Posted on 04/11/2022 3:33:00 PM PDT by Zhang Fei
Ukraine's defense ministry shared a video showing a soldier dismantling a Russian military surveillance drone, highlighting a string of surprisingly unsophisticated features.
In a video posted to Twitter on Sunday, a soldier can be seen seen taking apart what the ministry said was an Orlan-10 drone that crashed on Ukrainian soil.
Insider was unable to independently verify when or where the footage was taken.
In the video, the soldier is first seen pointing out that the drone's camera is a generic handheld Canon DSLR that had its main navigation button glued down to make sure it doesn't accidentally switch mode.
The soldier then points out that the camera had been secured in place with a strip of adhesive tape.
The soldier then points out that the cap of the drone's fuel tank appeared to have been made with the top and lid of a plastic water bottle.
The footage also showed evidence that the drone had been covered in duct tape in several places.
"This is seriously real. Not fake," the soldier is heard saying, and joking: "We even thought of sending this 'cosmic' technology to our Western partners."
A spokesperson for Ukraine's military said in 2017 that the Orlan-10 costs between five and seven million rubles ($87,000 to $120,000) per unit.
The Orlan-10 usually carries a thermovision camera, photo camera, video camera, radio transmitter, and a retransmitter, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Security Service said in 2014.
Ukraine said it had shot down a number of Russian Orlan-10 drones since Russia's invasion, which began on February 24.
On April 8, Ukraine's 24th brigade posted an image of an Orlan drone to Facebook which appeared to also have a part of a water bottle as its primary fuel storage unit.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Ukraine ping
Many new technologies are MacGyvered in some form or fashion. But using water bottle caps seems like a whole new level of improvisation for a fairly pedestrian drone type, variants of which Western powers have fielded for decades now. It’s as if Russia’s $70b annual defense budget, about 12 times Ukraine’s $6b, had somehow sprung leaks that pinched off spending for important weapons systems like drones.
Nonetheless, a 12 multiple in funding is a formidable advantage - equipment-wise, whatever Ukraine has, Russia has several times as many units, at minimum. That is why, in the coming single-axis clash, the outcome will depend on the West making up for Ukraine’s equipment deficiencies. Offers of howitzers and tanks are coming through. The question is whether they will arrive in time for what may be a decisive battle, at the end of which the loser goes into headlong retreat while being pursued by the victor.
“This is seriously real. Not fake,” the soldier is heard saying...
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Channeling Joe Biden, and just as convincing.
When was the last time any of you bought something made in Russia?
COTS...
Unless the loser is Russia and the lunatic at the helm decides to blow up the world.
“Insider was unable to independently verify when or where the footage was taken.”
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Surprising!
Maybe the Russkies just sent in a “disinformation drone” to make us THINK they are using bubble gum and baling wire in their defense equipment. It’s a head fake.
What’s wrong with a plastic cap? It works well on water bottles.
Orlan-10 is a baseline drone in the class of the US Raven and its specs are fairly impressive for the class. The price of the unit in the article is pulled from you know where.
1. You believed the video? Because?
Because it’s anti-Russia, silly!
[Unless the loser is Russia and the lunatic at the helm decides to blow up the world.]
Almost all my 7.62x39 was imported from there
For Western weapons or Russian?
But he will go down in history — to the 500 million to 1 billion people left behind.
You can buy Ural motorcycles. They are Russian copies of old BMWs but without the quality. They do have a cool sidecar rig where the sidecar wheel is driven too. A lot of people like them but you’d better be handy with a wrench or two.
2 Russian, 1 Romanian, 2 Chinese, a yugo, and a Czech
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