Samuel Bendett Profile picture
Dec 1, 2022 17 tweets 4 min read Read on X
1/ QUICK THEAD that continues the topic of Russia’s dependence on Chinese and imported comments for domestic quadcopter production - additional comments from CAST, one of Russia’s main defense think tanks. More below: https://t.co/j4ll3rf5FR
2/ “The accusations of "copying" are strange enough in themselves, since at the current stage this should be considered rather a plus. The mania of the domestic defense industry for the invention of "unparalleled" products is quite often harmful…”
3/ “…and in many cases copying the best and most developed foreign designs and concepts would be much more profitable. The Chinese themselves, as you know, are not at all shy about this, actively copying everything they can.”
4/ “Therefore, the use of a mass-produced quadcopter common model as a prototype, especially under tight deadlines, if it was, deserves approval, not censure.”
5/ “The main criticism was caused by the "inflated" price of "Dobrynya" drone in comparison with mass-produced Chinese drones in this class. We will only point out that the requirement to produce products at the "Chinese" price in itself is simply not serious.”
6/ “No one can now compete with the Chinese "world factory" in terms of production efficiency. It is precisely because of the low cost of production in China that the industry of the whole world is moving to China, including from the most developed countries.”
7/ “The domestic and foreign markets for Chinese drone manufacturers, and therefore their production volumes, are so colossal that no Russian manufacturer can even dream of them.” Image
8/ “Wishes for Russian manufacturers to work with Chinese efficiency and cost are a complete utopia. Small-scale (compared to Chinese volumes) production of anything in Russia will always be obviously more expensive than in China.”
9/ “Let us also note that in general there is an unfounded myth about the supposedly low cost of defense products in Russia. In fact, taking into account the fact that the defense industry of the Russian Federation is fully affected by…”
10/ “…all the problems of domestic material production, which is generally inefficient and expensive by world standards, with a narrow market, there can be no talk of any special cheapness of military equipment and weapons in the Russian Federation.”
11/ “Such an anomaly of the relative cheapness of military production existed in the planned economy of the USSR (and then in the form of a "Soviet traces" in the 1990s and early 2000s), but miracles do not happen…”
12/ “…this cheapness was compensated by the high cost, inefficiency and deficits in other sectors of the Soviet economic system that actually subsidized the Soviet defense industry.”
13/ “Today, Almaz-Antey is required to mass-produce such drones in the thousands per month, without interruptions in supply and without significant and long-term external investment in production. "Almaz-Antey" claims that it has already organized all this.”
14/ “Any claims can be made not against Almaz-Antey, but against the highest authorities, who have not been able since the spring to carry out a genuine mobilization of state and private industry for truly mass development and production of small drones.”
15/ “We need hundreds of models of small drones and loitering munitions that could be produced at hundreds of enterprises/firms, selecting the best and most viable samples - just like in the World War 1 when such production could solve the problem of producing artillery shells”
16/ “Any realist should understand that in this case, 99% of manufacturers would have either the drones themselves or their components from the same Aliexpress. Therefore, Almaz-Antey's initiative deserves every possible encouragement, not attacks.” t.me/bmpd_cast/14027
@Aviation_Intel - of possible interest

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More from @sambendett

Oct 31
1/ THREAD on the new "digital warfare" as seen in Ukraine, described Russia's Gen(ret) Yuri Baluyevsky, former Chief of the General Staff in 2004-2008, and Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST). Main points below: globalaffairs.ru/articles/czifr…Image
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2/ "There's every reason to believe that the "digital warfare" process will continue to expand and deepen, as the potential for escalating "drone warfare" exceeds the ability to effectively counter this type of weaponry."
3/ "The miniaturization and cost reduction of componentry, along with the development of networked solutions (specifically networked ones; the trendy artificial intelligence will likely remain a secondary factor for a long time to come) are leading to combat operations..."
Read 57 tweets
Oct 3
Ukraine's @Textyorgua_Eng on the gray zone in the war - an area that stretches 25-30 km, and as much as 40km, "a chaotic kill zone riddled with trenches, dugouts, mines and rubble, constantly monitored and hit by drones, with both sides using a wide range of weapons." texty.org.ua/projects/11592…Image
The rotation in this gray zone is a difficult and dangerous: "Pickup trucks take the infantry 1–7 km to the trenches/dugouts. Then the guys walk the rest of the way, carrying 20–40 kg of stuff: ammo, gear, water, food, and tactical electronic warfare equipment." Image
"Sometimes UGVs are used for logistics and evac on the front lines. This type of technology is still in its infancy, and there are many problems with UGVs. But often they are the last straw that people grab onto when they need to make an important delivery or pick up a wounded soldier."Image
Read 9 tweets
Sep 25
1/ QUICK TAKE by a Rus mil blogger on dispelling the myths that frontline drone operator job is "prestigious" and "safe" - main points translated as follows: "Money? 210,000 rubles per month? Yes, you get paid. But then the lion's share goes (to purchasing) own equipment." t.me/russoturisto_n…Image
2/ "(You buy) a new drone camera. Batteries. Chargers. Communications. And also repairs. You buy a new drone to replace the one that hasn't returned. Wires, connectors, fasteners. In fact, you're always "in the red." Just staying alive, for now."
3/ "Prestige? It's there. As long as you're accurate (with drone strikes). As long as you're alive. As long as the antenna is intact, the connection is stable, and your hands aren't shaking after 14 hours of "observing."
Read 7 tweets
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

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