Taken together, the orders aim to boost struggling American drone makers, wean the U.S. off Chinese drones and defend the country against small aircraft that are playing increasin

President Donald Trump signed executive orders Friday to bolster US drone capabilities, including strengthening counter-drone tools ahead of major sporting events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics that will be hosted in the country.

Russia mounted an intense and sustained barrage of Kyiv overnight, with missiles and drones targeting the Ukrainian capital where there was a succession of large explosions, Reuters reporters in the city said.

Across the country, swarms of small explosive drones descended onto military bases and destroyed a large part of Russia's nuclear bomber fleet. The flying bombs were smuggled into Russia by Ukrainian intelligence services in a plot known as Operation Spiderweb.

Russia will take years to replace nuclear-capable bomber planes that were hit in Ukrainian drone strikes last weekend, according to Western military aviation experts, straining a modernisation programme that is already delayed.