Note: The following text was originally posted on my X/Twitter account.
More evidence of commercial off-the-shelf multirotor drones in the hands of the Islamic State-Somalia. Diffusion is likely to continue worldwide. The increased availability of low-latency low Earth orbit satellite communication, such as Starlink, will facilitate further diffusion.
For more on the diffusion of “FPV” multirotor drones to Somalia, see my recent post:
Capture Of "FPV" Multirotor Drones In The Hands Of The Islamic State-Somalia Highlights The Worldwide Diffusion Of New COTS Armaments
In June 2025, security forces in the semi-autonomous Puntland region of Somalia captured so-called first-person video (“FPV”) multirotor drones during combat operations against Islamic State-Somalia fighters. “FPV” multirotor drones are readily accessible, low-cost commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) uncrewed aircraft that can be adapted for use as low-cost…