tiny drone and a lot of equipment make for formerly impossible video

 

This had to take a lot of planning, practice, and equipment to maintain this little drone's flight.

tornado path scouring shown on quadcopter video

 

 

 

Quite amazing what you can see from the air.  It would be quite expensive to get this view from a plane or helicopter, but quite easy and inexpensive from a quadcopter.

russian tanks add armor to protect against drones

 https://bulgarianmilitary.com/2021/11/26/russian-tank-with-improvised-anti-drone-armor-entered-ukraine-video/

 

What are makeshift anti-drone bumpers? These are metal structures, lattice or cage type, rough workmanship, and similar to the lamella bumper. It is noteworthy that their installation aims to “protect” the tank from hitting from above. Traditionally, tank armor tries to protect the tank from the sides or front. To be mounted to protect the armored vehicle from being hit from above means that the armor can be designed for both kamikaze drones and Javelin anti-tank missile systems...

 Ukraine has several drones, two of which make an impression: Bayraktar TB2, which is Turkish-made and has done a lot of damage to Russian weapons in Armenia during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and Israeli kamikaze drone Harop. But another reason for such makeshift armor is the fact that Ukrainian forces are increasingly using smaller drones, including quadcopters armed with adapted mortars and other explosive payloads, to attack Russian-backed forces in the east.

* * * * *

I saw video of a simple drone dropping a grenade on a tank in the Middle East somewhere.  Killed the tank captain who was standing in the turret.  So yeah, good idea.

 

 

slingshot boy a hero for shooting down a French drone

 https://www.dntghana.com/2021/11/22/13-year-old-burkinabe-boy-shoots-down-french-drone-with-slingshot/

 

The situation degenerated into a high tension variety prompting the French Army to fire warning shots into the sky. That didn’t work so they deployed a drone to capture aeriel video to access the situation.

that’s when the 13-year-old boy (name unknown) used his slingshot to shoot down the drone.

The French Army convoy eventually turned back...

 

* * * * *

 

This reminds me of the African militia leader who used carrier pigeons instead of his cell phone to keep from being found.

 

Drone on Mars

 

Canadians complain about a pesky drone

 https://infotel.ca/newsitem/creepy-and-invasive-peachland-couple-fed-up-with-unwanted-drone-activity/it86521

 

“We were walking along the trail and kept hearing a drone flying around us and then when we would catch sight of it, it would fly off behind the trees. We would lose sight of it again but it followed us on the trail for almost half of an hour," she said.

The first incident reportedly took place in Bibby’s backyard where she was lounging with her husband.

“A drone flew by a few times, then came back and literally hovered about us for five minutes,” Bibby said. “We were getting creeped out by it and yelling at it, acknowledging that we saw it. It flew away, then returned shortly after, so my husband brought out his BB gun and pointed it at the drone and it took off, which proves it was watching us.” 

 * * * * *

I'm not sure what the Canadian rules are for amateur drone pilots?  I think they're more strict than US rules actually.  But at any event this is wrong.

crow attacks delivery drone

 https://imgur.com/gallery/zxSKf7T

 

* * * * *

 They're gonna need to include defensive mice or something.

Another bad use of drones

 https://apnews.com/article/california-smuggling-4e9aa8c47339711d8174c22950457b53

 

The drone is suspected of carrying heroin, methamphetamine, Xanax and muscle relaxers into the Theo Lacy Facility in the city of Orange last Sunday, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

The inmate is accused of using a jailhouse phone to direct the man where to fly the drone. 

* * * * *

A good invention usually gets found by crooks sooner or later.

 

Drone deliveries working in Australia

 https://www.inceptivemind.com/wing-drone-delivery-service-hits-100000-deliveries-milestone/20797

The basis of everything is drone technology developed by the company. Its drones have 12 vertical rotors and two wings and can fly like an airplane and take off or land like a helicopter. The drones have a range of six miles – limited by their battery life – which means the trips are fairly short, so there’s not a lot of issue with foodstuffs staying hot or cold, in spite of the package being transported outside the drone. The company says its drones can carry up to three pounds (1.3 kg) of packages, and the system has had no issues carrying extremely fragile objects like eggs.

The drones fly to their destination, descend to a height of 23 feet (seven meters), and lower their goods to the ground and unhook it.

* * * * *

Sort of a replacement for Door Dash?

a sort-of drone inspects rail tracks

 https://newatlas.com/drones/staaker-bg-300-railway-inspection-drone

 

Manufactured by Norwegian company Nordic Unmanned, the BG-300 is a fuel-cell-powered multicopter drone that also packs a set of four motorized rail wheels. Utilizing those, it can cruise along a rail line at an average speed of 20 km/h (12 mph), reportedly travelling up to 200 km (124 miles) at a time.

Importantly, though, if it encounters any other rail traffic, it will autonomously fly up off the tracks in order to get out of the way until that traffic passes. It can also use this functionality to move from one track to another.

* * * * *

Now that is some smart thinking!  Drones seem to have endless uses.

drug dealers use drone, but it leads to their downfall

 https://interestingengineering.com/spanish-police-capture-5-engine-drone-used-for-drug-transport

 

Made in China, the drone has a total of five motors, four of them are electric and allow it to take off and land vertically. The fifth motor is a two-cylinder internal combustion engine that supports horizontal flight. With a maximum speed capacity of 105 miles per hour (170 km/h), the drone can fly at an altitude of 7000 feet (2000 m). The Spanish police, however, estimate the drone flew at lower altitudes to save fuel and avoid being detected. 

Priced between €30,000 and €150,000 (US $35,000 - $176,000), the drone was operated using an electronic system that relayed the origin and destination along with all the waypoints along the way. It could be flown remotely but the gang was not very aware of its technical capabilities, the Spanish police told the media outlet. They hollowed the front of the drone (which would typically sport equipment such as cameras) to transport their cargo from Morocco to Almáchar.  The dismantleable drone has a wingspan of 15 feet (4.5m), big enough to be detected on radar. Along with its detectable telecommunication, its large size led to its discovery and then tracking to its location. 

* * * * *

This will get dangerous if people start throwing up large drones without coordinating with other planes.

 

Super sophisticated drone harasses Tucson helicopters

 https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/42021/radio-transmissions-from-police-helicopters-chase-of-bizarre-craft-over-tucson-add-to-mystery?utm_source=digg

 

PILOT OF TROY164 (AS50) REPORTED A NMAC ON FREQ 118.3. REPORTED UNKNOWN UAS LESS THAN 100 FEET, 12 O'CLOCK. HAD TO DESCEND IMMEDIATELY AND TURN TO AVOID. MADE 360'S TO LOCATE THE DRONE. DID LOCATE THE DRONE ABOVE HIM AND TRACKED IT UNTIL AIRE 2 ARRIVED. DRONE CIRCLED BETWEEN BOTH HELOS AND CLIMBED UP TO AND ABOVE AN ESTIMATED 12000 FEET AND TRAVELED 10 MILES NORTH/NORTHEAST TOWARDS MT. LEMMON. PILOTS UNABLE TO FULLY IDENTIFY TYPE OR COLOR OF DRONE DUE TO NIGHTTIME CONDITIONS AND MANEUVERABILITY OF UAS. ATTEMPTED TO CAPTURE CAMERA FOOTAGE BUT UNABLE, PURSUED FOR OVER 60 MINUTES UNTIL CONTACT LOST IN VICINITY OF MARANA AIRPORT.

An anti-drone drone

 https://www.inceptivemind.com/raytheons-reusable-coyote-interceptor-defeats-drone-swarm-army-test/20271/

 

Derived from the expendable Coyote loitering munition, Block 3 utilizes a non-kinetic warhead to neutralize enemy drones, reducing potential collateral damage. In addition to proving the Coyote’s anti-swarm capabilities, the recent demonstration also proved that the non-kinetic variants could be recovered, refurbished, and reused without leaving the battlefield.

 

* * * * *

I don't want to dwell on military uses of drones, but a defense of bad use of drones is important, and this looks good.

laser shoots down a drone

 https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a36831660/watch-cessna-shoot-down-drone-with-laser/

 

An intriguing new video from an Israeli defense contractor shows its flying laser beam torching simulated enemy drones.

The drones are designed to replicate the weapons that adversaries like Hamas and Hezbollah use to attack Israeli targets on the ground. Israel wants to eventually shift its anti-rocket and anti-drone defenses, like the Iron Dome, to lasers, which are cheaper and can fire more often than guided missiles. 

 

* * * * * *

the back-and-forth continues...

 

US military debuts drone killer

 https://www.yahoo.com/news/air-force-weapon-hundreds-drones-130000477.html

 

When THOR identifies a target, it shoots a beam of microwaves in less than a second, providing an instant effect on the drones.

The system is different from a laser, which shoots a beam capable of destroying one drone, according to the Air Force. Instead, THOR’s utilization of high-powered microwaves allows it to scuttle swarms of unmanned aerial systems.

“THOR completely stows in a 20-foot shipping container which can easily be transported in a C-130. The system can be set up by as few as two people within three hours and operates from ground power,” according to the video’s narration.

 

* * * * *

The constant battle between bad guys using a good thing and the defense against that.

 

autonomous drone picks and attacks target

 https://www.businessinsider.com/killer-drone-hunted-down-human-target-without-being-told-un-2021-5

 

The Turkish-built KARGU-2, a deadly attack drone designed for asymmetric warfare and anti-terrorist operations, targeted one of Haftar's soldiers while he tried to retreat, according to the paper.

The drone, which can be directed to detonate on impact, was operating in a "highly effective" autonomous mode that required no human controller, the New York Post said.

 

* * * * *

I wouldn't want to be a soldier in the next war.  There will be no hiding behind walls and feeling safe.

Israeli drone drops tear gas

 https://youtu.be/0DFJ9kFpSBE

 

Drones can be used for lots of things.  Some good and some bad. 

Palestinians respond with fireworks...

https://youtu.be/dDFezmwmWgo

Where does this end? Weaponising quadcopters

 https://www.dailysabah.com/business/defense/turkish-firm-develops-mini-rocket-for-small-and-micro-uavs

 

The 170 millimeters long mini ammunition is launched from the 550-millimeter shooter tube. The weight of the rocket corresponds to 500 grams (17 ounces) with a disposable shooter tube. Up to six rockets can be integrated into a mini-UAV.

The mini rocket has a maximum range of 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) and operates with an effective range of 100-500 meters (328-1,640 feet). The antipersonnel warhead with a smart plug is effective within a radius of 12 meters. The armor-piercing warhead penetration capability corresponds to the STANAG 4569 Level 2.

 

* * * * *

 Every good thing also gets turned into a bad thing.  Like the Internet.  Kind of a bummer but that seems to be human nature.

 

Drone finds ancient Native American city in Kansas

 https://www.sciencenews.org/article/drones-native-american-settlement-etzanoa-kansas-pasture

 

"Specially equipped drones flying over a Kansas cattle ranch have detected the buried remnants of a horseshoe-shaped ditch made more than 400 years ago by ancestors of today’s Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, scientists say.

The find adds to suspicions that the Kansas site was part of a sprawling population center that Spanish explorers dubbed the Great Settlement in 1601, archaeologist Jesse Casana of Dartmouth College and his colleagues report August 24 in American Antiquity."

 

Just slap some fancy equipment on a drone and you too can find cool stuff!

 

Li'l Copter heads to Mars!

 https://www.yahoo.com/news/everything-know-nasas-mars-ingenuity-223900705.html

 

"Mars' thin atmosphere, which is 99% less dense than Earth's, will make it difficult for Ingenuity to achieve enough lift to properly fly. Because of this, it has been designed to be extremely lightweight. It stands just 19 inches tall.

The helicopter has four large carbon-fiber blades, fashioned into two rotors that span about 4 feet and spin in opposite directions at about 2,400 rpm — significantly faster than typical helicopters on Earth."

* * * 

I can't wait to see how this goes!

russian police hunt drones to prevent video coverage of protests

 https://www.dw.com/en/russia-protests-erupt-over-navalny-prison-sentencing/a-56434780

 

"According to a tweet from the Belarus Free Theatre group, Russian riot police shot down drones to prevent footage being released that showed the scale of the demonstrations."

 

It looks like they were using both a rifle and a frequency jammer.

military use of drone swarms

 https://theprint.in/defence/drone-swarms-are-coming-and-they-are-the-future-of-wars-in-the-air/596842/

 

"While massed drones in spectacular light shows are all controlled centrally, in a true swarm, each of the drones flies itself following onboard AI to maintain formation and avoid collisions with algorithms mimicking nature — there is no true leader and follower, with all agents in a swarm having their own ‘mind’ able to undertake collective decision-making, adaptive formation flying, and self-healing. The benefit of such a swarm is that if one drone drops out — and a few appear to crash — the group can rearrange itself to continue undertaking the mission till the last UAV in air."

 

The problem right now is defense against such swarms.  This is going to get worse before it gets better.

 

 

Quadcopter hits cop copter

 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-pleads-guilty-after-drone-hits-lapd-helicopter-conviction-1st-n1254365

 

"The police helicopter with two officers inside was flying after a reported burglary at a nearby pharmacy, the documents say. The pilot saw the drone and tried to avoid it, but it hit the bottom of the helicopter. The chopper made an emergency landing at an airport.

A criminal complaint quotes an officer saying that if the drone had hit the helicopter's main rotor, it could have brought down the helicopter.

Hernandez faces up to a year in prison when he is sentenced April 12, but a plea agreement says that prosecutors will recommend reductions in federal sentencing guidelines."

 

There are restrictions in flying for this very reason.  Don't be dumb.