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.
Dec 6 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
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).
Dec 5 • 18 tweets • 7 min read
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.
Nov 26 • 20 tweets • 8 min read
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.
Nov 21 • 9 tweets • 4 min read
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.
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 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.
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. 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?
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. 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.
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. 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.
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. 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.
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. 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.
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. 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.
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? 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.
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 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.
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. 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).
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? 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.
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. 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.
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? 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.
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…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.
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…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.
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. 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.