IS AeroVironment Switchblade TECHNOLOGY IN THE UKRAINE SKY CCBMilitary

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hello everyone how drone is great on the field  unmanned aerial vehicles uavs or drones are   aircraft that can be controlled remotely by a  pilot or by pre-programmed plans or automation   systems that enable them to fly autonomously a  large number of industries and organizations are   adopting this technology including military  government commercial and recreational users   as drone technology advances these aircraft  are becoming more common and affordable   giving rise to debates that weigh their  benefits against new ethical and legal concerns   as such the decisions derived from discussing  the pros and cons of drones and uavs are poised   to have a substantial impact on the private and  public sectors pros of drones to properly weigh   the pros and cons of drones in their use it's  important to examine both sides of the debate   on their own merits for instance plenty of  reasons exist to support the use of drones   quality aerial imaging drones are excellent for  taking high quality aerial photographs and video   and collecting vast amounts of imaging data these  high resolution images can be used to create 3d   maps and interactive 3d models which have many  beneficial uses for example 3d mapping of disaster   areas can enable rescue teams to be better  prepared before entering hazardous situations   precision since unmanned aerial vehicles use  gps the global positioning system they can be   programmed and maneuvered accurately to precise  locations this is especially helpful in a variety   of situations in precision agriculture for example  uavs are used for a variety of farming needs   such as spraying fertilizer and insecticide  identifying weed infestations and monitoring   crop health the precision of uav saves farmers  both time and cost easily deployable with advances   in control technology most drones can be deployed  and operated with relatively minimal experience   combined with the relatively low cost of most  models drones are becoming accessible to a wide   range of operators uavs also have a greater range  of movement than man aircraft they are able to   fly lower and in more directions allowing them to  easily navigate traditionally hard to access areas   security another plus to drone use centers on  security with the appropriate license operators   can use unmanned aerial vehicles to provide  security and surveillance to private companies   sporting events public gatherings and other venues  drones can also gather valuable data during and   after natural disasters to aid in security and  recovery efforts cons of drones while there   are numerous pros to using drones there are also  several perceived challenges to their deployment   these concerns are important to consider  particularly given the wide range of   circumstances in which drones can be used  legislative uncertainty since the widespread   use of unmanned aerial vehicles is relatively  new legislation is still catching up the federal   aviation administration faa has established  certain rules for small unmanned aircraft   that apply to commercial and recreational use but  there are still ambiguities questions include how   best to determine aerospace property rights and  protect landowners from aerial trespassing further   adding to the confusion are conflicts between  federal regulations and some state and local laws   safety safety is a primary concern when dealing  with unmanned aerial vehicles to avoid mid-air   collisions uavs must be programmed with sense  and avoid capabilities that match those of manned   aircraft this means that drones must be able  to detect a potential collision and maneuver   to safety in the event of system failures  falling drones are another serious danger   especially when they are used near large crowds or  in highly populated areas privacy one of the most   common concerns from the public about uav's is  privacy drones can collect data and images without   drawing attention leading many americans to fear  their fourth amendment right to privacy may be in   jeopardy this can occur if government entropies  were to use drones to monitor the public the way   in which the fourth amendment is interpreted  in the efforts of privacy rights organizations   such as the american civil liberties union aclu  continue to influence how this issue of privacy   is regulated applications of drones drones are  designed to be nimble and relatively unobtrusive   a diverse number of industries use them to execute  complex tasks in many instances these tasks may   otherwise be extremely difficult or costly to  achieve without the assistance of drone technology   the results of these myriad applications  are equally diverse ranging from boosted   creativity to greater commercial and communal  outreach filming movies an amateur filmmaker   can record high quality aerial shots using only  a drone equipped with a high definition camera   less than two decades ago recording from this  perspective was only consistently an option   for large movie studios that could afford to use  cranes helicopters and airplanes as a single day   of a helicopter shoot may cost tens of thousands  of dollars the option to buy a basic filming   drone for a few thousand dollars can be far more  appealing for modern filmmakers although renting   higher-end professional drones may exceed five  thousand dollars for a single day's use apart from   their costs being more manageable drones are also  useful due to their extreme versatility drones   are usually relatively small in size so they are  great when shooting a movie scene that requires   entering a tight space or moving nimbly yet they  are not a complete replacement for traditional   aircraft in the film industry while the size of  drones typically allows users to record shots   that wouldn't be possible using a manned aircraft  some filmmakers believe that helicopters are still   preferable for shooting high-speed action scenes  such as car chases protecting animals poaching is   devastating endangered wildlife populations across  the globe conservationist groups have been working   for decades to protect these animals by migrating  them into protected lands like animal sanctuaries   and national parks yet many poachers still  trespass into these parks to kill the animals   therefore conservationists must strategize new  ways to secure these locations and prevent people   with malicious intent from entering recently the  conservationist community has discovered how to   use drones to help protect wildlife using a  drone equipped with night vision optics or   thermal sensors conservationists can patrol the  parks to deter poachers one example can be found   at lewin national park in lyland malawi the park  uses anti-poaching drones to find illegal snares   monitor activity within the park and help law  enforcement officials find and arrest poachers   war reporting war zones are extremely dangerous  and war journalists would normally need to risk   their lives to record events as they unfold using  drones journalists can record the destruction of   war without compromising their own safety this  makes it possible to accurately represent the   reality of war using first-hand visual accounts  filmed in real war afflicted areas delivering   packages the future of drone technology will  also present consumers with the highly convenient   option to receive their deliveries by drone amazon  is at the forefront of making this a reality its   upcoming amazon prime or service is expected  to allow customers to request drone delivery   for packages weighing up to five pounds how will  the process work a customer purchases a product   the delivery drone is dispatched to an address or  to the customer's smartphone gps upon the arrival   of the drone the customer uses their phone to  flash a qr code barcode or led signal to the   drone validating them as the correct customer the  product then is lowered from a safe height using   a pulley system and released for the customer this  application of drone technology has the potential   to make delivery far more efficient in the  near future though no widespread drone delivery   services are operating in full capacity ftd  government regulations and public safety concerns   the firms that are interested in offering drone  delivery services will need to emphasize designing   and implementing safe and ethical systems that  will not endanger their customer or the public   measuring whether to create accurate weather  forecasts meteorologists must measure weather data   from a diverse set of sensors that are usually  affixed to satellites or surface equipment these   tools collect data that can be used to predict  common weather changes like precipitation or even   violent storms like tornadoes scientists are now  working to incorporate unmanned aircraft into the   process by using drones to collect research data  flying through a storm can be dangerous but drones   can enter storms to collect temperature pressure  humidity and wind velocity measurements without   risking lies this data can be used to provide  advanced storm warnings giving people more time   to take precautions or evacuate as drones continue  to become more robust industry leaders expect them   to become a more regular aspect of weather  measurement in forecasting although unmanned   aerial vehicles have existed for several decades  over the past 20 years the technology has seen   significant advancements drones were once a tool  used almost exclusively for military's uses but   modern engineering has made them accessible and  affordable to private citizens by earning a master   of science and electrical engineering aspiring  professionals can enhance their understanding of   the fundamental tenets of electronics engineering  in doing so they can improve their ability to   contribute positively to the design process  of complex electronic devices like drones   the future of drones the commercial interest  in drone technology began to boom around 2010   and shows no signs of slowing in fact all signs  point to a bright and exciting future for drones   and drone technology future generations of drones  are projected to feature enhanced autonomy and   improved safety and regulatory standards these and  other enhancements have the potential to further   impact a wide array of industry sectors such as  commercial transport logistics and the military   emergency response improved camera technology  goes hand in hand with improved drone technology   because the quality of images produced by drone  cameras continues to improve emergency response   teams can increasingly rely on them to locate and  identify victims more efficiently this efficiency   could potentially lead to improved victim survival  rates additionally drones can be increasingly used   to help survey the aftermath of a natural disaster  which could make it easier for response teams   to deploy disaster relief and humanitarian aid  to the affected region's most vulnerable areas   healthcare currently drone-based delivery  correlates to commercial goods like an   amazon package but this delivery aspect could  conceivably have important applications in the   healthcare industry particularly in rural areas  where access to healthcare services may be limited   in this case drones may be used to deliver  time-sensitive materials such as prescription   refills these actions can lead to more timely  medical care that can ultimately improve an   individual's own health journey construction  uavs can cover large areas very quickly   and they can be equipped with tools that can  generate 3d images these dual functions can   be beneficial to construction workers who can  use this efficiently gathered data to produce   models at the project start and assess  progress during the construction process   these elements can lead to the creation of  safer and more robust buildings and may make   it easier for a construction team to hit the  vital metrics of being on time and on budget   explore the future of electrical engineering  as drone technology improves its applications   will continue to expand those who wish to develop  key strategies that can help seamlessly integrate   drone use into the public and private sectors  would do well to consider advanced education   graduates of ohio university's online master of  science and electrical engineering program are   prepared to research design develop and test new  technologies and industry applications discover   how this program at ohio university can help  position you to become a leader in the burgeoning   field of drone and uav technology is drone pilot  a good career seven high demand industries in 2022   many of us don't fly drones because we want to  get paid but because it's fun the thrill of flying   the risk of crashing that makes it all the more  interesting and the feeling of exploring the skies   is just amazing but honestly who else wouldn't  want to earn a living doing what they love   becoming a professional drone pilot is a  legitimately viable career option in 2022 and   can be a well-paying profession as it is rapidly  expanding into many fields the demand for drone   pilots is increasing day by day and opportunities  are monthly opening up for drone enthusiasts   in this article we'll look at the state of the  drone industry and what the demand is for drone   pilots we'll also go over seven industries that i  think are worth looking into if you're planning on   becoming a professional drone pilot in 2022 is  there a high demand for drone pilots right now   the association for unmanned vehicle systems  international predicts that by the year 2025   at least 000 jobs will be created for drone  pilots drone pilots are in high demand right   now and that demand will only keep increasing  in the years that follow multiple companies   are set to spend over 16 billion on drones in  the next eight years with advertising agencies   construction and security firms being among the  first so yes drone pilots are in high demand   in fact according to market research the  drone industry is expected to have a 51.1   growth rate in the next five years we'll get  into the specific industries that have need for   the skills of drone pilots later in this article  can you make a career from flying drones in 2022.   so far we've covered the demand for drone pilots  and it's clear that the industry is booming   but can you actually make a career from flying  drones in 2022 it's a tricky question the short   answer is yes but there is more to it you can  definitely make a career out of flying drones   on average there are more than 1 000 open jobs  for drone pilots on indeed at any given time   with this many jobs across the us there are a lot  of opportunities for drone enthusiasts however the   cost of drones is not really how to get a good  drone and the cost of the faa's part 107 exam   is only 175 we'll go over this exam in a minute  with such a low barrier of entry the market is   extremely saturated with people who have regular  jobs and want to make money flying on the side   and so you have to stand out to land drone flying  jobs the people who make enough money from flying   drones to call it a career are usually people  with a specific set of skills like filming and   video editing or 3d mapping etc so consider adding  different skills on top of drone flying and apply   to jobs that require those skills specialization  is key to land jobs as a drone pilot and stand out   a really good website where you can check to see  what top drone pilots are doing right is droners   io a simple look at the portfolios of top pilots  and there can tell you what works and what doesn't   if your aim is to close clients in the drone  industry how much money can you make as a drone   pilot as discussed above compensation depends  highly on the way you package your services   the more value you can add on top of flying a  drone the higher you'll get paid according to   glassdar the median drone pilot salary is fifty  eight thousand two hundred eighty dollars here   there are however drone pilots making six figures  flying drones commercially those usually offer   other services on top of drone flying i have  created an entire comprehensive article on how   much drone pilots can make depending on what you  do more exactly combat drones we are in a new era   of warfare here's why the combat drone was once  the preserve of military superpowers but no longer   it used by insurgents and smaller nations  is already changing the nature of battle   writes jonathan marcus often in military history a  single weapon system can become emblematic of the   whole age of warfare one things of the longbow  used by the english archers at action court in   the middle ages were the heavily armored tanks  that epitomized the ground combat of world war ii   the mq-1 predator unmanned aerial vehicle or  uav became the iconic weapon of the period of   counter-insurgency warfare waged by the united  states in afghanistan iraq and elsewhere this   corresponded with what has been called the  unipolar moment after the end of the cold war   when the u.s stood alone and unchallenged as  the dominant global superpower the drone's   symbolic status only grew when predator originally  conceived for aerial reconnaissance was armed with   hellfire missiles its successor the reaper  was specifically designed as a hunter killer   it is a greater range than its predecessor  and can carry a larger weight of munitions   their very names explicitly flag up their purpose  these can be precise killers capable of targeting   washington's enemies whenever and wherever  they least expect it it was reaper drones   that are believed to have been used to kill the  iranian general kasim suleimani outside baghdad   airport in january 2020. for a brief period of  time it was largely the united states and israel  

with its own significant drone industry  who were able to carry out such operations   this if you like was the first age of the combat  drone however things have dramatically changed a   new era of drone warfare has already arrived  involving many more players and the use of   uavs has moved from counter-terrorism or  counter-insurgency warfare into full-scale   conventional combat indeed up ahead a new third  age of drone warfare beckons as technology becomes   ever more sophisticated and linked to artificial  intelligence presentational gray line the hunter   killer mq-9 reaper drone strikes have played a key  role in recent conflicts helping bolster the addis   ababa government's position in the face of attacks  from tplf tigray people's liberation front rebels   the ethiopian government has purchased armed  drones from turkey and iran it is also reported to   have access to chinese wing lung ii uavs via the  united arab emirates the uae similarly supplied   chinese-built drones to its ally general  khalifa hafter in libya's brutal civil war   in many cases armed drones have had a decisive  impact contributing to the survival of libya's   internationally recognized government in tripoli  and in last year's nagorno-karabakh conflict   turkish supply drones were a potent factor  enabling azerbaijan's forces to rest control of   the disputed enclave from armenia drone strikes  often raise complex legal and more dilemmas   they can only be as accurate as the intelligence  upon which they are based the hope that their use   might be curbed in some way by arms control  treaties has proved illusory while the us   has been reluctant to export its leading edge  technology to anyone other than its closest allies   others make no such distinctions to sending armed  drones to ethiopia indeed the spread of uav seems   relentless over 100 countries and non-state groups  of drones and many actors have access to armed   drones indeed as paul share director of studies  at the center for new american security says   the proliferation of these systems looks set  to continue china he says is by far the leading   exporter of armed drones worldwide but drones are  not just accessible to leading military powers   middle powers such as iran and turkey have access  to drone technology and are selling systems abroad   indeed he argues that commercial drone technology  is so widely available that anyone could build a   crude diy attack drone for a few hundred dollars  and some terrorist groups have the uav's decisive   impact is no surprise he adds they give  a country an air force on the cheap   states and non-state groups that can't afford to  buy fighter jets can buy drones he says and while   drones are not as capable as fighter jets they  give actors access to some air power combined with   digital technologies that enable high definition  surveillance and precision strike drones can   be quite lethal to ground forces but the use  of uavs in regional conflicts and civil wars   provides only a pointer to the drone's value in  future warfare while the u.s and its allies were   focused upon counter-insurgency operations russia  used its involvement in syria as a testing ground   for the incorporation of drones into its wider  order of battle russia's drone fleet in syria   conducted crucial intelligence surveillance and  reconnaissance isr missions connecting identified   targets with russian artillery multiple launch  rocket systems and aircraft through persistent   drone observation in real time says samuel  bendet a member of the russia studies program   at the center for naval analyses this concept is  now redefining how the russian military fights   today and in the future by giving forces a uav  enabled round-the-clock picture of the battlefield   something that the generals did not have before  the fighting in ukraine which despite russian   denials has involved regular russian personnel has  provided valuable insight into its planned use of   uavs ukraine how drones are changing the way of  war the war in ukraine shows that unmanned aerial   vehicles are part of modern warfare drones have  various tasks from aerial surveillance to missile   defense drones meet the requirements of modern  warfare that's the line from the u.s department   of defense and the pentagon says it has just been  drawn to meet all of ukraine's requirements it's a   new drone or unmanned aerial vehicle uav called  phoenix ghost we believe this particular system   would very nicely suit their needs particularly  in eastern ukraine pentagon spokesperson john   kirby said in a press briefing kirby said the us  had started developing the phoenix goals before   the outbreak of war and that work would now be  accelerated to meet ukraine's requirements even   better the plan is to deliver more than 120  of the drones as part of a 800 million dollar   cost 750 million euros military assistance package  but what does phoenix ghost do how does it differ   from other weapon systems well not much is  known there are no pictures what we do know   is that phoenix ghost was developed by us defense  contractor evex aerospace with the us air force   and that according to kirby personnel won't need  a lot of training to operate it kirby said the   new drone was like older switchblade drones  which were made by us company aeroveronment   for use by us special forces in afghanistan in  2012. switchblade kamikaze drone the switchblade   backpack drone belongs to the category of  loitering munitions or loitering weapons   it's a mix between a missile and a drone arthur  holland michelle author and senior fellow with   the carnegie council for ethics in international  affairs in barcelona told dw loitering munitions   get their name from the way they work they are  launched without a specific target and circle   over an area until the target is assigned by an  operator on the ground and that's when it strikes   it is sensors that can detect emerging targets  depending on the model size and weight it can   stay in the air for between 15 and 40 minutes  with a range of 10 to 40 kilometers 6-25 miles   unlike a large drone it doesn't need an airfield  or lots of infrastructure to launch michelle said   and unlike a missile it gives you time to identify  the target get situational awareness and then   literally drive the missile drone into the target  switchblade drones are also known as kamikaze   drones because they self-destruct on impact  optimized phoenix ghost phoenix ghost drones   have similar capabilities but are not exactly the  same as the switchblade kirby said david dipshala   a retired lieutenant general who sits on the  board of directors at pvx aerospace was quoted by   politico as saying that phoenix ghost can fly for  longer than switchblade up to six hours dipshala   is reported to have said that phoenix ghost was  a single used drone that launches vertically and   that it can operate at night with infrared sensors  the drone was effective against medium armor   ground targets politico quoted dipshire as saying  vector german technology for ukraine the ukrainian   armed forces also use a surveillance drone from  the german company quantum systems our drones   are already in ukraine florian siebel ceo of the  bavaria based company told the german news network   r d switchblade drones are also known as kamikaze  drones because they self-destruct on impact   optimized phoenix ghost phoenix ghost drones have  similar capabilities but are not exactly the same   as the switchblade kirby said david dipshirlock  a retired lieutenant general who sits in the   board of directors at evex aerospace was quoted by  politico as saying that phoenix ghost can fly for   longer than switchblade up to six hours debsula  is reported to have said that phoenix ghost was   a single used drone that launches vertically and  that it can operate at night with infrared sensors   the drone was effective against medium armor  ground targets politico quoted dipshire as   saying vector german technology for ukraine the  ukrainian armed forces also use a surveillance   drone from the german company quantum systems  our drones are already in ukraine florian siebel   ceo of the bavaria-based company told the german  news network r d switchblade drones are also known   as kamikaze drones because they self-destruct  on impact optimized phoenix ghost phoenix ghost   drones have similar capabilities but are not  exactly the same as the switchblade kirby said   david a retired lieutenant general who sits on the  board of directors at evex aerospace was quoted by   politico as saying that phoenix ghost can fly for  longer than switchblade up to six hours dipshala   is reported to have said that phoenix ghost was  a single used drone that launches vertically   and that it can operate at night with infrared  sensors the drone was effective against medium   armor ground targets politico quoted as saying  vector german technology for ukraine the ukrainian   armed forces also use a surveillance drone from  the german company quantum systems our drones   are already in ukraine florian siebel ceo of the  bavaria based company told the german news network   r d switchblade drones are also known as kamikaze  drones because they self-destruct on impact   optimized phoenix ghost phoenix ghost drones have  similar capabilities but are not exactly the same   as the switchblade kirby said david dipshala  a retired lieutenant general who sits on the   board of directors at evex aerospace was quoted by  politico as saying that phoenix ghost can fly for   longer than switchblade up to six hours dipshala  is reported to have said that phoenix ghost was   a single used drone that launches vertically and  that it can operate at night with infrared sensors   the drone was effective against medium armor  ground targets politico quoted as saying vector   german technology for ukraine the ukrainian  armed forces also use a surveillance drone   from the german company quantum systems our drones  are already in ukraine florian siebel ceo of the   bavaria based company told the german news network  r d switchblade drones are also known as kamikaze   drones because they self-destruct on impact  optimized phoenix ghost phoenix ghost drones   have similar capabilities but are not exactly the  same as the switchblade kirby said david dipshala   a retired lieutenant general who sits on the board  of directors at hebex aerospace was quoted by   politico as saying that phoenix ghost can fly for  longer than switchblade up to six hours dipshala   is reported to have said that phoenix ghost was  a single used drone that launches vertically and   that it can operate at night with infrared sensors  the drone was effective against medium armor   ground targets politico quoted as saying vector  german technology for ukraine the ukrainian armed   forces also a surveillance drone from the german  company quantum systems our drones are already   in ukraine florian siebel ceo of the valerio  based company told the german news network r   d switchblade drones are also known as kamikaze  drones because they self-destruct on impact   optimized phoenix ghost phoenix ghost drones have  similar capabilities but are not exactly the same   as the switchblade kirby said david dipshala  a retired lieutenant general who sits on the   board of directors at evex aerospace was quoted by  politico as saying that phoenix ghost can fly for   longer than switchblade up to six hours [ __ ]  is reported to have said that phoenix ghost was   a single used drone that launches vertically and  that it can operate at night with infrared sensors   the drone was effective against medium armor  ground targets politico quoted [ __ ] as saying   vector german technology for ukraine the ukrainian  armed forces also used a surveillance drone from   the german company quantum systems our drones  are already in ukraine florian siebel ceo of the   valerio based company told the german news network  r d an aviation analyst amelia smith spotted that   one of the drone videos indicated the drone had a  new registration t253 not seen in ukraine before   it had been spotted being tested in late march  around the manufacturer's test facility in turkey   suggesting it was newly supplied perhaps part of  a new batch one week on russia said it had shot   down nine tb2 drones which cost somewhere between  1 million dollars 820 000 pounds to 2 million each   plus several other uncrewed aircraft in the battle  for snake island while the claim is hard to verify   control of the territory is still being contested  for all the videoed strikes the tb2s are clearly   militarily effective and are used for all their  propaganda worth but it is not obvious they are   militarily decisive the point is not lost on  ukraine's president voladimir zelensky i who   said in april with all due respect to beractor  into any hardware i will tell you frankly this   is a different war the 11-week conflict in which  russia's invasion has stalled after capturing most   of the south coast and some of the east of the  country has become since the abortive attempt to   take kiev largely a battle of tanks and artillery  in which both sides exchange heavy and often   unguided fires they fight over increasingly small  amounts of territory ukrainian artillery fires in   the carcass area trial by fire ukraine war becomes  grueling artillery dual read more this is not to   suggest that drones are irrelevant however it  reflects in part the reality that for both sides   the larger armed drones the tb2s on the ukrainian  side and russia's nearest equivalent the orion   drone have not been present in large numbers  and once eliminated are not easy to replace   sam bennett a drone expert with the us center  for naval analyses think tank said the ukrainian   military had taken advantage of the fact that  russia did not control all the airspace and   that it did not have persistent electronic warfare  defenses with some very accurate and significant   strikes but he added what is needed from their  perspective is to do so on a much larger scale   russian ui needed to counter the tb2 from the  2020 war between armenia and azerbaijan and   nagorno-karabakh in which azerbaijan used turkish  drones to knock out armenia's russian-designed   tanks and gain a decisive advantage moscow had  long lagged behind a drone technology said douglas   berry an aerospace analyst at the international  institute for strategic studies russia is having   to play ketchup they have under-invested in  this area since the early 1990s just as they   under-invested across the board he said moscow  started deploying orion combat drones in ukraine   in march followed almost immediately by reports  one had been shot down they went into the war with   a limited supply the consequence of decisions made  years ago perhaps with two or three dozen orions   instead of having a larger number bendett said  ukraine has wasted little opportunity in trying to   demonstrate the homespun nature of russian drones  videos of a downdoll in 10 reconnaissance drone   being taken apart show it relies on a consumer  canon dslr camera with key buttons glued into   position and for its fuel tank parts of the water  bottle including the screw on top no original part   was made in russia the ukrainians conclude in the  video and the true cost of the drone was estimated   at three thousand dollars rather than the eighty  thousand dollar to one hundred twenty thousand   dollars official cost it is probably a reasonable  estimate but in reality even turkish tb2 drones   have relied on off-the-shelf components to keep  costs down in the pace of the manufacturing up   meanwhile as the war becomes increasingly  attritional and armed drones are knocked out   of the sky new drones are coming to the fore the  u.s has agreed to supply the ukraine at least 700   of the less sophisticated single use or kamikaze  switchblade 300 and 600 drones with a range of 6   or 25 miles loitering munitions that can hang  in the sky and smash down with fearful effect   on their target prof peter lee a drones expert at  portsmouth university said that in a war where no   side has control of the air the most significant  use of drones has instead been for intelligence   gathering and situational awareness exactly  what aircraft were first used for 100 years ago   each side has made heavy use of simple  commercially available drones for reconnaissance   with videos frequently released into the public  domain such as an edited montage of footage of a   russian armored column being ambushed in robbery  east of kiev in march drone footage of artillery   shelling attacks on armored vehicles and other  fighting on both sides had become a routine   feature of the warwick has been the demand for  simple camera drones that china's dji the world's   largest manufacturer chose in april to suspend  sales of its easy keys drones to ukraine and   more surprisingly to russia although it is  unclear if the ban will have a meaningful effect   one expert has estimated that ukraine is  operating as many as 6 000 reconnaissance drones   on the battlefield drones are not award-winning  technology lee said but they are a war enabling   technology and what we have seen is ukraine  responding in a quicker and more agile way   i write from ukraine where i've spent much of  the past six months reporting on the build-up to   the conflict and the grim reality of war it has  been the most intense time of my 30-year career   in december i visited the trenches outside and  yet with the ukrainian army in january i went   to mariupol and drove along the coast to crimea  on february 24th i was with other colleagues in   the ukrainian capital as the first russian bombs  fail this is the biggest war in europe since 1945.   it is for ukrainians an existential struggle  against a new but familiar russian imperialism   our team of reporters and editors intend to cover  this war for as long as it lasts however expensive   that may prove to be we are committed to telling  the human stories of those caught up in war as   well as the international dimension but we can't  do this without the support of guardian readers   it is your passion engagement and financial  contributions which underpin our independent   journalism and make it possible for us to report  from places like ukraine if you are able to help   with a monthly or single contribution it will  boost our resources and enhance your ability   to report the truth about what is happening  in this terrible conflict thank you but i   don't know if that can erase all the past and the  pettiness a reflection of the emptiness hilarious

2022-07-23

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