1. Four Ukrainian Bars cruise missiles were launched at night. The shape is hard to make out but the fuselage is consistent with the unusual shape of Bars.

I managed to snap a couple of photos of the aurora last night (November 12). Brightness on the bottom right of this photo is, unfortunately, from the city lights. Camera was a Canon T6i with an EF-S 24 mm lens. Not too fancy but works well enough. Other folks there had much fancier kit.

1. This wreckage is Ukraine's secretive Bars (Snow Leopard) cruise missile that was first mentioned by Minister of Strategic Industries, Herman Smetanin in April 2024. The pieces in this photo are not arranged correctly but still give an idea what it looks like.

Time magazine has a story about how Ukraine uses a point system for its drone units. Each kill is awarded points, e.g., 6 points for a russian soldier and 40 points for a tank. Points can be redeemed for all sorts of stuff including drones.

1. This soldier was very excited because he scored a jet engine. A big question is, what drone is this a part of? Cutting up a drone before taking photos is common, and makes identification a more interesting challenge.

1. A Ukrainian drone was attacked by a russian drone. This is not uncommon but what is weird is the russians identified this drone as a Liutyi (Fierce). This event was also subsequently reported in russian news stories.

1. It is beautiful but is this reconnaissance drone too good to use in a war? The various reconnaissance drones flown in Ukraine are well made and usually expensive. But are they too expensive?

Usually we only see the russian Geran-2 (Shahed 136) drones after they have been shot down. Here is a photo of an intact one on display.

1. Here is something a little unusual. It is a Zlin Z137T agricultural aircraft (crop duster) equipped with two R-73 air-to-air missiles for shooting down drones. There's no obvious gun so this is likely only for large drones like the Geran-2 (Shahed 136).

1. Ukraine attacked a russian factory in Stavropol with at least four drones. Although russia has laws against posting there are several very good videos of this attack. Here, a still frame shows a rather nice terminal dive.

Don't do this at home. A russian soldier grabs a Ukrainian drone and smacks it against a tree. For some reason, it does not explode.

1. What would have been unthinkable a few years ago is now routine. Several Ukrainian drones successfully attacked a russian drone factory located in Dubna, only 115 km from the kremlin. This is a smart move by Ukraine, and there may be more to this attack than at first seems.

1. A video shows a Ukrainian drone hitting a transmission tower in Engels, russia. Some people have incorrectly claimed this drone is a Ukrainian-made Lyutyy. Fortunately, there are a couple of details that correctly identify this drone.

1. Ukrainian drones flying deep into russia are so common that russian media reports these along with other mundane issues. Have a look at this russian news headline. “Lipetsk evening: intercepted UAVs, a dog dropped from the 4th floor and dishonest citizens”

1. The russian invasion of Ukraine continues to go to plan. We are seeing ever more advanced vehicles fielded by russia like this highly-modified Lada. I really like the dual hood scoops.

Nothing says "second army of the world" like using a 50 year old Lada as an assault vehicle (or whatever). Removing part of the roof to form a rumble seat makes all the difference.

Drawn 6 years go today. It was rejected and called unfair and alarmist.

This is your daily reminder that Russia is who started this war and who can end it anytime by getting the fck out of Ukraine and stopping bombing us.

This is something to keep a look out for. It is a fixed-wing VTOL drone controlled by fibre optic. The advantages of using fibre are radio silence and high-quality video.

1. Developing a new weapon is hard so why not just copy another company’s design? Fibre optic drones are a hot product and part 4 of this series looked at a company (Skywalker) who developed their own. Other companies have rushed to make similar weapons.

1. Ukraine destroyed an expensive russian Merlin-VR drone. One interesting detail is the shadow of the Ukrainian FPV drone is clearly visible on the Merlin's wing. This shadow also shows how big the Merlin is.

1. Need to ship weapons? The previous thread in this series showed a small russian company, PGI Technology, making electronic warfare systems in China. But how do they ship these systems & other equipment to russia?

1/ Russian vehicle logistics have virtually collapsed in frontline areas due to the constant threat of drones, forcing soldiers to walk tens of kilometers to obtain fuel, food, water and medical supplies. A first-hand account gives an insight into the extreme danger they face. ⬇️

Interesting opinion piece in The Guardian about the "worst group chat the world has ever seen". www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

1. This is a look at a small russian company that operates in China and exports military equipment to russia. One interesting aspect is this company manufactures some equipment, including electronic warfare kit, and places its logo on the products.

1. Many people posted that they stand with Ukraine after the disgusting behaviour yesterday by US President Trump and Vice President Vance.

1. Combining a low-cost drone with a fibre-optic communication link produces a formidable weapon that is impervious to electronic defenses. Here is a look at how a small Chinese company called Skywalker developed an easy-to-use fibre-optic kit that has changed the war.

Changed my cat's litter box today so I am using the opportunity to seek his opinion of the Dear Leader of the United States and two of his comrades. Am currently waiting for the outcome of this poll. Will update once the results drop.

1. Part 3 of Making Money from a War visits an office with a fantastic view. The Chinese company, Skywalker posted a number of videos including one from a fancy office building. A close look produces questions.

1. Part 1 of this series looked at a video posted by the Chinese company Skywalker Technology. The video pointed to a company called DSTech UAS. Part 1 showed their factory and offices.

A number of companies have been making money from the war in Ukraine. This is a series of threads that look at various videos posted by two companies who supply equipment related to drones. The goal is to obtain a better idea of what is happening.

This is a spectacular video that is definitely worth watching. There are many interesting details including a storage room full of armed drones. Also note how several drones can be sent to attack an individual soldier.

1. A good defense against a drone is another drone. Both Ukraine and russia are developing net launchers that tangle an enemy drone’s propellers. Shown here is a russian-designed net launcher made largely from 3D-printed components. These are carried by a drone.

1. There was a pleasant and interesting surprise today when Ukraine announced a new drone missile called Peklo (Hell). It will take a while to analyse this weapon but there are a number of intriguing design elements.

1. A curious Ukrainian drone that crashed in September, 2024 was widely reported in russian media. Although various folks claimed this wreckage showed the remains of a jet engine, things did not look right.

1. Mystery solved, sort of. Early in 2024 a number of strange drones crashed in russia: a typical wreckage is shown here. I spent a lot of time trying to determine who made these but recently the manufacturer publicity announced this drone. 🙃 Regardless, here is what I found.

Video showing russian reconnaissance drones being destroyed by Ukrainian drones. Reconnaissance drones are expensive so losing 406 is a significant loss. Interestingly, although a lot of equipment was destroyed using explosives, there are no reported casualties.

The first-ever combat deployment of a drone with a machine gun 🔥🐝 Yesterday, the russians attempted to storm our positions near Velyka Novosilka. Their entire column of equipment was destroyed by drones, forcing their infantry to hide in the tree line.

1. Just because a company is big does not mean it can't fail. MySpace was the largest social networking site in the world but is long gone. The reasons for its demise included owner changes, weird rebranding, increased competition, poor monetization strategy, and negative perception problems.

1. The are many videos where a Ukrainian drone attacks a russian vehicle that is protected by a large electronic warfare system. The system often does not appear to have much effect (like this one).

1. Ukrainian cities have been targeted by thousands of russian Shahed-136 (Geranium-2) drones. Although Ukraine has flown plenty of long-range drones into russia, it did not have a drone similar to the Shahed-136. But it might have one now.

Ukrainian FVP drone attacks a russian fixed-wing drone, as seen from the russian drone. The Ukrainian drone detonates but the russian drone survived. Drone versus drone is evolving and becoming more common.

1000 Days of the Great War. This image by Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces highlights how important drones have become in this war.

1. A hinge from a Shahed-136 kamikaze drone tells a story. The russians call this drone the Geranium-2. Here, a worker sketched a geranium before the drone was assembled, telling us this drone was likely assembled in russia not Iran. This photo was posted by @connielingus123.bsky.social

After 999 days, the war in Ukraine is still front-page news in the Winnipeg Free Press. This story illustrates the stupidity & cowardliness of many western leaders. It is also an another example of media thoughtlessly regurgitating kremlin propaganda.

1. The Loaf is one of russia’s most important military vehicles. Most of these vehicles are used and bought using donations. This example is fancy, equipped with new tires and blue camo paint. As a bonus, the rust holes have been plugged.

1. Three russian soldiers revaluate their plans when a Ukrainian FPV drone incinerates their DesertCross 1000 golf cart. It is interesting to note that this vehicle was equipped with electronic countermeasures, i.e., a jammer. We have not seen as many of these carts recently. Why not?

Here is an example where the electronic warfare system mounted on a vehicle did not help protect against drones. Two russian soldiers demonstrate the correct (drop weapon & run away) and incorrect (remain) responses to a Ukrainian drone attack.

Here is a fascinating image taken from a first-person video during a successful drone attack. A Ukrainian FPV drone captures a selfie in the window of a (former) Lada Niva.

A thread I (DanielR) wrote about net launchers for drones was quoted in Forbes. These nets are used to capture enemy drones without destroying them. www.forbes.com/sites/davidh...