Ukraine

Innovative drone, software, and artificial intelligence (AI) developer Draganfly has announced the launch of a research and test center dedicated to perfecting a variety of aerial applications – not the least of which being the company’s ongoing work with Ukraine using UAVs for the detection and clearance of Russian mines.

In a move that will have only minor effects on its own – but which could have larger consequences were it to be replicated around Europe, especially in terms of drone use – the Baltic nation of Lithuania has responded to increasing international instability by banning the purchase of tech from countries deemed untrustworthy, including China, for defense or public service operation.

Readers of DroneDJ will remember a story published earlier this month about video captured by a Ukraine drone – which later went viral – as it dropped a series of grenades on a Russian soldier lying on his side, who responded by irritably tossing the munitions away before they exploded. Now information has arisen claiming to add details to the story behind the footage.

Canadian drone hardware manufacturer and diversified service company Draganfly has announced it has been tapped by Ukraine aerial solutions specialist DEF-C to provide support for its work with civil and defense clients – and supply those customers with 30 reconnaissance UAVs.

Although not ready for deployment just yet, a new UK anti-drone weapon known as DragonFire has delivered some impressive results in testing at the very time people in Ukraine are hoping for new tech capable of neutralizing the brutal missile and UAV attacks on the nation’s cities.

Ukraine has used both military and consumer UAVs with maximum effect in defending itself from invading Russian forces, and now it’s seeking to replicate that effectiveness at sea by creating a fleet of naval drones, or uncrewed surface vessels (USV).

Ukraine forces have astonished observers with, among many other actions defending their homeland, their innovative and deft deployment of UAVs as reconnaissance and combat craft. But those aerial assets don’t always complete their missions as planned, as witnessed by a new video capturing a Russian soldier pitching drone-dropped grenades away before they can explode.

We all knew this day was coming when someone, either Ukraine or Russia, would put a machine gun on a commercial drone to get the upper hand. However, a video shared on Twitter shows a DJI heavy-lift drone mounted with a small machine gun, showing just how crazy times are.

Geek-inclined volunteers to Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion won’t be limited to piloting repurposed consumer UAVs anymore, thanks to a new app allowing anybody in the country to provide craft and position information on attack drones and missiles that aerial defense forces can use to neutralize those threats.

Ukraine officials aghast at Moscow’s merciless aerial attacks on the nation’s cities and civilian targets take note: US airspace security and protection specialist Fortem Technologies has upgraded its DroneHunter F700 anti-UAV system to more effectively defeat even larger and faster Group 3 craft like Russian Orlan-10s and Iranian Shahed-136s.

A new video has emerged on social media showing what is described as Ukraine using an anti-drone gun to force a surveilling Russian DJI Mavic Pro drone to execute an emergency landing.

There seems to be disagreement on a new element in the war between Ukraine and the invading Russian army. While some media reports in recent weeks have sounded alarms about the punishing potential of Iran’s drones being deployed by Russia for strikes in Ukraine, US officials have shrugged off the craft as rather rinky-dink contraptions prone to dysfunction, and of only limited concern.

Just about the time Iranian drones supplied to Russia began appearing in the skies over Ukraine last week, press reports surfaced purporting a company in Israel is moving to step around the nation’s formal refusal to take sides in the conflict by ushering anti-UAV defense systems to Kyiv using Poland as an intermediary.

In another development that – if confirmed – could create more concern for Moscow, Ukraine has said it shot down one of the purportedly formidable suicide drones Russia reportedly bought from Iran to reinforce its dwindling consumer and military-grade UAVs.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been a nightmarish reminder since the beginning to be very careful what one wishes for, but new evidence suggests the outlook for Moscow may be getting darker yet. As previously reported by DroneDJ, mass buying of consumer drones in Russia for the Ukraine war that had diminished supplies has reportedly now gotten even worse – and is even being matched by a penury of craft and replacement parts for military-grade UAVs.

Ukraine is vastly expanding the pilot training component of its Army of Drones initiative that collects donations from around the world to buy UAVs and strengthen the nation’s aerial defensive assets battling Russia’s invasion.

The UK and Norway are sending more than $9 million worth of Teledyne Flir Black Hornet micro drones to Ukraine to aid the nation’s battle against Russia’s invasion.

Ukraine is upping its efforts to beat back Russia’s invasion by using both military-grade and consumer UAVs with a slick new post on social media designed to inspire worldwide backers to donate generously and often to the nation’s Army of Drones campaign.

It’s frequently been said war is hell, and now dark mockery is being thrown into its merciless mix. Evidence of that came with a video uploaded by Ukraine drone unit Aerorozvidka illustrating what it calls the “dronephobia” affliction of an apparent Russian target on the ground melting down at the approach of a hostile UAV.

Video footage has appeared online of what is described as a Ukraine military unit using what appears to be a racing drone to stage a pinpoint FPV kamikaze strike into a house used by invading Russian soldiers.

Counter-UAV specialist Dedrone is launching a new, quickly deployable DedronePortable detection, tracking, and identification platform – an all-in-one unit that can also disrupt controller contact of intrusive or hostile craft that forces in Ukraine battling Russian invaders will soon be using.