All posts tagged: drones

Russian army sends wolves to the front to help counter threat from Ukraine drones | World | News

Russian army sends wolves to the front to help counter threat from Ukraine drones | World | News

Published by Sam

Vladimir Putin’s army is turning to wild animals in a desperate bid to try and counter the threat from Ukrainian drones. Army chiefs are pondering using wolves to help detect the approach of the deadly UAVS. Troops say the animals have a good sense of smell, are sociable and active, and can warn of danger in advance. Russian commanders have decided to run an experiment to see if wolves can make a difference. Two tamed wolves have been dispatched to Ukraine to serve with a unit that is fighting there. A Russian news agency reported: “The predators can hear the approach of drones and warn of danger in advance. “They will help Russian soldiers carry out combat missions in the [war] zone.” The two females were rescued from the Siberian region of Khakassia and raised by wolf-tamer Aleksandr Konchakov. In a video, he can be seen feeding ice cream to one of the wolves, called Vysota. He said: “The puppies were simply brought to me by hunters without a mother. “They have excellent intuition and …

Russia Hits Ukraine’s Power Grid With a ‘Massive’ Attack on a Day Marking the WWII Defeat of Nazism

Russia Hits Ukraine’s Power Grid With a ‘Massive’ Attack on a Day Marking the WWII Defeat of Nazism

Published by skeptic

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces unleashed a nighttime barrage of more than 50 cruise missiles and explosive drones at Ukraine’s power grid Wednesday, targeting a wide area in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called a “massive” attack on the day the country celebrates the defeat of Nazism in World War II. The bombardment blasted targets in seven Ukrainian regions, including the Kyiv area and parts of the south and west, damaging homes and the country’s rail network, authorities said. Three people, including an 8-year-old girl, were injured, according to officials. Russia has repeatedly pounded Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the war that is stretching into its third year and has claimed thousands of lives. By taking out the power, the Kremlin’s forces aim to rob Ukrainian manufacturing of its energy supply, especially military plants, and crush public morale. Russian attacks have damaged nearly half of Ukraine’s power infrastructure since the start of the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, officials say. The damage is estimated at $12.5 billion, with $1 billion inflicted during the past two …

Amazon’s Delivery Drones Won’t Fly in Arizona’s Summer Heat

Amazon’s Delivery Drones Won’t Fly in Arizona’s Summer Heat

Published by skeptic

How Amazon’s service fares in the desert could end up underscoring the natural barriers to making a solid business out of drone deliveries, at least absent technological advances. “We won’t take orders when the temperature gets above 104 degrees,” Calsee Hendrickson, a director of product and program management for Amazon Prime Air, told Phoenix’s 12News in a broadcast interview late last month. “We realize that is going to limit some of our operations in the afternoon hours in the summertime, but you’ll still be able to get your packages in the morning.” Asked for comment for this story, Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson told WIRED that the company’s “plans for Tolleson include regular deliveries during the summer months so customers can shop with drone delivery year-round. Any claim to the contrary is wrong.” Stephenson did not dispute that Arizona’s summer climate would limit delivery periods. Unique Climate Amazon met virtually with Tolleson officials a year ago to begin the process of vetting the city as a potential drone site. Tolleson’s economic development director signed a nondisclosure …

Ukraine wants to use EU money to grow its military-industrial complex – POLITICO

Ukraine wants to use EU money to grow its military-industrial complex – POLITICO

Published by skeptic

Kamyshin said his country’s arms industry can produce about $20 billion worth of weapons. The Ukrainian government plans to issue contracts for $6 billion, while another $4 billion would come from local partners; Ukraine’s allies could supply the missing $10 billion. Denmark is leading the way, announcing last month that it will allocate 200 million krone (€27 million) to buy kit from Ukrainian businesses. Canada also promised to donate C$3 million (€1.1 million) to Ukraine for the production of drones by Ukraine’s domestic defense industry. Now the idea is to expand those efforts by tapping into more aid money for Ukraine to sign procurement contracts. “Our main task is to find additional funding for the defense forces in Ukraine. My task is to get this financing for production in Ukraine since we are already capable,” Kamyshin said. “We have additional non-contracted capacities, and we want them to be financed at the expense of European funds.” Kamyshin said he had discussed with Borrell the idea of using the EU’s European Peace Facility, an off-budget fund that partially …

Ukrainian drone attack in Russia border region kills at least six, governor says

Ukrainian drone attack in Russia border region kills at least six, governor says

Published by Sam

A Ukrainian drone attack hit vehicles carrying workers in Russia’s frontier Belgorod region, killing six people and injuring 35, the governor said Monday. Issued on: 06/05/2024 – 09:39 Belgorod has come under an increasing number of fatal Ukrainian drone and missile attacks in recent months and Monday’s bombardment is the deadliest in weeks. “Unfortunately, as a result of an explosion, six people died at the scene from their wounds,” Vyacheslav Gladkov said. He added that “35 people were wounded” in the attack near the village of Berezyovka. Gladkov said the attack hit two vans transporting employees of a nearby factory as well as a passenger vehicle.  The Belgorod government said the vehicles belonged to a meat production facility.   Gladkov said two children were among the wounded and that one man was in “serious condition” and undergoing surgery. The official published a photograph of that back of a bus that had blown out windows and a damaged roof.  (AFP) Source link

Ukraine marks its third Easter at war under fire from Russian drones

Ukraine marks its third Easter at war under fire from Russian drones

Published by skeptic

Orthodox devotees stand next to baskets of traditional Easter delights as they are blessed by a Ukrainian priest outside the Assumption Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, on May 5, 2024, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine. ANATOLII STEPANOV / AFP As Ukraine marked its third Easter at war, Russia launched a barrage of drones concentrated in Ukraine’s east and claimed its troops took control of a village they had been targeting. Ukraine’s air force said Sunday, May 5, that Russia had launched 24 Shahed drones, of which 23 had been shot down by air defenses. Six people, including a child, were wounded in a drone strike in the eastern Kharkiv region, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Fires broke out when debris from drones that were shot down fell on buildings in the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region. No casualties were reported. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced Sunday that its troops had taken control of the village of Ocheretyne, which has been in the crosshairs of Russian forces in the Donetsk region of eastern …

Russian drones injure 6 in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, Dnipro regions

Russian drones injure 6 in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, Dnipro regions

Published by skeptic

KYIV, UKRAINE —  Russia launched an overnight drone attack on Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Dnipro regions, injuring at least six people and hitting critical infrastructure, commercial and residential buildings, regional officials said on Saturday. The Ukrainian Air Force said the Russian forces launched 13 Shahed drones targeting the regions in the northeast and center of the country. The air defense units downed all the drones, the Air Force commander said. However, debris from the downed drones struck civilian targets in Kharkiv in the northeast, injuring four people and sparking a fire in an office building, the regional governor said. Oleh Synehubov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said a 13-year-old child and a woman were being treated at a hospital. Two other women were treated on site. Emergency services were bringing the fire under control, he said. In the industrial Dnipropetrovsk region, two people were wounded, said Serhiy Lysak, the regional governor. He said a critical infrastructure facility and three houses were damaged. Source link

Drones Changed This Civil War, and Linked Rebels to the World

Drones Changed This Civil War, and Linked Rebels to the World

Published by Sam

In flip-flops and shorts, one of the finest soldiers in a resistance force battling the military junta in Myanmar showed off his weaponry. It was, he apologized, mostly in pieces. The rebel, Ko Shan Gyi, glued panels of plastic shaped by a 3D printer. Nearby, electrical innards foraged from Chinese-made drones used for agricultural purposes were arrayed on the ground, their wires exposed as if awaiting surgery. Other parts needed to construct homemade drones, including chunks of Styrofoam studded with propellers, crowded a pair of leaf-walled shacks. Together, they could somewhat grandly be considered the armory of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force. A laser cutter was poised halfway through carving out a flight control unit. The generator powering the workshop had quit. It wasn’t clear when there would be electricity again. Despite the ragtag conditions, rebel drone units have managed to upend the power balance in Myanmar. By most measures, the military that wrested power from a civilian administration in Myanmar three years ago is far bigger and better equipped than the hundreds of militias …

GPS jamming is a ‘side effect’ of Russian military activity, Finnish transport agency says – POLITICO

GPS jamming is a ‘side effect’ of Russian military activity, Finnish transport agency says – POLITICO

Published by skeptic

“It is possible that the interference observed in aviation currently are most likely a side effect of Russia’s self-protection” that is used “to prevent the navigation and control of drones controlled by GNSS [Global Navigation Satellite System] or mobile frequencies,” Traficom said. In any case, the Finnish agency says it is safe to fly to and from Finland thanks to inertia-based navigation and ground-based navigation alternatives — though GPS remains “the main source of navigation information in aviation.” Finnair earlier this week suspended flights to Tartu, Estonia, for a month; the Estonian government announced its intention to discuss the issue with its EU and NATO partners. “[The] North Atlantic Council addressed the recent malign activities on Allied territory yesterday [May 2] and stated that Russia’s hybrid operations such as cyber and electronic interference but also sabotage, acts of violence and disinformation campaigns have affected several NATO member states,” said an Estonian foreign ministry spokesperson, referring to a NATO statement issued Thursday. Source link

Moment Ukraine special forces wipe out £80m missile system | World | News

Moment Ukraine special forces wipe out £80m missile system | World | News

Published by skeptic

Ukraine’s special forces inflicted millions of pounds worth of damage on Putin’s army in another devastating drone attack. While operating in the Sumy direction, SSO operatives spotted a BUK M1 air defence system, which was preparing to fire a missile. The special forces unit quickly targeted the BUK 1, wiping it out in a clinical strike. Video posted by Ukraine’s army shows the moment a kamikaze drone smashes into the BUK, which explodes into a ball of flames. Thick black and white smoke spiralled upwards as missiles in the BUK’s launcher explode. Further footage shows Russian soldiers desperately trying to douse the fire as the Ukrainian observation drone hovers above. In a statement Ukraine’s Armed Forces said: “Operators hit targets with strike drones. The occupiers tried in vain to put out the fire and save the equipment. “As a result of the strike, a launch-loading installation with six missiles was destroyed, and the firing installation of the BUK-M1 complex was damaged.” A BUK 1 air defence system is thought to cost around US$100 million (£80m). …