Thread by @sambendett

1/ THREAD on the bureaucratic and logistical issues encountered by Russian drone developers, especially those who wish to build their UAVs for the military - from a Russian-language Telegram channel. Main points below. https://t.co/fS1q20kz2At.me/dronesrussia/2…

2/ "If a Russian official comes running to a team of drone developers or assemblers with a promise of support and a "green light" at all levels, the team get very concerned and asks that official not to interfere with its work. Because..."

3/ ..."the team knows that this official does not understand what to do next. He basically does not know how to organize drone production and what the "green light" should mean in practice."

4/ "As soon as this team starts working with the official, he begins to demand strict deadlines, but he cannot arrange payment for the work and to decide who will pay for work and how. If the official is truly brilliant and was able to solve the previous (payment) issue..."

5/ "...everything will still hinge on some (older woman) in accounting, who will ask for an agreement with the Chinese (for parts) and payment to Sber (Savings Bank). And if these payment arrangements don't exist yet, she doesn't know what to do and its not her problem."

6/ "And even if you find an intermediary who will issue Chinese purchases in accordance with all the rules, you will run into the issue with the building for work, which will be a dilapidated wreck on the (city/town) outskirts, with rats in the basement."

7/ "This is a true story, by the way. And that's why those who really do something, refuse the help. They organize themselves, make their own products, find testing areas and raw materials. Volunteers collect money and take products to the front on their own."

8/ "The system is organized and operates in parallel with the state and beyond it. Sure, there are some flaws and theft, but still... More than half of ISR across the entire front is provided by private volunteers via DJI Mavics."

9/ "Not thanks to, but in spite of the state with its customs and prohibitions at all levels! And those who work in this parallel system avoid contact with the state, which sees and understands this. It sees this as a threat (demonstration of someone else's effectiveness) and a… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

10/ "Therefore, for the past few months, the state (and MOD) has been diligently and methodically crushing such (small-scale) private enterprises, where drone/UAV developments are dying in the web of bureaucracy, and the developers are leaving this rotten business in the end."

12/ Sometimes its not the "heavy hand of the state" that interferes with these volunteers - sometimes its the private sector that does that, such as this story by "Project Archangel" talking about their drone center outside of Moscow. Key points below : https://t.co/JXGwURXqy7t.me/projectArchang…

13/ "In May, the Archangel volunteer project, which assembles FPV drones and trains pilots, approached the management of the Myachkovo airfield with a proposal to rent a two-story house on the territory of the airfield to train volunteer UAV pilots for Ukraine combat."

14/ "Project "Archangel" is a non-commercial project, it exists with sponsor support and with the help of caring people, the volunteers are trained free of charge. Volunteers agreed in advance with airport manager to rent the building for 250,000 rubles a month."

15/ "Unexpectedly, a couple of days before the volunteers arrived, they volunteers were told the rent was cancelled without explanation. Through lengthy negotiations (thanks to the efforts of the Lyubertsy administration, and even representatives of the Ministry of Defense), the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

16/ "Because of this, the volunteers had to urgently rent a mini-hotel for 60 beds and pay daily for the services of a transport company to and from the airport. It would seem thats the end of the story: the UAV school operators got into the building, volunteers bought equipment,… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

17/ "But a few days after their arrival, the airfield authorities forbade the trainees to wear military camouflage and practice drone operation on the field that is on the airport territory. Volunteers also complied with this requirement."

18/ "But the sabotage by the Myachkovo airport administration did not end there: despite the official permission from the Federal Air Transport Agency for UAV flights the director’s order actually blocked the work of the FPV pilot school."

19/ Each of the trainees knows where he will serve (in Ukraine) after training. And in Ukraine combat, FPV drone operators are very welcome. It is extremely difficult to explain the behavior of the airfield management - perhaps Russian counterintelligence can look into this."