The future of warfare: A $400 drone killing a $2M tank (www.politico.eu)
from db0@lemmy.dbzer0.com to technology@lemmy.world on 30 Oct 2023 15:12
https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/7376319

#technology

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autotldr@lemmings.world on 30 Oct 2023 15:15 next collapse

This is the best summary I could come up with:


KYIV — Sergeant Yegor Firsov, deputy commander of a Ukrainian army strike drone unit, sounds exhausted in a voice message he sent to POLITICO from Avdiivka, an industrial city at the center of intense fighting on the eastern front.

Facing an enemy with superior numbers of troops and armor, the Ukrainian defenders are holding on with the help of tiny drones flown by operators like Firsov that, for a few hundred dollars, can deliver an explosive charge capable of destroying a Russian tank worth more than $2 million.

The FPV — or “first-person view” — drones used in such strikes are equipped with an onboard camera that enables skilled operators like Firsov to direct them to their target with pinpoint accuracy.

A typical FPV weighs up to one kilogram, has four small engines, a battery, a frame and a camera connected wirelessly to goggles worn by a pilot operating it remotely.

It can carry up to 2.5 kilograms of explosives and strike a target at a speed of up to 150 kilometers per hour, explains Pavlo Tsybenko, acting director of the Dronarium military academy outside Kyiv.

Battlefield experience has led the Ukrainian government to shift its preference away from conventional military drones, which are miniature fixed-wing aircraft with a long enough range to strike targets inside Russian territory.


The original article contains 1,376 words, the summary contains 212 words. Saved 85%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

fubo@lemmy.world on 30 Oct 2023 15:19 next collapse

If only we could be sure that $400 drones will only ever be used to kill tanks, and never to kill neighborhoods …

SkybreakerEngineer@lemmy.world on 30 Oct 2023 15:41 next collapse

You can. It takes a much bigger drone to kill an entire neighborhood.

kibiz0r@midwest.social on 30 Oct 2023 15:51 next collapse

Bigger drones, or just more drones.

afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world on 30 Oct 2023 17:46 next collapse

Yeah for now. What happens when someone attaches a laser to one that can start fires?

variants@possumpat.io on 30 Oct 2023 19:13 collapse

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR7vwRC6SFE

PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks on 30 Oct 2023 19:13 collapse

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Skwerls@discuss.tchncs.de on 31 Oct 2023 00:15 collapse

One gas main is all it takes

db0@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 30 Oct 2023 15:43 next collapse

I’m waiting for the panic that will happen at the first political assassination using drones

aeronmelon@lemm.ee on 30 Oct 2023 16:42 next collapse

Several years ago, before COVID, the Japanese government was on high alert because someone parked a drone on the roof of the Prime Minister’s office. Small traces of (harmless) radiation were detected on the drone and no one knows who put it there or why.

gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works on 30 Oct 2023 16:47 collapse

It’s entirely possible someone just flew it around near Fukushima, brought it to near the PM’s office, and then parked it on the roof as a political statement

variants@possumpat.io on 30 Oct 2023 19:09 next collapse

Im pretty sure I read a few years ago someone tried in like south america, I’ll have to look it up

edit: www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-45073385

stewsters@lemmy.world on 31 Oct 2023 02:08 collapse
massive_bereavement@kbin.social on 30 Oct 2023 17:24 collapse

That would make HOA meetings rather ackward... and dangerous.

afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world on 30 Oct 2023 17:45 collapse

I wonder if the second amendment people will get behind drones. It isn’t like you are going to be able to defend your house when someone across a continent can set it on fire.

Imagine that brave new world. People walking around with a personal protection drone following them. Schools needing to invest in Iron Dome type anti-drones drones.

kibiz0r@midwest.social on 30 Oct 2023 15:52 next collapse

Black Mirror was a documentary.

sndmn@lemmy.ca on 30 Oct 2023 19:26 collapse

We’re living the worst parts of both black mirror and Idiocracy.

NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip on 31 Oct 2023 03:16 collapse

When Not Sure proved that toilet water made the plants grow, the people embraced him and looked to him for leadership.

In our reality, people continue to send death threats to healthcare professionals and try to run them out of town. And countless death threats to officials.

We are MUCH worse than Idiocracy.

threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works on 30 Oct 2023 16:12 next collapse

“Begun, the Drone Wars have.”

PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks on 30 Oct 2023 16:12 next collapse

Here is an alternative Piped link(s):

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TWeaK@lemm.ee on 30 Oct 2023 16:30 next collapse

It began ages ago, Ukraine aren’t the first to use them in war. They were used extensively in Azerbaijan/Armenia before then.

ours@lemmy.world on 31 Oct 2023 12:11 collapse

But Ukraine took it to another level by the extent to which they’re using drones including naval drones.

They are using everything from large military drones, improvised jetski-powered suicide drones, tiny FPV suicide drones, and everything in between.

TWeaK@lemm.ee on 31 Oct 2023 15:15 collapse

I dunno, I’d say if anyone’s taking it to the next level it’s the US. They’re currently making unmanned wings of drone jet fighters controlled by a manned aircraft in the area, as well as these big drone airships that can launch hundreds or thousands of small drones. Ukraine is just kind of using existing drone technology in obvious ways. It’s certainly noteable in terms of the growth in use of the technology, but not really pushing the boundaries that much.

Except maybe the water drones, they’re pretty novel. I don’t remember anyone talking about doing that before they did it.

massive_bereavement@kbin.social on 30 Oct 2023 17:22 collapse

Your drones are very impressive, you must be very proud.

someguy3@lemmy.world on 30 Oct 2023 16:14 next collapse

I went to check something from the autotldr and must say, it’s a decent read. First half is a little intro-ie but it’s a good reasonable length read. Would recommend.

guyrocket@kbin.social on 30 Oct 2023 16:20 next collapse

Isn't this happening today in Ukraine?

asbestos@lemmy.world on 30 Oct 2023 16:28 collapse

you didn’t read the article, did you

gullible@kbin.social on 30 Oct 2023 16:40 collapse

They’re joking about the title.

guyrocket@kbin.social on 30 Oct 2023 18:12 collapse

This just in: The future of flight is airplanes!

Sanctus@lemmy.world on 30 Oct 2023 16:32 next collapse

Oh boi, these autonomous machines will surely never be used against a civilian population!

AlwaysNowNeverNotMe@kbin.social on 30 Oct 2023 16:40 collapse

They're piloted.

They already have.

Whatever war gets cheaper. That honestly might make us do it less.

Well until you get a pop-up with a timer and a live feed of an explosive drone heading toward you and a payment portal with an unskipable ad.

Sanctus@lemmy.world on 30 Oct 2023 16:54 next collapse

Just wait until they have those quadrapeds all touched up. A screen with ads on one shoulder and a gun pointed at you in the other.

TubeTalkerX@kbin.social on 30 Oct 2023 16:56 next collapse

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massive_bereavement@kbin.social on 30 Oct 2023 17:21 collapse

I'll rather drink a verification can.

variants@possumpat.io on 30 Oct 2023 18:43 collapse

theres room for both

a9249@lemmy.world on 31 Oct 2023 01:49 next collapse

Whatever war gets cheaper. That honestly might make us do it less.

back when all it took was a blade, was the bloodiest time in human history. It’s almost like things have been calm only because of the HIGH cost of war for the last few decades. Cheap war = more war.

Kedly@lemm.ee on 31 Oct 2023 12:24 collapse

Holy Hell, Calm down there Satan!

Cannibal_MoshpitV3@lemmy.world on 30 Oct 2023 16:38 next collapse

I wonder if Russia is aware that Ukraine is using drones made with parts from China to take out their tanks lmao

Jimmycakes@lemmy.world on 30 Oct 2023 20:36 next collapse

What are they gonna do about it? They can’t tell anyone anything least of all China. Russia is neutered.

DolphinMath@slrpnk.net on 31 Oct 2023 01:40 collapse

Russia is aware and is trying to get China to restrict exports to Ukraine.

Ukraine fears drone shortages due to China restrictions

And China seems to really like the cheap Russian oil they’re buying these days…

zingo@lemmy.ca on 30 Oct 2023 17:03 next collapse

After the war, the Ucranian flag will have a drone painted in the center.

Mandy@sh.itjust.works on 30 Oct 2023 17:05 next collapse

How do you “kill” an inanimate object

afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world on 30 Oct 2023 17:58 next collapse

Make it support java, install iTunes on it, or attach it to a consumer grade HP printer usually does the trick.

ricdeh@lemmy.world on 30 Oct 2023 19:08 collapse

Thank you 🙏

OswaldBuzzbald@midwest.social on 30 Oct 2023 19:14 next collapse

With a $400 drone.

[deleted] on 30 Oct 2023 20:25 next collapse

.

postmateDumbass@lemmy.world on 31 Oct 2023 03:23 collapse

With good inantimate objects.

afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world on 30 Oct 2023 17:41 next collapse

And Lem is once again proved to be a prophet. Y’all thought he was just the sci-fi writer behind Solaris

CADmonkey@lemmy.world on 30 Oct 2023 18:14 next collapse

People whining about 3D printed guns always forget about the much more terrifiying things that can be made with a 3D printer - like a kamikazie drone.

variants@possumpat.io on 30 Oct 2023 18:41 next collapse

we used to make our fpv drones out of poplar wood from the hardware store, usually we only used 3d printed stuff for like mounting the camera if we wanted to get fancy

Valmond@lemmy.mindoki.com on 30 Oct 2023 18:53 next collapse

You mean interconnected drone swarms.

lemmegogo@lemmy.world on 31 Oct 2023 02:39 collapse

autonomous interconnected drone swarms

stewsters@lemmy.world on 31 Oct 2023 02:01 next collapse

The Australians have a cardboard kamikaze drone. The hard part would be sourcing enough electronics in a warzone.

Jolteon@lemmy.zip on 31 Oct 2023 02:26 next collapse

To be fair, you do have to get the explosives some other way. (Not that it’s hard to get explosives).

BruceTwarzen@kbin.social on 31 Oct 2023 11:49 collapse

Can you also print the payload?

Aqarius@lemmy.world on 31 Oct 2023 15:07 next collapse

I mean, the payload can just be a spike.

[deleted] on 31 Oct 2023 15:13 collapse

.

bitsplease@lemmy.ml on 31 Oct 2023 19:20 collapse

No, nor can you print the battery, motors, flight computer, trans receiver or basically anything other than the frame.

I love my 3d printer, but honestly when people talk about 3d printed weapons I always cringe, 3d printers can’t make weapons (well, I guess you could make a plastic rondel dagger or something, doubt it’d work well though), they make plastic. When people talk about 3d printed guns, I don’t think that most people realize that the only 3d printed parts are usually the exterior frame of the gun, the parts that make it an actual gun are still made from metal and purchased.

Edit: and before anyone says it, yes you can 3d print metal, but not with anything you’re going to find in someone’s house - for the cost of an SLS metal printer, you could buy all the usual metal working equipment to just make a gun the old fashioned way

jcdenton@lemy.lol on 31 Oct 2023 03:35 next collapse

I feel like that isn’t an accurate price comparison

MooseBoys@lemmy.world on 31 Oct 2023 04:32 collapse

TIL a single T-72B3 costs less than $2M.