Drone Wars?

Listen to me drone on for SouthFront.

This is my recent VO for Southfront.

As you can see, it is all about UAVs! Drones.

The last part of the video (which I did not write ) is probably most important.

Geran kamikaze drones are being switched from night operations to daytime daily use because Russia now has so many drones of all different kinds. Has to do something with them,right? Especially since Iran is gifting Russia much better Shahed drones. .. Jet engines. Faster. Really cool looking. Out with the old, in with the new!

Ten years ago Russia had just about 200 UAVs, lagging behind just about everyone else.

As everyone knows, Iran stepped into the breach by donating drones of its won manufacture-- an arrangement which became the basis for military cooperation, the fruits of which we see today in the Middle East.

Russia is also said to be collaborating with China on drone production. The Western Media implies that the Chinese are giving Russia drone tech — when it is more of an equal trade since Russia has extensive combat experience and excellent technology all its own which China needs.

More likely, the Chinese and Russians are collaborating—especially on AI autonomous drones, maybe evevn hypersonic drone weapons.

No one really knows much about this Chinese drone, except that it is a.) hypersonic b.) highly maneuverable— two things the Russians are very good at it.

Oh, it’s “stealthy” too.

A far cry from this $40 wonder.

You can get it on Amazon. Explosives? Maybe Ebay?

The Once and Future Drone King

That would be Vladimir Putin according to NHK, where I am not so popular these days.

Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to increase this year's production of drones being used in the invasion of Ukraine to 1.4 million, about 10 times last year's output.Putin delivered a speech at a meeting of the military-industrial commission on Thursday, after visiting a development and production facility for unmanned aerial vehicles in St. Petersburg.Addressing senior officials from the defense industry, Putin said about 140,000 UAVs of various types were delivered to the armed forces in 2023.He added, "This year, the production of UAVs is to be increased many-fold -- specifically, almost tenfold."Putin stressed their importance in the military invasion of Ukraine, saying that drones of various classes have become an integral part of modern warfare.He also said, "Unmanned systems can be effectively used for various purposes on the battlefield, as the special military operation has confirmed."Putin also mentioned the necessity to improve UAV's combat performance, including through the use of artificial intelligence.He also said efforts should be made to constantly modernize drones based on combat experience.To accelerate the development and manufacturing of drones, he plans to establish 48 special research and production centers across the country by 2030.

So from 200 to 140,000 to 1.4 million -- all different kinds and sizes, with different functions. Just a few below.

The Gerbera is made of plywood and plastic foam. It’s cheap, multipurpose, and effective. Every kid should have one to take out that obnoxious gym teacher.

At 20 tons, the Okhotnik (Hunter)is a wee bit too big to take to school . It has a range of 3100 miles and its stealthy.

The Grom “Loyal Wingman” can accompany fighter jets such as the SU57 and SU75. The baby blue color scheme is optional.

Of course, the Ukrainians make drones too. How they make them is unclear— with very little electric power, few factories left and technical facilities bombed into the ground. But where there is a will, there is a nerd willing to make it happen.

Just sayin’….basic drones are not all that hard to make.

Whose winning the drone wars?

From the video, it is clear who.

The Ukrainians have some smart people. The Russians have more since they have a bigger population, keeping in mind that Ukies are really Russkies ethnically.

The Russians are ahead because their industrial base is expanding and getting better and better. They can manufacture really advanced drones and also really advanced anti drone countermeasures. They also have a functioning power grid.

If you follow the video, you will see the Ukrainians have had a few successes. But they are not hitting the targets they need to hit, targets that would make a difference in this war.

Hit and miss? Mostly miss.

The Russians are blowing up pretty much everything they target — and not just with drones. They use missiles too . Not that Kiev will admit to those missiles and drones are getting through.

Russian countermeasures, including EW, are so very good that Ukrainians are forced to launch very large swarms of drones—only a few of which will get through.

Drones generally have small warheads, of course. But they can do real damage—even to armor. This has led to “cope cages” for Russian tanks and other measures.

So….

This T90 below was hit by no less than five kamikaze drones and still survived. (Click on graphic for video)

Both sides lose tanks to drones—but the Russians not only have tanks to spare but have adapted and improved them —while constantly upgrading their tactics. The Ukrainians have had to withdraw their Abrams and Challengers in most cases and must fight without armor support.

Below is a Russian Lancet loitering drone. As you know, loitering is a crime in most US cities. Loiterers are killers.

As I have said, Russia has the advantage of a vibrant, creative, growing and very efficient industrial base. It appears to have established leadership in the practical application of AI to autonomous weaponry, as a result of the continual challenges of this war.

The Ovod FPV (First Person View) drone incorporates the "Ploshchad" onboard homing system, which utilizes a combination of algorithmic tracking through technical vision and a neural network-based system. This innovative approach enables the drone to identify and destroy targets independently, even in the absence of direct communication with its operator.

Andrey Ivanov, the creator of the Ovod system, highlighted the significant advantage this technology brings to combat scenarios. "The effectiveness of the Ovod drone is particularly notable when the drone operates beyond the range of radio visibility, such as behind forests, hills, or buildings, where traditional communication links would fail," explained Ivanov. "Once the drone locks onto a target, it can continue to track and engage effectively, regardless of any disruption in the communication link."

This capability is especially critical in modern warfare, where the ability to operate under diverse and challenging conditions is paramount. The AI system ensures that the drone can hit both static and moving targets with high accuracy, enhancing the effectiveness of military operations while reducing the risk to human operators.

The US? It has no industrial base like Russia’s with which to compete. Russia also has engineers and mathematicians. They lead in the development of electronic “neural networks” which among other things gives them an edge in air defense and EW.

”The US has MBAs and political “scientists”. Joe Biden’s cognitive capabilities set the standard.

The results tell the story. While, the Houthis and Iranians have real scientists turning out hypersonic missiles —the US is still trying.

And I am still waiting for Microsoft to fix Windows.

Catch 22

My blacklisting in Japan reminded me of Catch 22.

The country was in peril; he was jeopardizing his traditional rights of freedom and independence by daring to exercise them.

― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

Thank you

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Part 3 of the Special Article series will be mailed this weekend. I am proof-reading and revising now.

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