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Nov 20, 2023 17 tweets 7 min read Read on X
1. #Russian volunteers reported testing thermal cameras and night-vision cameras on their #drones. These cameras are very effective in the long & cool winter nights. What is the difference between night-vision and thermal cameras?

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2. The drone has a single video transmitter and can only show video from one #camera at a time. An electronic switch is used to select which camera’s video is transmitted. This provides simple multi-spectral capability.
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3a. It is important not to confuse night vision image intensifiers with night-vision cameras. Image intensifiers are analog devices that produce a distinctive green or blue-green image. There is no reason to use one of these on a FPV drone.
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3b. Here, an image intensifier is used to produce a distinctive blue-green image of the night sky. Likely, a phone camera was placed against the eyepiece.
4. Most cameras use a CMOS sensor (shown here) to capture images. These sensors can be inexpensive and have good performance. Importantly, all CMOS sensors are sensitive to near-infrared light and could, in principle, be used for night vision. Image
5. However, most cameras also have an internal filter that blocks infrared light. Shown here is a lens from a webcam. There is a filter mounted on the end closest to the CMOS sensor. Image
6. Without the filter, images would look strange. This is best illustrated with a security camera that has a night-vision mode where the infrared filter moves out of the way. Note how trees and lawn appear too bright when there is no filter.
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7. A common way to increase the low-light performance of a camera is to use a large, fast lens like the one shown here. This lens has a large diameter, short focal length and is a very fast f/0.95. Astronomers & photographers routinely use these lenses. Image
8. A very big and fast lens can capture a very nice image of the night sky. But lenses meant for full-size cameras are expensive and much too heavy for a small FPV drone. Regardless, expect a camera meant for low light use to a have a larger lens. Image
9. There are CMOS night-vision cameras for drones. The example shown here uses (as expected) a very fast f/1.0 lens. These cameras are low cost and have good low-light performance. These are not thermal cameras but rely on ambient light, e.g., moonlight.
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10. Thermal cameras often use sensors based on Vanadium Oxide (Vox) and have exquisite sensitivity to infrared radiation. These usually have a lower pixel count than CMOS ones. Germanium lenses are used because glass won’t transmit infrared radiation. Image
11. People emit infrared radiation because they are warm. The plot shows the amount of radiation emitted versus wavelength. Thermal cameras are very sensitive to radiation in the 7 µm to 14 µm range and will easily see a person even in complete darkness. Image
12. The advantage of thermal cameras is that they detect the infrared radiation emitted by people, vehicles and buildings. Thus, they work extremely well in complete darkness.
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13. Thermal cameras are available for small drones. A big disadvantage is their cost, e.g., 20 times the price of a night vision camera. A thermal camera can more than double the cost of a small FPV drone. (Note the distinctive reflective lens.) Image
14. Night vision and thermal cameras greatly enhance the capabilities of small drones and are in very high demand in Ukraine. For example, the folks at @FPVDronesUa discuss installing these cameras on the drones they provide.

15. Coupled with extra hardware, e.g., a FPGA, these cameras could provide a way for a drone to home-in on a target. This is not AI, it’s just image processing and programming. A semi-autonomous kamikaze would be straightforward and a bomber a bit harder.
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16. Night vision cameras & thermal camera are powerful technologies. Expect to see more developments in how these are being used in Ukraine.

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More from @DanielR33187703

Sep 8
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. Image
2. The engine is mounted on a pylon but there are no markings to work with. It is hard to even be sure if this a Ukrainian or a russian drone. It is common for drones to have been cut up to remove the warhead & useful components. Image
3. The engine is most likely made in China and has a "360" label, which is probably its size. But this is an unusual size so it could be a knock off. Note the four mounting straps. Image
Read 5 tweets
Aug 14
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? Image
2. At the start of the war, Ukraine obtain several Penguin-C military drones made in Latvia by UAV Factory (now called, Edge Autonomy). Image
3. This aircraft is fairly small but has a number of fancy design elements. The wing and tail are removed for transport. The red triangles show where the fasteners go. Image
Read 26 tweets
Aug 8
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 is no obvious gun so this is likely only for large drones like the Geran-2 (Shahed 136). Image
2. For reference, here is a Z137T in its tradition role of applying chemicals to a crop. A maximum cruise speed of 252 km/h will be a constraint as a drone hunter. Image
3. The R-73 missile uses infrared homing and has a maximum range of about 30 km. It is not clear how many of these are in inventory. Image
Read 5 tweets
Jun 20
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. Image
2. Importantly, one video showed several drones attacking, one after the other. Oddly, there was remarkably little air defence heard as each drone approached over a lake. What happened to russia’s air defence? Image
3. This shows the factory with the lake on the left (west) side. This building is very large. The camera operator (for #1) was quite close and was almost hit by shrapnel. Image
Read 24 tweets
Apr 23
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. Image
2. Here are two fibre optics kits made by the Chinese company, Skywalker. Opening the boxes is the likely owner of PGI Technology, which operates in China but is effectively russian. Initially, this photo was confusing. Was Skywalker collaborating with PGI Technology? Nope. Image
3. PGI bought these two Skywalker kits with the goal of copying the technology and selling their own version. The following photos are very unusual since they show the design process. Here is the Skywalker canister with a large drone frame. Image
Read 25 tweets
Apr 4
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? Image
2. PGI Technology showed this photo of equipment being prepared to ship from China to russia. The packing tape has a company name & phone number on it. Note the Wallace restaurant and #24 bus across the street. Image
3.PGI also showed a video of this heater but it is the background that is interesting. Visible is the company name (3188 Kapro) and a phone number. There are also signs on the steps written in russian. Image
Read 14 tweets

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