiers operate drones. Instead of depending on remote controls, the PSK will be operated by AI. And if the PSK works how Balan says it should, it could change the battlefield as we know it. The Xdown drone stands in sharp contrast to current first-person-view drones (FPV), which require time to set up (you need to put on goggles and gamepads for control) and the expertise to fly them. Balan, an engineer with a background in high-speed vertical takeoff and landing (HSVTOL) systems, has been a keen observer of the increasing use of low-cost drones in Ukraines defense against Russia, a force superior in numbers and equipment. Drones are the future of modern warfare, he says. With an estimated 15,500 Russian armored vehicles lost to Ukrainian FPVs, it’s fair to say drones are the present of modern warfare. But Balan believes that in a world where one second could be the difference between life and death, a drone needs to be more accessible and easily deployable. He says soldiers should be able to grab it, switch it on, and throw itjust like a football. Inside the design According to Balan, the football form factor serves two purposes. Operationally, the shape is so compact and sturdy that you can carry it anywhere. Made of composite material, the drone weighs 1.7 pounds when empty and is capable of carrying another 1.7 pounds, which could be an explosive head or other cargo. The PSK can carry one or two 40 mm grenades commonly used in grenade launchers today. The grenades could be high-explosive dual purpose, designed to penetrate armor while also creating an explosive fragmentation effect against personnel. These grenades can also airburstprogrammed to explode in the air above a target for maximum effect. This allows for multiple mission scenarios. Infantry, special operations, and counterterrorism units can easily store PSK drones in a field backpack and tote them around, taking one out to throw at any given time. They can also be packed by the dozen in cargo airplanes, which can fly over an area and drop swarms of them for targeted bombing runs in which each drone goes for a designated objective. Aerodynamically, the shape is also good for flight, Balan says, as any quarterback can tell you. The PSK has a thrust-vectoring propulsion system, which can both make it fly much longer and change its course as needed. Balan claims it can reach speeds of up to 135 knots and has a range of more than 40 miles. [Photo: Xdown] Once thrown, the device activates within two seconds in the air, deploying articulated stabilizer fins and rotor blades that appear from thin slots on its sides. The PSK is a throw-and-forget drone, Balan says, referencing the fire-and-forget missile that, once locked on to a target, can seek it on its own. The PSK is designed to autonomously identify and strike high-value targets such as armored vehicles, enemy UAVs, and personnel. He tells me that once Xdown finishes its development, the drone will eventually operate through multiple layers of targeting logic. The PSK is programmed with mission parameters and general target signatures, he says. This means that the AI knows what to look forsay, a Russian T-80 tankand go for it. Once deployed, its onboard AI processes data from optical cameras, infrared sensors, radar, and lidar to classify and track potential threats, Balan explains, noting that the system continuously evaluates battlefield conditions and selects targets based on predefined threat-assessment parameters. It can also serve as a reconnaissance drone when equipped with a video sensor head. When launched as a swarm, multiple PSKs will be able to communicate in real time, distributing targets among themselves to optimize strike efficiency, Balan claims. This swarm coordination prevents redundant attacks and maximizes battlefield effectiveness. According to Xdown, the PSK will have a wide range of potential applications. It can be an asset in maritime security operations, where it could be used to intercept small, fast-moving vessels, or conduct reconnaissance. The drone could also be employed for convoy protection, detecting threats such as teams armed with shoulder-mounted weapons or roadside bombs before they strike. Special operations forces could use it for high-value targets, leveraging its compact size and autonomous targeting to strike enemy positions with minimal setup time. Counterterrorism units could deploy the PSK for precision strikes in urban environments, reducing collateral damage compared to conventional airstrikes. It could even become a counter-UAV system, capable of autonomously identifying and intercepting enemy drones. Balan says the company is also working on a nonlethal version of the PSK, replacing its warhead with a supply container so that its able to deliver food, medical kits, or ammunition to frontline troops in contested environments (though given the 1.7-pound payload capacity, such packages would obviously be small). [Photo: Xdown] The dangers of AI targeting This targeting and reduced collateral damage is precisely one of PSK’s murky points, however. The drone is preprogrammed to detect certain types of enemy targets, but s Elon Musk or anyone who has tried autonomous driving can tell you, this can be problematic in the known, predictable environments of a city at peace. In the battlefield, where chaos reigns and actors can disguise themselves in different shapes and forms, it can get extremely tricky. AI can get confused and attack innocent civilians who might be near military vehicles or get mistaken for enemy soldiers. Conversely, the enemy can also disguise itself to confuse the AI systems and avoid detection. AI will continue to improve to the point of being able to mitigate these issues, but it’s not there yet. Theres a reason why scientists want to regulate autonomous killing machines and ban the use of AI for kill decisions. Ukraine is already using the HX-2, a kamikaze strike drone with AI capable of autonomous targeting. The medium-size drone, designed and made by German manufacturer Helsing, requires approval by a human to make the kill. But the Ukrainians are in such dire need that its logical to expect these fail-safes to eventually be switched off. As Vincent Boulaninprogram director of the governance of AI at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institutetold me during a recent interview: Its difficult for Ukraine to think of high-level principles about what constitutes the responsible use of autonomy right now, fighting the war. Balan says that the PSK has an abort-and-return function that gets activated if no viable target is detected. The abort function relies on telemetry override and onboard navigation. The drone calculates the optimal return route and either glides back to the operator or enters a controlled descent, he explains, noting that this feature prevents unnecessary munition waste and increases operational efficiency. Xdown claims that the PSK can operate in GPS-denied environments, resisting electronic warfare measures that typically disable other drones, thanks to its AI and visible light and infrared camera sensors. And its so small and so quiet (it has an acoustic signature of 55 decibels at 20 feet), the company contends, that it is nearly undetectable to conventional air defense systems. How far from actual combat? Balan says Xdown has already secured thousands of preorders from both domestic and allied military buyers. The company plans to begin delivery of training models by midsummer, with full-scale production set for 2026. The initial technology readiness levels demonstrated that the design exceeds current requirements, and we believe this is the ultimate tactical UAS for modern and future warfare, Balan says. Xdown is currently refining its aerodynamic performance and guidance systems through controlled throws and simulations. We anticipate multiple test throws over the next two months to optimize thrust vectoring and wing articulation under different conditions, Balan says. Thrust vectoring means that the rotor can adjust the orientation of the blades in real time to correct its course, fly, find, and destroy its target, so it can be operated effectively even by someone who isnt particularly dexterous at throwing a football. Balan says that one Defense Department official told him This is the most American munition I have ever seen. Which, of course it is. Time will tell whether the PSK lives up to its ambitious claims. But if it works as advertised, it could mark a major shift in drone warfare on its launch convenience alone.
Category:
E-Commerce
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