1. A single photo of a russian workbench gives a sense of how the #war is going for them. Here a russian Telegram channel proudly describes the “FPV "OFFICE" of their graduate. Let’s have a closer look.
t.me/FPV_vyZOV/1673
2. There are a few things including the rifle (AK?) indicating this is near the frontlines. Can weapons folks please comment on this rifle, especially if there is anything interesting about it?
3. The munition looks like a nasty thermobaric warhead that is used against vehicles and personnel. It seems odd to have this on a workbench meant for repairing drones.
4. The anti-drone gun is a very common device in this war. These are typically low-cost and are made by various Chinese companies. The one hanging by the bench can jam 6 (unknown) frequency bands.
5. The radio is made by Baofengtech (model BaoFeng UV-82). It has the optional, larger battery and an optional antenna. These are civilian-grade but are also widely used by russian soldiers.
6. Much of this war is powered by rechargeable LiPo batteries. There are at least 8 battery packs visible. There is also a battery charger.
7. The battery charger looks like a hobby-grade Ultra Power UP9. This can charge 4 batteries simultaneously. A possibly important feature is that it can operate from an AC or DC power source. It is unknown what is the power source in the photo.
8. There are also quite a few power adaptors, and it will be a headache for the soldiers to keep track of these. There is no sign of an AC power source though. Generators and fuel are in big demand in Ukraine.
9. This is a drone war and there are three radio controllers visible. Two of the controllers can be identified. The view of the lower controller is obscured making it difficult to identify.
10. The radio controllers are made by RadioMaster and are models TX12 and TX16. These are extremely popular with both sides. Most of the FPV kamikaze drones in Ukraine & russia are controlled by these radios.
11. Being a drone war there are several quadcopters visible. How many can you see (I counted nine)? There are probably more drones off to the left.
12. For repairs there is lots of glue and tape as expected. However, some of the tools are curious. There are a few wrenches that are much too large for drones.
13. The rotary tool is a low-cost hobby-grade device made by Wen. It is not clear how useful this would be for repairs. These tend to be used more for making or assembling things.
14. The vector network analyser (VNA) stands out. These are typically used when making or modifying antennas & filters. It is a bit odd to use one for repair work. Are russians modifying antennas in the field? If so, why?
15. The overall impression is that this bench was not supplied by the russian military. Instead, it was cobbled together entirely from donations and whatever the soldiers could buy or otherwise acquire themselves. Also, very revealing is what is absent.
16. With effort, a single poor-quality photograph can supply a lot of information about russia’s situation in Ukraine. In short, russia’s military has serious problems supplying its soldiers with repair kit.
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17. (ps) The folks at @FPVDronesUa provide a very insightful comment on my thread. Keep in mind that this was only a single photo and only gives an idea of the capabilities & limitations a single repair station. russia has many dangerous weapons and is not a pushover. The solution is to continue to support Ukraine.
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