DJI gets on the bad side of the US

 https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/29/dji_denies_aiding_russia/

 

DJI's involvement in Russia's illegal invasion first became an issue around March 11, when allegations emerged that Ukrainian users were unable to use a DJI drone detection product called DJI AeroScope that the Chinese company bills as "a comprehensive drone detection platform that rapidly identifies UAV communication links, gathering information such as flight status, paths, and other information in real time."

Russian users could run AeroScope, leading to accusations that DJI was assisting Moscow.

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Personally, as a DJI drone owner, I'll be happy to switch to one of the many US companies that now make just as good products.

 

Ukrainian drone warriors stop Russian convoy

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/28/the-drone-operators-who-halted-the-russian-armoured-vehicles-heading-for-kyiv

 

"The Ukrainian soldiers were equipped with night vision goggles, sniper rifles, remotely detonated mines, drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras and others capable of dropping small 1.5kg bombs."

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They made their own drones, equipped them with small bombs, snuck up on Russian vehicles and let 'em drop.

 

 

is a drone flight enough to start a war?

 https://hr.n1info.com/english/news/drones-flying-into-its-territory-have-forced-nato-to-decide-how-to-respond/

 

The trio of drone incidents has amplified concerns that Russia’s war in Ukraine could spill over into NATO countries, even if unintentionally, forcing the alliance to decide how to respond — if at all — to incidents that occur inside its borders.

US defense officials say the errant drones that entered NATO territory appeared to be largely inadvertent. Since the start of Russia’s invasion, the US military has established a deconfliction line with Russia to reduce the risk of miscalculation and make sure the two militaries operating so close together don’t inadvertently clash. The US has tested the line “once or twice a day,” according to a senior defense official, but so far, it hasn’t been needed.

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Could one errant drone flight be enough to start a war?  Stay tuned...

 

 

Leleka-100 UAV used in Ukraine

 https://ukrspecsystems.com/drones/leleka-100-electric-uav

 

"LELEKA-100 unmanned aerial system has been officially on service in Ukrainian Armed Forces since 2015. Our solution has received positive feedback from Ukrainian Army officers, drone operators, and intelligence agents. It is one of the most commonly used drones of its class in the Ukrainian Army and has most of the flight hours recorded. Leleka-100 even participated in a Military Parade in honor of the Independence Day of Ukraine."  According to https://twitter.com/UAWeapons one of these was downed recently by electronic warfare. 

Ukraine's "Punisher" drone most likely seeing action

 https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17663028/ukraine-punisher-drones-russian-forces-putin-invades/

 

"The unmanned planes - with a 7.5-foot wingspan - carry up to three high explosive bombs which can wipe out troops and vehicles within 50 metres.

They loiter for hours 1,300 feet above the battlefield up to 30 miles behind enemy lines directed by a pilot on the ground manning a laptop computer.

A smaller reconnaissance drone called a Spectre flies alongside to identify targets before the Punisher homes in for the kill."

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I hope to read more about this after the war.