OT: Russia Came Under Attack by a 'Swarm' In Syria, Says Report
- Trojan Talk
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Now things start to get really interesting. Smaller groups are now able to afford a mini air force without making the huge capital outlay. Just wait until we productionize these drones to behave like bees in a swarm.
At some point, you wonder whether the paradigm shifts. Why invest in another jet that's worth hundreds of millions each when you already have hundreds of them and you can field a swarm of cheap drones that can just as well overwhelm ground troops. (Harken back to WW II when the Russians simply overwhelmed the enemy with all of their cheap tanks.)
Interesting times....
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https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-came-under-attack-apos-010700010.html
Russia Came Under Attack by a 'Swarm' In Syria, Says Report
Dave Majumdar
,
The National Interest•January 8, 2018
Who launched the attack?
Russia Came Under Attack by a 'Swarm' In Syria, Says Report
The Russians are asserting that the unmanned aerial vehicles—which appear to have indigenously manufactured—were constructed with the aid of a developed country.
“Engineering solutions used by terrorists when attacking Russian facilities in Syria could have been received only from a country with high technological potential on providing satellite navigation and distant control of firing competently assembled self-made explosive devices in appointed place," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The National Interest." data-reactid="32" style="margin-bottom: 1em;">“It’s very likely that such parts were most likely acquired commercially, in which case we are entering a dangerous terra incognita with respect to unsanctioned UAV use by non-state and terrorist organizations,” Samuel Bendett, a researcher specializing in unmanned systems at the Center for Naval Analyses, told The National Interest.
Indeed, the UAVs—which were ‘home-made’—were more capable in many regards than one might expect with ranges as great as 60 miles or more.
“Previous UAV-borne attacks were via small commercial quadrocopters- their accuracy was often questionable but such UAVs used by the terrorist organizations created a powerful psychological effect,” Bendett said. “Now, we seem to have home-made UAVs that flew for tens of kilometers to their target.”
“If the Syrian conflict is a showcase of what is possible with existing and emerging technologies, then such a UAV-borne threat is dead-serious,” Bendett said. “Some expertise is required to outfit such a UAV with navigational technologies, but again, those could be procured on the open market.”
While the Russians seem to believe that the insurgent group that launched the attack had support from an advanced nation-state, there does not seem to be much validity to Moscow’s position.
“So far, there is no validity to those claims,” Bendett said. “The technology and expertise to make such a UAV is fairly widespread at this point.”
The fact of the matter is that drone technology has been democratized and this attack on the Russians in Syria is the harbinger of a future where even insurgent groups will have access to advanced capabilities.
Dave Majumdar is the defense editor for The National Interest. You can follow him on Twitter: @davemajumdar.
At some point, you wonder whether the paradigm shifts. Why invest in another jet that's worth hundreds of millions each when you already have hundreds of them and you can field a swarm of cheap drones that can just as well overwhelm ground troops. (Harken back to WW II when the Russians simply overwhelmed the enemy with all of their cheap tanks.)
Interesting times....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-came-under-attack-apos-010700010.html
Russia Came Under Attack by a 'Swarm' In Syria, Says Report
Dave Majumdar
,
The National Interest•January 8, 2018
Who launched the attack?
Russia Came Under Attack by a 'Swarm' In Syria, Says Report
The Russians are asserting that the unmanned aerial vehicles—which appear to have indigenously manufactured—were constructed with the aid of a developed country.
“Engineering solutions used by terrorists when attacking Russian facilities in Syria could have been received only from a country with high technological potential on providing satellite navigation and distant control of firing competently assembled self-made explosive devices in appointed place," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The National Interest." data-reactid="32" style="margin-bottom: 1em;">“It’s very likely that such parts were most likely acquired commercially, in which case we are entering a dangerous terra incognita with respect to unsanctioned UAV use by non-state and terrorist organizations,” Samuel Bendett, a researcher specializing in unmanned systems at the Center for Naval Analyses, told The National Interest.
Indeed, the UAVs—which were ‘home-made’—were more capable in many regards than one might expect with ranges as great as 60 miles or more.
“Previous UAV-borne attacks were via small commercial quadrocopters- their accuracy was often questionable but such UAVs used by the terrorist organizations created a powerful psychological effect,” Bendett said. “Now, we seem to have home-made UAVs that flew for tens of kilometers to their target.”
“If the Syrian conflict is a showcase of what is possible with existing and emerging technologies, then such a UAV-borne threat is dead-serious,” Bendett said. “Some expertise is required to outfit such a UAV with navigational technologies, but again, those could be procured on the open market.”
While the Russians seem to believe that the insurgent group that launched the attack had support from an advanced nation-state, there does not seem to be much validity to Moscow’s position.
“So far, there is no validity to those claims,” Bendett said. “The technology and expertise to make such a UAV is fairly widespread at this point.”
The fact of the matter is that drone technology has been democratized and this attack on the Russians in Syria is the harbinger of a future where even insurgent groups will have access to advanced capabilities.
Dave Majumdar is the defense editor for The National Interest. You can follow him on Twitter: @davemajumdar.
