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Imaging Physicist @danielr33187703.bsky.social
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Nov 18 6 tweets 2 min read
1. A hinge from a Shahed-136 kamikaze drone tells a story. The russians call this drone the Geranium-2. Here, a worker sketched a geranium before the drone was assembled, telling us this drone was likely assembled in russia not Iran. This photo was posted by @ConnieLingus123 Image 2. This hinge appears to be well designed, likely after several iterations of refinement. The overall design is such that the left and right sides are identical or almost identical. This makes production easier as there are fewer unique components. Image
Nov 10 5 tweets 2 min read
1. Is this captured Ukrainian drone special? A view of the front shows a forward-facing camera and plastic covers but it is otherwise unremarkable. Image 2. A few of the underside of the drone shows a cooling fan. This is somewhat unusual on these small drones. What is the fan for? Image
Nov 8 13 tweets 5 min read
1. One way to defend against small drones is to capture them. But how does one catch a drone? The folks at Ptashka Drones have developed a nifty net launcher to deal with russian drones that are hovering nearby. It is called the Сіткомет Пташка. Image 2. The internal components are not shown but it appears to use a single cartridge as a source of propellant. To fire the cartridge, there is a spring-loaded hammer that is cocked by sliding a bolt into a slot. A servo motor fires the net by pushing the bolt out of the slot. Image
Nov 1 5 tweets 2 min read
1. Several hundred days of #drone warfare that started with small quadcopters dropping hand grenades have progressed to this monster. This bomb weighs 40 kg and appears to be 3D-printed. Photo is from August, 2024. Image 2. This bomb is heavy and requires a large Baba Yaga multi-rotor drone to deliver it. Of note is the very large bomb release, which was probably also 3D-printed. Note that the bomb & release would require a very large-format 3D printer. Image
Oct 23 12 tweets 4 min read
1. A russian video claims to show a field laboratory set up near the front lines for servicing #drones. We know this is russian propaganda because in the entire history of human ingenuity, a tablecloth has never been used to cover a workbench. Let’s have a closer look. Image 2. Although, this (front-line!) workshop is inside a building, the walls are covered in camo net for some reason. For the front line the soldiers are extremely clean & tidy. The floor may be the cleanest in the entire russian military. That flag appears in other propaganda. Image
Oct 20 6 tweets 2 min read
1. A precision munition carried by a Ukrainian #balloon? Ukraine has been using balloons for several months to bomb russia. One problem has been how to guide the bomb to a useful target. This may be Ukraine’s solution. Image 2. This weapon is easily recognised as balloon-borne from the strings attaching the payload to the balloon. Also, the water bottle used for altitude control has been seen on previous balloons. Image
Oct 3 17 tweets 6 min read
1. Why is a russian soldier very happy to receive an 8-year-old NanFang 150 cc motorcycle? The answer has a lot to do with #drones and why speed matters. Image 2. In #Ukraine, armed drones are deployed by the thousands, and constantly attack vehicles & soldiers. Without costly electronic countermeasures, small drones are difficult to defend against. Image
Oct 1 4 tweets 2 min read
1. A russian solder with a machine gun is riding a curious-looking vehicle. What is this? Is it a fancy russian military thing? Image 2. Turns out the russian soldier is using an electric mobility scooter. These come in various configurations. The russian got lucky as his scooter has the optional golf-cart tires, which will be helpful in a war zone. Image
Sep 17 15 tweets 5 min read
1. Ukraine crowd-sourced a multi-role drone called Besomar (a powerful demon). Like many small drones in Ukraine the Besomar was developed at very low cost, i.e., UAH600k (US$15k). Half of the money came from donations and half from government. @sambendett Image 2. The Besomar is not very big with an approximately 2 m wingspan. It can be launched from a rail or by hand. With current electronics, flight time is 60 minutes and the range (distance from base station) is 30 km. Image
Sep 8 10 tweets 3 min read
1. A number of post have incorrectly labelled this drone as a Ukrainian-made Palyanytsia. In fact this photo almost certainly shows a protype of a Dart 250 drone that is made by the British company Modini. Image 2. Here is a better view of the Dart 250. Note that Ukraine also has a low-cost fixed-wing drone called a “Dart” that is very different (don’t confuse them). Image
Sep 5 13 tweets 5 min read
1. A russian soldier surrenders to a #Ukrainian #drone by offering a trade. What is this thing that the russian is offering in exchange for his life? Is this a fair exchange? Image 2. Here is a better view of the case. It is a russian Thunderstorm electronic warfare system intended to combat drones. The controls are very simple. There are two power switches to enable the transmitters. There is also a switch & indicator for checking the battery voltage. Image
Aug 30 15 tweets 5 min read
1. Ukraine announced that it had tested a long-range “rocket drone” called Palianytsia. Is this weapon, in practice, a cruise missile? This thread is a closer look at this (likely important) weapon. Image 2. Other than a few simple sketches & animations, Ukraine has released very few details about Palianytsia. The approach used here was to carefully study this public information with the aim of making a CAD drawing. From this drawing, various design aspects are considered. Image
Aug 20 22 tweets 9 min read
1. Is it secret or not a secret? I have posted many threads detailing the technical aspects of #Ukrainian and russian #drones, including quadcopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Is any of this information secret? Image 2. There are always a few, possibly well-meaning, commenters who think my threads reveal secrets that will benefit the russians. Shown are a few select comments. Do they have a point or are they just technically uniformed? Let’s have a closer look at not-a-secret drones. Image
Aug 16 11 tweets 5 min read
1. Recently, a very interesting #Ukrainian precision-guided munition was captured by russians. This is a closer look at this (possibly important) weapon.
t.me/vanguard_space…
Image 2. This munition was captured by russians who posted 2 photographs of a crashed Ukrainian Baba Yaga drone along with. Also shown was an interesting munition that had been damaged in the crash. By carefully studying these 2 photos, a drawing was made. Image
Aug 2 6 tweets 3 min read
1. A very large #Ukrainian Baba Yaga #drone was captured by the russians. Other than its size there are a number of very interesting details.
t.me/vanguard_space…
Image 2. The drone lost one of its arms and heavily hit the ground bending its frame. It is very nicely made and was probably expensive. There are 4 antennas for radio control making this drone difficult to defeat with electronic warfare. Image
Jul 17 10 tweets 4 min read
1. The air data computer from a Shahed-136 #drone was reversed engineered by Le labo de Michel @lelabodemichel5162 with a detailed explanation given in a YouTube video. This computer supplies airspeed and altitude to the drone’s flight computer. Image 2. The circuit board is fairly small and has two air pressure transducers. One transducer is used for measuring altitude and the other is for airspeed. The board transmits data over an old-school RS232 serial line. A JTAG port is for programming a microcontroller. Image
Jul 4 17 tweets 6 min read
1. A single photo of a russian workbench gives a sense of how the #war is going for them. Here a russian Telegram channel proudly describes the “FPV "OFFICE" of their graduate. Let’s have a closer look.
t.me/FPV_vyZOV/1673
Image 2. There are a few things including the rifle (AK?) indicating this is near the frontlines. Can weapons folks please comment on this rifle, especially if there is anything interesting about it? Image
Jun 20 23 tweets 9 min read
1. A mysterious #Ukrainian #drone is striking targets deep inside russia. This drone is causing lots of problems for the russians but what is it? Image 2. After one deep strike, a russian Telegram channel showed a photo of 6 drone engines and incorrectly claimed they were from Ukrainian Liutyi (Fierce) #drones. These engines are much too small for a Liutyi. The true story is more interesting.
t.me/genshtab24/602…
Image
Jun 5 14 tweets 7 min read
1. The Loaf (Bukhanka), a van designed in 1965, has become russia’s main battlefield transport vehicle. The Loaf reveals a lot about how well russia is doing in Ukraine. Image 2. The Loaf has been produced since 1965 in several variants. Four-wheel drive is its most interesting feature, otherwise it is extremely basic. All ages of Loaves are seen on the battlefield: ancient to brand new. A 112 HP petrol engine means it is not fast. Image
Jun 2 5 tweets 2 min read
1. Russian Telegram states, “we often see military equipment at the front tuned with metal meshes. The chain-link mesh creates a protective space over the car from enemy drops, and has already saved many lives.” But a Soviet-aera Saporoshez SAS 968 with an anti-drone cage? Image 2. The Saporoshez was made from 1971 to 1994 and has a 45 HP air-cooled V4. Apparently, it can reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in 32 seconds (one assumes unloaded). It seems unlikely this would outrun an FPV drone. Image
May 23 9 tweets 3 min read
1. A russian group showed a short video of their #drone work bench and claimed it demonstrated how they are “FPV-geniuses”. Let’s have a closer look at their assembly work and decide for ourselves.
t.me/FPV_vyZOV/1508
Image 2. This is where 8 or so people (counting soldering pencils) are assembling drones. Curiously, there are two large workbench soldering stations but the battery-powered soldering pencils seem to be preferred. The workbench unit is overkill if only used for heat-shrink. Image