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How Ukraine’s killer drones are beating Russian jamming

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Re: How Ukraine’s killer drones are beating Russian jamming

#251

Post by nradov »

lostlogin wrote: post #244
bboygravity wrote: post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Of we could use the opposite of isolationism, something being cut by governments at this time: soft power. Aid programmes and helping some of the more impoverished countries grow. Bombing Middle Eastern countries has been tried for about a century. It doesn’t seem to have helped.

Let's not be naive. Aid programs are a great idea when practical, and I'm certainly not in favor of indiscriminate bombing. But unfortunately in many countries, including Middle East conflict zones, any foreign aid is just stolen by local armed groups and used to fund terrorist activities. How do you think the leaders of Hamas accumulated billions in foreign bank accounts?

Re: How Ukraine’s killer drones are beating Russian jamming

#252

Post by empath75 »

lenerdenator wrote: post #78

Hoping and praying someone in the administration is able to convince Trump to align closer to Ukraine (even if only slightly) because of this. The Ukrainians pulled off an absolute coup on Sunday. A third of a nuclear-armed country's strategic bomber fleet inoperable for the foreseeable future. Someone at NORAD probably said "they should have sent a poet" while looking at the satellite imagery. If middle powers like…

I think Ukraine could only have gotten away with this in the current situation where the US is detaching itself from supporting them, because if Russia genuinely thought that the US was behind taking out a large percentage of it's strategic nuclear fleet, the consequences of that are nightmarish to think about.

Those airplanes are one of the things that give Russia a second strike capability, and if they lose that capability, then they are going to be on a hair trigger in a nuclear crisis.

Re: How Ukraine’s killer drones are beating Russian jamming

#253

Post by irthomasthomas »

consumer451 wrote: post #240
ivape wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They need to make a movie behind this one, that just looks like such a cyberpunk operation.

There are so many possible scripts that could be based on what has happened since 2022 in Ukraine. There would be no need for exaggeration of the heroism, bravery, and loss. The only issue might be that people would not believe it actually happened. From Zelenskyy, a previous comedic actor refusing to flee, "I need ammunition, not a ride," to the defense of Snake Island "Russian warship, go fuck yourself," to all the…

An actor who's last role was the lead in a sitcom about an ordinary citizen who becomes the unlikely president of Ukraine.

Re: How Ukraine’s killer drones are beating Russian jamming

#254

Post by IX-103 »

bboygravity wrote: post #238
vasco wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As an engineer, I am fascinated by it all. As a human, I am horrified that we democratized violence on this scale. How do you even defend against this in a terrorist use case? When a small drone with a grenade or homemade explosive is so accessible? Any Christmas market in central Europe these days is surrounded by car barriers to prevent mass run-overs, but what do you do when soon someone has the idea of dropping…

[flagged]

That would be one approach, though I think it is unlikely to be a successful one.

The topic is autonomous drones. Presumably these drones don't stop to go through customs on the way to their targets, and have no reason to respect borders. They're too small for existing radar to track, so enforcement would be difficult.

For that matter, since they can be left in a quiescent state for relatively long periods, there's no requirement that anyone involved be inside the country. They could be shipped internationally through existing shipping services to arbitrary addresses near a target, unpack themselves by cutting through their packaging, and attack a preplanned target.

Re: How Ukraine’s killer drones are beating Russian jamming

#255

Post by _1tem »

stego-tech wrote: post #226

Drone warfare has always been equal parts distressing (it’s impersonal, it’s too easy to leverage, and therefore too easy to abuse) and incredible (ultra-thin fiber as a kite line? Brilliant!) to me. These advances are no different. That said, I do fret we’re staring down a new age of guerrilla warfare. Drones are cheap, widely available, and increasingly autonomous. Their countermeasures are either impractical for c…

This article did not even cover some of the weird solutions being deployed against drones. For example, Russia has surrounded many of their critical infrastructure sites with huge nets (similar to golf course barrier netting). They have also developed anti-drone drones that drop nets from above, catching and tangling target drones in a bunch of netting that simply snags the blades.

Re: How Ukraine’s killer drones are beating Russian jamming

#256

Post by dvfjsdhgfv »

bboygravity wrote: post #238
vasco wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As an engineer, I am fascinated by it all. As a human, I am horrified that we democratized violence on this scale. How do you even defend against this in a terrorist use case? When a small drone with a grenade or homemade explosive is so accessible? Any Christmas market in central Europe these days is surrounded by car barriers to prevent mass run-overs, but what do you do when soon someone has the idea of dropping…

[flagged]

I don't think any country welcomes extremists like ISIS combatants willingly. So you would need a way to weed them out. It's not just difficult, it's practically impossible.

Re: How Ukraine’s killer drones are beating Russian jamming

#257

Post by glitchc »

00N8 wrote: post #211
glitchc wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lasers aren't effective. Most of the drone is just an empty frame. The control board is pretty tiny, as is the ordnance. Targeting those or the propulsion systems is quite difficult. Sure, you can punch holes in the chassis but it takes a lot of guesswork to hit something vital. It's the wrong weapon. Something with an area of effect, like a shotgun or a net is much better suited to stopping drones.

Are you sure about that? AFAIK effective laser drone defenses are not yet widely deployed proven technology, but I don't think small beam size is a limiting factor. Getting enough power onto the target to disable it is a big challenge, but part of that is fighting the natural tendency of the beam to spread out & be attenuated by the atmosphere - not that the beam affects too small of a spot on the drone. Having a las…

The point is that a focused laser will put a hole through the drone, much like an armor piercing round, but that is often insufficient to disable the drone. A larger ballistic projectile (think a solid shell or a rock) is much more effective. Alternative energy weapons based on microwaves and SPL also work well.

Re: How Ukraine’s killer drones are beating Russian jamming

#258

Post by jxjnskkzxxhx »

originalvichy wrote: post #130

If your country is an adversary of China, I would be scared. I've seen videos on YouTube of how the drones from Chinese drone light shows take off and return to their launch areas. They have remarkable accuracy.

Boards don't hit back.

Re: How Ukraine’s killer drones are beating Russian jamming

#259

Post by empath75 »

stego-tech wrote: post #226

Drone warfare has always been equal parts distressing (it’s impersonal, it’s too easy to leverage, and therefore too easy to abuse) and incredible (ultra-thin fiber as a kite line? Brilliant!) to me. These advances are no different. That said, I do fret we’re staring down a new age of guerrilla warfare. Drones are cheap, widely available, and increasingly autonomous. Their countermeasures are either impractical for c…

I think watch out for Mexico. The cartels are swimming in cash and are already using drones to attack security forces and assassinate people.

Re: How Ukraine’s killer drones are beating Russian jamming

#260

Post by heyjamesknight »

lostlogin wrote: post #244
bboygravity wrote: post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Of we could use the opposite of isolationism, something being cut by governments at this time: soft power. Aid programmes and helping some of the more impoverished countries grow. Bombing Middle Eastern countries has been tried for about a century. It doesn’t seem to have helped.

15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers came from Saudi Arabia. When exactly did we bomb them?
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