By Dan Catchpole March 9 (Reuters) - Drone startup Beta Technologies is speeding up development of its Alia MV250 military cargo drone by six months, with the first flight now expected this year, Beta chief executive Kyle Clark told Reuters in an interview.

Mass-produced attack drones are overwhelming traditional air defenses. Ukraine is developing autonomous interceptor drones designed to destroy them at far lower cost.

Powerus, a drone company founded last year, announced Monday that it plans to merge with the Trump-backed publicly traded golf-course holding company Aureus Greenway Holdings.

The Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration have agreed to conduct anti-drone laser tests in New Mexico after the military's deployment of the lasers led the FAA to suddenly close airspace in Texas twice in the last month.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country will work with the Pentagon and Gulf allies to share what it has learned during four years of drone warfare.

Powerus and Aureus Greenway Holdings announce a merger to scale autonomous drone systems for defense, infrastructure, and agriculture.

Notable Investors of Combined Company Include American Venture Partners Eric Trumpand Donald Trump Jr.; Additional Support fromLeading U.S.

Dramatic visuals have emerged from Dubai as the escalating Iran war sends shockwaves across the Gulf. A car was seen engulfed in flames in the Umm Suqeim district, with thick black smoke rising into the night sky and triggering panic on a busy city road.