1/ QUICK TAKE - Russia’s Dmitry Rogozin (former head of Roskosmos and self-styled mil-tech volunteer) sounds impressed and concerned with Ukrainian drones: “They fly in entire squadrons consisting of pairs of heavy Baba Yaga attack UAVs - each drone carries up to 6 munitions and is extremely dangerous.”
2/ “An FPV is flying next to "Baba Yaga", but it is not a kamikaze drone, but a reusable one. This type of drone is capable of diving onto a target and dropping ammo on it - like an unmanned Junkers bomber.”
3/ “It is not difficult to distinguish them from each other - “Baba Yaga” is massive and FPVs are nimble and faster. Their mode of operation is different, their battery discharges faster, and if the drone returns to base, another FPV immediately takes its place.”
4/ “Therefore, the “carousel” of drones that I observed above me was not at all chaotic. Quite the opposite - Ukrainian proven tactics are obvious, determined by the operating life of the drones and their role and purpose. And on the sides of this trio of killers are their accomplices, DJI drones, that conduct additional reconnaissance.”
5/ “Naturally, they are all equipped with high-quality thermal imaging cameras. They fly like this along all the front-line roads, comb forest belts, identify new situations and objects, hover over them, study them and, if they confirm that the target is worth it, drop ammunition on it.”
6/ “When a ZU-23 anti aircraft gun began firing on drones a few kilometers away from us, all the Ukrainian drone groups interrupted their flight and immediately moved towards the detected target, methodically destroying it.” t.me/rogozin_do/5665
7/ “Now Ukrainian strike drones can fly 15-17 km deep from the frontlines.”
8/ “If at least three of our servicemen are detected in a group, Ukrainians report to their HQ, and a command is immediately given to strike the coordinates with at least two cluster shells. A fixed-wing drone is circling above all this unruly horde of enemy drones…”
9/ “… - a reconnaissance drone. It coordinates a UAV squadron or even several enemy drone squadrons, ensuring their complete and undivided air supremacy. This is scary s**t…”
10/ This is not the first time Russians were afraid of Ukraine’s Baba Yaga drones - Russian forces still have no equivalent to that versatile UAV. forbes.com/sites/davidaxe…
11/ And Russians are studying Ukrainian drone tactics very closely in the hopes of mirror-imaging such concepts with their own UAVs.
12/ Finally, Rogozin’s lament points to a relative lack of Russian EW and CUAS to deal with these Ukrainian drones.
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1/5 What will the future tank look like? Russa's Uralvagonzavod, the main manufacturer of Rus tanks, offered the following ideas: The prospective tanks will receive echeloned protection and more powerful guns, will receive standard radars and UAVs... ria.ru/20250328/tank-…
2/5 ...will be designed according to the modular principle and have an optional crew. "To date, (we) have already developed a significant portion of these technologies, and are working on the implementation of this scientific and technical potential."
3/5 At the same time, Uralvagonzavod noted that even with completely unmanned tanks, their size is unlikely to be significantly reduced given the need to carry medium and large caliber weapons...
1/ QUICK TAKE by a Russian volunteer on what happens to the "People's VPK" - a vast ecosystem of Rus volunteer and start up efforts that manufacture and supply Russian forces with drones, CUAS and other equipment. Translation of main points below: t.me/rogozin_alexey…
2/ "If we imagine a scenario in which the SVO (war) is suspended, the first to feel the consequences will not be the quasi-state defense enterprises, but the so-called people's military-industrial complex: those same hundreds of private companies and teams of enthusiasts who..."
3/ "...in two years, have transformed from garage workshops into independent production chains. These structures grew out of the urgent and often informal needs of the troops. When drones were needed at the front "yesterday", when according to the classic logic..."
1/ QUICK TAKE by a Russian mil blogger on retaking the Kursk region and Sudzha, and the role of UAVs and drones in "isolating the battlefield". The TG post is obviously subjective, so usual caveats apply - translation in this short thread below. t.me/rusengineer/67…
2/ "Our troops began moving towards the village of Novenkoye. And then video footage appeared from the Sumy-Sudzha highway, with a bunch of burnt (Ukr) equipment. Then the information field exploded with Operation Truba... The heroic actions of our soldiers made it possible to significantly influence the resilience of the Ukrainian Armed Forces."
3/ "Thus, to summarize, it can be said that the Russian army has mastered a tactical technique of "isolating the battlefield" by modern means in modern conditions. With the help of drones, the supply of the Ukrainian Forces was cut off, and they had no options but to retreat."
1/ THREAD on recent Russian assault tactics - assault teams now bring FPVs with them to launch at the shortest distance possible at targets: "To achieve an effect similar to suppression by artillery fire (almost continuous explosions on the defending enemy's position)..." t.me/unfair_advanta…
2/ "...preventing them from emerging from cover to fire at the attackers), the following method that has become standard for many is used: Assault infantry, moving to the initial position to carry out an attack, lays out on the ground (roofs of buildings, roads) their FPV drones and turns them on."
3/ "The drones are laid out in places that are most appropriate from the point of view of subsequent support for the attack. This allows the drone takeoff sites to be brought closer to the enemy's position, which reduces their flight time."
1/ THREAD: A Russian mil blogger on tracking fiber-optic cable back to drone operators to take our UAV crews: "The Ukr tracks our UAV crew operating on fiber-optics by the light and reflection of the fiber optic cable. There is a video and it's not clear if they hit the crew." t.me/filatovcorr/46…
2/ "In any case, an analog FPV kamikaze is flying (at their position), which means there must be video interception systems. At least to warn of danger. In their videos, the Ukrainian Forces admit that the Russians have few video interception systems."
3/ "Video 2. Our soldiers film fiber optic threads in the field, demonstrating the number of arrivals of this type of UAV. The first video, from the enemy side, confirms my hypothesis that a fiber optic drone can be tracked by the thread it leaves behind, just as I once tracked an enemy ATGM near Avdiivka." t.me/filatovcorr/46…
1/ QUICK TAKE from a Russian mil blogger on the importance of domestic microelectronics and "military IT" that Russian generals still don't get: "It is important to understand that technical progress today is driven..." t.me/filatovcorr/46…
2/ "...not only by the military mega-corporations, but also by the small civilian sector... Or rather, the rapidly growing microelectronics sector. Civilian electronics can carry so much computing power with relatively low energy consumption, that if you..."
3/ "...write target recognition and capture systems, you can "rivet" as many of these systems in the garage as you like. And a projectile from an RPG or flamethrower screwed to a civilian FPV is equal in power to the ATGM, only much more maneuverable."