Samuel Bendett Profile picture
Sep 3, 2022 8 tweets 4 min read Read on X
1/ QUICK THREAD: While Russia was hosting Army-2022 military expo, Ukraine hosted its first international Drone Hackathon on August 26 in order to develop new ideas in military technology for the production of drones. thedigital.gov.ua/news/novi-tekh…
2/ According to official news, 150 participants took part in the development of new technological solutions for the Ukrainian military - among them are design engineers, radio engineers, drone operators and programmers. ImageImageImageImage
3/ Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov: "This hackathon is a unique opportunity to join the development of new digital solutions that will help our military. Our common goal is to raise the development of production and..." Image
4/ "...technical support for drones to a high level. And not only to buy drones from different companies around the world, but also to create them on an industrial scale in our country. Much depends on you (participants) in how we will develop new (UAV) military-tech projects." Image
5/ Leading Ukrainians and international IT specialists, military and economists joined the first Drone Hackathon as mentors and judges. kanaldom.tv/v-kieve-nachal…
6/ Dmitry Shymkiv, a member of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Startup Fund: "We are looking for ideas that will make our innovations relevant for the military not in the future, but today. During these three days, we are looking for solutions together with the military." ImageImageImage
7/ "So that the ideas that teams come up with at this hackathon are implemented at the front as much as possible. For the Ukrainian Startup Fund, this is the first military-tech hackathon. There will be even more. For us, this is strategically important." Image
8/ Both Ukraine and Russia are racing to adopt civilian drone technology to combat, hosting events/trainings and hackathons. There is already considerable success in how such UAVs are used, with both combatants seeking an edge in applying DJI and other drones in more novel ways.

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More from @sambendett

Sep 12
1/ QUICK TAKE on the lagging Russian military education that is behind the current combat trends in Ukraine, from a Rus military commentator: "I attended a lecture at one of the military training centers in the Samara region, and excuse my French..." t.me/voickokipchaka…Image
2/ "...dear teachers of this center, but I have never heard so much nonsense from anyone. Of course, out of respect for their shoulder straps, I tried to smooth things over, but it got to the point where the lecturer said that 75% of all tactical targets were hit by "artillery".
3/ "Let me remind you, for those who have forgotten: this is the fourth year of the special military operation (Russian name for its invasion of Ukraine), and this war is unlike any other. Now, for your information, 70% of the targets are hit by drones."
Read 23 tweets
Sep 11
1/ Rus state media reports that the Sukhoi Design Bureau (that built S-70 Okhotnik UCAV) is "actively developing eight distinct UAV types. Next step in tactical aviation is transitioning from viewing it as a mere collection of individual high-tech aircraft to developing integrated aviation systems." tass.com/defense/2015511Image
2/ Okhotnik took years to go through testing and evaluation, and was shot down by Russia's own forces in 2024 when it went out of control over Ukraine. It was not seen in Ukraine combat, is expensive and in very few numbers, and would likely not survive Ukrainian air defenses.
3/ More form Sukhoi: "...countering multi-layered air defense systems with manned aircraft alone has become prohibitively expensive. Therefore, the focus is shifting toward a network of functional complexes, each designed to address specific targets and tasks."
Read 5 tweets
Sep 9
1/ THREAD: On September 6-7, 2025, the fourth annual "DRONNITSA" meet-up took place in Russia's Novgorod region, organized by KCPN (Coordination Center for Assistance to Novorossiya) and Ushkuynik Enterprise (that builds KVN fiber-optic drones), with assistance from Novgorod region government. t.me/dronnitsa/554
2/ This year, the event theme was "learning from mistakes" - what the larger Russian volunteer and start up community learned after years of assisting the Rus military and what gaps still remain. See this link for previous DRONNITSA threads.
3/ A key figure in organizing this event is Aleksei Chadaev, who head "Ushkyunik" Enterprise and is one of the key figures in the Russian tech volunteer space (below). His co-organizer is Aleksandr Lyubimov who is involved with KCPN. Image
Read 24 tweets
Sep 6
1/QUCK TAKE: Rus commentators on the impact of FPV strikes on Ukrainian logistics: "Until recently, the Slavyansk-Izyum section of the highway was considered relatively safe for enemy movement. Drone strikes here were extremely rare and episodic. Now the situation has changed." t.me/VictoryDrones/…Image
Image
2/ "Today, systematic work of FPV crews has been noted in this direction, and the result is immediately visible. From a military point of view, this is a turning point. FPV drones allow firing at a range of up to 25-30 km, which makes it possible to strike a target even before it enters the immediate frontline zone."
3/ "This effectively transfers the section of the highway to the category of "partial fire control". The change in tactics is obvious: the enemy can no longer use the road as a guaranteed safe supply route; columns are forced to split into small groups..."
Read 5 tweets
Sep 2
1/ QUICK TAKE: Russia's Aleksei Chadaev, co-founder of the annual "Dronnitsa" meet up that will take place on Sept 6-7, and a key figure behind the "KVN" fiber-optic drone, on some of his own lessons and mistakes as a tech volunteer and developer - summary below: t.me/chadayevru/4072Image
2/ "The most difficult development for me (since 2022) is the demand to pour new wine ("military innovations") into old wineskins ("development institutes", aka "venture model"). In short, it did not turn out very well. Two main reasons behind this failure are..."
3/ "One: "techno-feudalism" (the unwillingness of everyone, from garage developers to a large industrial complex) to create a common space for technology exchange and Two: a procedural model where the key factor is the desire of budget managers to insure any risks associated with the management of state money."
Read 10 tweets
Aug 29
Russian DefMin Belousov at the latest Miliary Commission meeting: "Starting this September, three military academies will begin training military personnel in 11 new specialties, including in the use of UAVs and robotic systems." t.me/tass_agency/33…Image
"We have significantly increased the volume of deliveries of tactical UAVs to the troops. This has certainly had a positive impact on the course of military operations. It is necessary to complete the work on creating an effective system for providing UAV troops with logistics and repairs."
"It is also necessary to increase the pace of training UAV operator crews and speed up the implementation of the necessary organizational and staffing measures. We have supplied the troop groups with effective electronic warfare systems, including "trench" (tactical) ones."
Read 5 tweets

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