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☆ Ukraine is defying the US over strikes on Russian oil refineries. Experts say it's a necessary risk.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

While the US dithered over aid, Ukraine had a robust argument for prosecuting the war pretty much as it pleased. "Taking out a particular refinery is not going to immediately undermine Russia's war effort," said Dailey, the RAND strategist. "But consistently putting pressure on Russia's oil sector would have a significant impact on Russia's ability to fight this war." AdvertisementVakulenko, in his article, also noted that that strikes on Russian oil refineries have "little impact on Russian export earnings." Later, Ukraine said that its attacks had reduced Russian oil production and processing by 12%.

Persons: —, Ann Marie Dailey, Rafael Loss, Joe Biden's, Marina Miron, Dailey, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Olga Tokariuk, Tokariuk, Donald Trump, Miron, Whittling, Celeste Wallander, Lloyd Austin, Sergey Vakulenko, There's, Sir Tony Radakin, Biden, James Patton Rogers, Patton Rogers Organizations: Service, White, Telegraph, Business, RAND Corporation, European Council, Foreign Relations, Washington Post, Department of, King's College, London's, House, Carnegie, RAND, Financial, Cornell Brooks Tech Policy Institute, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Krasnodar, King's College London, Russia

☆ 'Drone hunting drones' are already impacting Middle East conflicts
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Iran's 538 loitering missile is designed to intercept low-flying drones. The 358 missiles confiscated by the US Navy were powered by small gas turbine engines made by a Dutch company. "As air defense systems increase in power and effectiveness, it will mark a new challenge to drone systems that have long had command of the air," Rogers said. A US Central Command handout shows one of the Iranian-made 538 loitering missile seized by the USS Forrest Sherman in November 2019. CENTCOM'Drone hunting drones'A report in March speculates that Turkey's arch-foe, the Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK group, may have acquired Iranian Meraj loitering missiles.

Persons: —, James Patton Rogers, Rogers, Ryan Bohl, RANE, Bohl, USS Forrest Sherman Organizations: Service, US Navy, Cornell Brooks Tech, Institute, Cornell University, American Warfare, Saudi, US, Pentagon, East, Command, USS, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, Turkish Locations: Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, Iran's, Dutch, Turkey, North Africa, Kurdistan, Iraq, Tehran

☆ Drones have turned the tables in recent African wars
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Drones recently supplied to Sudan by Iran are already making an impact in that country's brutal civil war. Similar types of drones played decisive roles in turning the tables in two previous African civil wars in recent years and could do so again. "It should come as no surprise that these drones are being used in wars around the world," Rogers told BI. In this context, drones are useful to achieve specific objectives, but they will not win the war alone," Rogers said. RANE's Dodd also credited Ethiopia's drone procurements for decisively "turning the tide" of the Tigray War.

Persons: —, Remi Dodd, RANE, it's, Dodd, James Patton Rogers, Rogers, Turkey's TB2, Loong, Debretsion Gebremichael, RANE's Dodd Organizations: Service, Business, Sudanese Armed Forces, Rapid Support Forces, United, Ethiopian, Tigray, Libyan National Army, Cornell Brooks Tech, Institute, Cornell University, American Warfare, Anadolu, Getty, Democratic Locations: Sudan, Iran, Iranian, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Libya, Tripoli, Omdurman, Tehran, Red, Yemen, Ukraine, Tigray War, Tigray, Addis Ababa, Ukrainian, New York, Donetsk, Nigeria, DRC, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso

☆ Ukraine is setting up a separate branch of its military focused purely on drone warfare
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine is creating a new military branch for drone warfare, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. A military expert said it's likely the first time a country has set up a separate drone branch. AdvertisementUkraine is creating a new branch of its military dedicated to drone warfare. Ukraine has regularly used drones to take out Russian tanks, bomb trenches, hit equipment stores, and target soldiers. But drone warfare in Ukraine is not one-sided.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it's, —, he'd, Zelenskyy, Bruce Riedel, Mykhailo Fedorov, Sergei Shoigu, James Patton Rogers Organizations: Service, Defense Forces —, Unmanned Systems Forces, Ukraine's National Security and Defense, Brookings Institution, NBC, Digital Transformation, Russia's, Cornell Brooks Tech Policy Institute Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russia

☆ Russian soldiers are most vulnerable when moving about during the long winter nights, but Ukraine's drone pilots often don't have the gear to hit them
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A challenge for Ukraine is that drone pilots often don't have the right gear to hit them though, a Ukrainian drone operator and a drone expert told Business Insider. But because operating drones in the dark requires more expensive equipment, Ukraine's options for striking during that time are limited. Drone pilots aren't equipped to hit themThere are a number of ways to hit the enemy at night, but cheap drones often aren't among the best options. Seeing at night requires Ukraine to use more expensive drone types or to put expensive upgrades on the cheaper, civilian drone types that many of its soldiers rely on. A Ukrainian drone operator recently told The Guardian there are so many drones over parts of Ukraine right now that soldiers on both sides don't know how to move forward.

Persons: —, Vitaliy, They're, Vlada, Kryukov, James Patton Rogers, Samuel Bendett, Ozge Elif, Rogers Organizations: Service, Business, Adam Tactical, Ukrainian, Cornell Brooks Tech Policy Institute, Center for Naval, Getty, Guardian Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Russia, Kupiansk, Kharkiv, Anadolu

☆ Video shows a Russian soldier diving out of the way of a drone, which then explodes just behind him
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewFootage appears to show a Russian soldier dodging a Ukrainian drone that's targeting him, before it hits the ground nearby and explodes. It said the soldier lured the drone toward him, and then dodged out of its way. A drone then enters the frame, and the soldier tries to run from it. pic.twitter.com/imTWG8FdVm — Arthur Morgan (@ArthurM40330824) January 14, 2024It's not clear how the soldier allegedly lured the drone, or why. Footage captured during the fighting has shown Ukrainian drones blowing up a Russian hideout, chasing Russian soldiers, and dropping grenades on tanks.

Persons: —, sid Organizations: Service, Business, 105th Infantry Regiment, Donetsk People's, Donetsk People's Republic 1st Army Corps, Donetsk, kr Locations: Russian, Donetsk, Donetsk People's Republic

☆ Drones in Ukraine have the same problem cell phones do in cold winter weather, giving pilots less time to hunt
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Vitaliy Kryukov, a loitering-munition commander for Ukraine's elite Adam Tactical Group, told Business Insider that fighting with drones in the winter comes with far more limitations. He compared it to what happens to cell phones in winter: "In the winter, you take your smartphone outside, and you'll notice that soon enough the battery will deplete much, much quicker." Upgrading drones to make them able to see at night, or simply using better-equipped drones, can be much more expensive. These drones are not the type that slam into targets and explode on impact, and there are fewer of them. AdvertisementHe said neither Russia or Ukraine is stopping their fight despite the conditions: "For sure Ukraine won't stop for the winter."

Persons: —, Ignacio Marin, Vitaliy, Kryukov, James Patton Rogers, Rogers, Kostya Organizations: Service, Business, Anadolu, Getty, Adam Tactical, Cornell Brooks Tech Policy Institute Locations: Ukraine, Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, Russia, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Avdiivka

☆ The US just sanctioned the Russian manufacturer of Lancet, a $35,000 tank-smashing 'suicide' drone that has been impeding Ukraine's counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US imposed sanctions against Russian manufacturer Zala Aero, which produces the Lancet drones. The Lancet drone is a loitering munition that stays near its target before crashing into it. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe US imposed sanctions on Thursday against a Russian manufacturer of lightweight drones that has been impeding the progress of Ukraine's counteroffensive. Lancet drones are small and lightweight, with its latest iteration, the Lancet-3M, weighing about 26.5 pounds — including the payload —and measuring less than 6 feet long, The Wall Street Journal reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementOne video circulating online appeared to show a Lancet drone dropping explosives on a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet that was sitting on the tarmac of an air base.

Persons: —, It's, Igor Zimenkov, Samuel Bendett, James Patton Rogers, Patton Rogers, Oleksandr Afanasyev Organizations: Zala Aero, Service, Ukraine, Department of State, US, SWIFT, State Department, Department, Foreign, Control, Street Journal, Center, New, New American Security, Reuters, Russia, IRIS, Cornell Tech Policy Institute, University of Southern, Aero Locations: Zala, Russian, Russia, New American, Germany, University of Southern Denmark, Ukrainian, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine

☆ How Hamas likely used rudimentary drones to 'blind and deafen' Israel's border and pave the way for its onslaught
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Hamas has shared drone footage, saying it used drones in its attack on Israel over the weekend. AdvertisementAdvertisementVideos circulated by Hamas suggest that a fleet of simple drones helped pave the way for its massive, deadly onslaught in Israel over the weekend. But experts, along with Hamas' own allies, have suggested that they were deployed early to help the militants cross the border. AdvertisementAdvertisementGaza |Hamas published footage showing their aerial attack on a merkava tank near the border, all soldiers inside were eliminated. IRNA shared an apparent training video of the rudimentary, fixed-wing Zouari drone.

Persons: —, Libby Weiss, James Patton Rogers, Patton Rogers, Israel, DroneSec, TIW0IibtZ4 — Younis Tirawi, IRNA, Mohamed Zouari, Al, Zawari, jerry, He's, Bernard Hudson Organizations: Service, Cornell University, CIA Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Gaza, Al Jazeera

☆ 4 of Russia's deadliest military systems in its war against Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Insider has compiled a list of four of the most effective ones Russia has used so far in the war. Insider has taken a look at four key military systems that Russia has used to do this, from Ka-52 attack helicopters to Lancet drones. Ka-52 "Alligator" attack helicoptersA serviceman checks a Russian Ka-52 "Alligator" attack helicopter. It can also be fitted with VIKHR anti-tank missiles, ATAKA missiles, B8V-20 rocket launchers, and IGLA-V anti-aircraft guided missiles, per the site. Danilov said the number of Russian mines was "insane" and stressed the importance Ukraine was placing on saving its front-line soldiers.

Persons: Bradley, Danilov, James Patton Rogers, Forbes, Patton Rogers, Oleksiy Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Airforce Technology, UK Ministry of Defence, US stingers, Forbes, Emergency Services, REUTERS Ukraine's, National Security and Defense, CNN, Presidential, University of Southern, Soviet, State Emergency Service, FAB, REUTERS, Razumkov, New York Times Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Ka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukrainian, University of Southern Denmark, Kharkiv, REUTERS Russia

☆ Ukrainian soldier credits video-game obsession for his ability to strike Russian targets with drones
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine is increasingly using small, cheap FPV drones to hit outsize targets. Mykhailo operates the drones using a joystick and a virtual reality headset — hence the video game comparisons. It's not the first time the video game comparison has been made. In an interview with The Guardian earlier this month, a Ukrainian drone operator called Olexandr said: "It's like playing a computer game, you know?" Ukraine is employing many of these cheap FPV drones, which can be made from off-the-shelf commercial drones and kitted out with explosives.

Persons: Mykhailo, Olexandr, Insider's Alia Shoaib, Michael Peck, James Patton Rogers Organizations: Service, Reuters, Russian, Guardian, Air Assault Force, UK's Royal United Services Institute Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia

☆ Russia's Lancet drone is hampering Ukraine's counteroffensive, smashing Western gear and exposing poor air defenses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Kieran Corcoran | Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Footage of destroyed Ukrainian vehicles is spreading, often attributed to the Lancet drone. Russian officials have gleefully shared videos of piled-up wreckage, and often cited as the cause the Russian-made Lancet drone. A still image from a video claiming to show the moment just before Russia's Lancet drones hit a cluster of vehicles. obtf_kaskad/TelegramA still image from a video purporting to show the moment just before Russia's Lancet drones hit a cluster of vehicles. "We should also note that we don't know how many of these new Lancet drones Russia has," he added.

Persons: —, James Patton Rogers, Rogers, Olga Skabeyeva, Vladimir Solovyov, Axel Springer, Patton Rogers, Julian Röpcke, Lancets Organizations: Service, Cornell Tech Policy Institute, University of Southern, Donetsk People's, Russian, IRIS, Air, Ukraine — Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, —, University of Southern Denmark, Donetsk People's Republic, Germany, Ukrainian

☆ A Ukrainian drone maker said they're building drones that can carry out surprise attacks to target Russia's 'very expensive' equipment
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Kelly Mclaughlin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Drone maker Valeriy Borovyk told CNN that he's building "very stealthy" drones for Ukraine. He said the drones can be used to carry out surprise attacks on "very expensive" Russian equipment. He told CNN that his team is developing some long-range drones, as well. Drone maker Valeriy Borovyk told CNN that he calls the drones "Vidsyich," which is Ukrainian for "repel." "We mostly concentrate [our attacks] on very expensive [Russian] equipment," he told CNN.

Persons: Valeriy Borovyk, —, James Patton Rogers, Mia Jankowicz, Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, Fedorov Organizations: CNN, Service, UK's Royal United Services Institute, University of Southern, Digital Transformation, Russia Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Moscow, Russia, University of Southern Denmark

☆ Ukraine posts video of rare drone-on-drone warfare where it slams its own unmanned aircraft into a Russian one
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Kieran Corcoran | Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Video posted by Ukraine's security agency showed an odd facet of drone warfare. This clip showed a Ukrainian drone smashing into an enemy drone in flight. A video posted Wednesday by Ukraine's internal security service, the SBU, deviated from that norm. The rest of the video shows more conventional drone operations, aimed at what appear to be Russian military supply trucks. A Ukrainian exploding drone closes in on a truck as two people dive for cover in a video published in May 2023 by Ukraine's SBU security agency.

☆ Ukraine is losing 10,000 drones a month to Russian electronic-warfare systems that send fake signals and screw with their navigation, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A new report estimates that Ukraine is losing roughly 10,000 drones every month. A sophisticated electronic warfare system is among Russia's biggest strengths, researchers said. Patton Rogers said that while the figures are "likely" overestimated, they underline just how effective Russia's electronic warfare has become at countering Ukraine's extensive use of drones. Sophisticated Russian systems such as the Shipovnik-Aero jamming station are hard to detect and can imitate other signals, the researchers said. But by the summer of 2022 it was clear that Russia's electronic warfare and air defense capabilities had ramped up, as Insider's Alia Shoaib reported.

☆ There's big problems with the way the Kremlin drone incident went down, and war experts say Russia 'likely staged' it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

However, a US think tank has said it was "likely" a Russian false flag operation. As military experts told Insider, many details of the incident — and ultimate responsibility for it — remain unconfirmed as of Thursday. The think tank pointed to geolocated images of Russia installing advanced Pantsir surface-to-air missile defense systems around Moscow earlier this year. The Russian defense ministry is also working to further bolster these capabilities by year-end. The Russian Defense and Foreign Ministries did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ Details in the drone incident the Kremlin says aimed to assassinate Putin 'don't quite add up.' Experts have 3 theories on what happened.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | Sophia Ankel | Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Russia claimed Wednesday that Ukraine tried to assassinate Putin with a drone attack at the Kremlin. James Patton Rogers, a military historian and adviser to NATO on drones and warfare, said that "there's a few things that don't quite add up in this situation." Its ability to fly comparatively low, and slowly, would potentially help it evade some radar, Patton Rogers said. Claiming that Ukraine tried to assassinate Putin would potentially "open up a new norm in the war," Patton Rogers said. Patton Rogers said he hasn't "seen any indication" that such groups have the capacity to use drones in their attacks.

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