1. This wreckage is Ukraine's secretive Bars (Snow Leopard) cruise missile that was first mentioned by Minister of Strategic Industries, Herman Smetanin in April 2024. The pieces in this photo are not arranged correctly but still give an idea what it looks like. 2. This jet-powered missile was spotted attacking Donetsk on September 14. The fuselage appears to be more curved than the common cylinder shape. There are no obvious winglets. The tail is consistent with a dual tail (H-tail).

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. 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.

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? 2. At the start of the war, Ukraine obtain several Penguin-C military drones made in Latvia by UAV Factory (now called, Edge Autonomy).

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). 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.

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. 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?

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. 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.

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? 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.

1. This is a look at a small russian company that operates in China and exports military equipment to russia. One interesting aspect is this company manufactures some equipment, including electronic warfare kit, and places its logo on the products. 2. It currently calls itself “PGI Technology” but there are also references to “Dongguan PGI Technology”. Its location is murky but a now-defunct website gave an address in Tangxia Town in Dongguan.

1. Combining a low-cost drone with a fibre-optic communication link produces a formidable weapon that is impervious to electronic defenses. Here is a look at how a small Chinese company called Skywalker developed an easy-to-use fibre-optic kit that has changed the war. 2. Skywalker posted several videos while developing fibre optics for drones. The first was a short-range, e.g. 100 metres, test in June 12, 2024. The spool of fibre optic was not on the drone but remained on the ground. A rod prevented the fibre from tangling in the propellers.

1. Part 3 of Making Money from a War visits an office with a fantastic view. The Chinese company, Skywalker posted a number of videos including one from a fancy office building. A close look produces questions. 2. Skywalker posted a video showing how to attach a bomb release to a pricey (€13500) DJI Matrice 300 drone. It holds two rounds under the drone with a control module mounted on the top of the drone. There is also an excellent view from the office windows.

1. Part 1 of this series looked at a video posted by the Chinese company Skywalker Technology. The video pointed to a company called DSTech UAS. Part 1 showed their factory and offices. 2. Now that the company with three names (DSI Drone System Innos, DSTech UAS, Dongshengtai Technology) has been introduced, let’s look at what they are up to. They make their own fixed-wing drones starting with moulds.

A number of companies have been making money from the war in Ukraine. This is a series of threads that look at various videos posted by two companies who supply equipment related to drones. The goal is to obtain a better idea of what is happening. 1. The Chinese company Skywalker Technology sells kits for controlling drones using fibre optics. Shown here is a quadrotor with a spool holding a few km of optical fibre. The fibre leads to a base station so control signals can be sent to the drone and video sent back.

1. A good defense against a drone is another drone. Both Ukraine and russia are developing net launchers that tangle an enemy drone’s propellers. Shown here is a russian-designed net launcher made largely from 3D-printed components. These are carried by a drone. 2. When triggered, four springs eject four weights that are attached to the net. The net simply hangs below this launcher. The release is a ring that slides upwards when moved by a servo.

1. There was a pleasant and interesting surprise today when Ukraine announced a new drone missile called Peklo (Hell). It will take a while to analyse this weapon but there are a number of intriguing design elements. 2. This photo gives a good idea of its size. Range is reported as over 700 km so this drone must hold a very large fuel tank. The size of the warhead will likely depend on the required range. Speed is reported as over 700 km/h (435 mph).

1. A curious Ukrainian drone that crashed in September, 2024 was widely reported in russian media. Although various folks claimed this wreckage showed the remains of a jet engine, things did not look right. 2. Here is a closer view of this object. The trouble is that most jet engines used in drones do not look like this. If not an engine, what is this? The following photographs will (partially) explain what this is.

1. Mystery solved, sort of. Early in 2024 a number of strange drones crashed in russia: a typical wreckage is shown here. I spent a lot of time trying to determine who made these but recently the manufacturer publicity announced this drone 🙃. Regardless, here is what I found. 2. It’s not a secret but it is an interesting design. The fuselage is a carbon-fibre cylinder with fancy aluminum bulkheads. Wings and V-tail are composite construction with foam and wood internal structures. This is an expensive airframe compared to some other drones.

1. Ukrainian cities have been targeted by thousands of russian Shahed-136 (Geranium-2) drones. Although Ukraine has flown plenty of long-range drones into russia, it did not have a drone similar to the Shahed-136. But it might have one now. 2. There is no single good photo of this drone so I made this rough sketch to give an idea what it looks like. Conceptually, it is very similar to the Shahed-136. The Ukrainian drone may have a larger diameter fuselage and be a bit shorter but it is hard to be certain.

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 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.

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. 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?

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. 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.

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. 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.