Meet the air reconnaissance unit that’s been stalking Ukrainian skies and causing
Russian nightmares.
This small team consists of about 30 ukrainian special forces and drone operators.
Despite their size, this one amazing little unit has been a nightmare for the Russian
invasion force and has even been credited with halting the 40 mile Russian Convoy that
was preparing to strike at the heart of Kyiv.
As the Russians slept, they flew in drones to blow up multiple vehicles at the front,
clogging up the convoy and then..
they stole into the night on quad bikes.
2 Things: Thats awesome and drones have proven really effective in the early days of world
war 3.
Are we calling it that yet?
Hey Welcome, Today I want to highlight a few drone weapons systems that have been used
to devastating success operating over the skies of Ukraine.
The first is the social media star, the Bayraktar TB2.
This off brand wannabe has proven so popular against Russian forces that it is being credited
with helping to stall their advances into the country.
Ukrainian forces created folks songs about it – and even named a baby lemur Bayraktar
in tribute to the drone.
Designed as a medium altitude long endurance (MALE) drone.
The TB2 is a relatively young piece of tech, having only been conducting missions since
2014.
It’s so new that I don’t think it's had a chance to settle into its first war crime.
Previously the TB2 saw action alongside the Turkish military inside Iraq, and Syria.
It’s Produced by a well connected company in Turkey and sales to Ukraine began prior
to Russia's Invasion but this hasn’t stopped a frightened Moscow from demanding the Turkish
government stop all future sales.
Russian authorities fear that Putin might find TB2 drone footage in his morning youtube
binge.
Turkey, for its part, said its a free market and a private sale.
Low key f*ck you for the win.
The TB2 sits around half the weight and size of the larger Reaper Drone, the daddy drone
of the Iraq, Afghanistan conflict that you may be familiar with.
Now these two are really not comparable as the TB2 is trying to fit into a smaller and
more accessible role.
Look no further than the price tag to explain why this clearance drone might be worth the
reduction in ability.
The TB2 cost estimates fall around 2 million while the reaper is about 32.
This cost/benefit ratio is exactly what makes it so appealing as the right choice to crack
open some Russian Eggs.
With an acceptable range of up to 300km (93m), It can remain airborne for over 24 hrs, waiting
to unleash one of its 4 laser guided munitions.
In a little Canadian connection.
The vital surveillance cameras for the Bayraktar will be provided directly to Ukraine by Canada.
Turkish factories have remained cut off from our superior optics after their recent use
in Armenia displeased Ottawa.
Ukraine initially had as many as 50 Bayraktar Drones working to spank the Russians.
These were expected to be easy targets for Ruskie air defences, such as the Pantsir 1.
However careful use and russian incompetence have led the TB2 to the successful destruction
of hundreds of vehicles and anti air platforms.
The TB2 even played a surveillance role in the sinking of the Moskva Missile cruiser.
They have proven what a no name brand drone can do for a clever beleaguered resistance.
In your granddaddy's wars, it was the whistle of artillery that sent the troops running
for cover.
Now you can the add the whirr of suicide drones as the modern equivalent.
Finally technology that can excite the infantry while also being cheap to the point it can
be entrusted with them.
The Switchblade drone by aerovironment is exactly the kind of weapon that should be
in every section.
So I’m glad they are being rapidly supplied to Ukrainian Forces in the hundreds so they
can then promptly ram them into the Russians.
Nicknamed the flying shotgun, the Switchblade 300 is a 2.5kg (3.3lb) suicide drone designed
to attack troops and light vehicles.
Launching out of a tube in just a few minutes, this little guy can fly for about 10km (6M)
and loiter over a target for 15 minutes.
It's a squad level - single use - launch and forget system that can be programmed to fly
by GPS navigation alone or directly from the real time video on an operator's tablet.
The best part is that they’re cheap at $6,000 dollars, consisting only of a camera, a basic
guidance system and some explosives.
This means every backpack can now carry some death from the sky.
Don’t forget the automated multi launcher, it's a mini fridge of death that can be planted
for future use.
The larger switchblade 600 is an upscaled version that takes 10 minutes to prep.
It will carry a heavier anti tank loadout.
You have ~40Km (25 miles) or 40 minutes to find your target of choice.
Perfect for the guerrilla warfare tactics that the Ukrainian military has adopted.
Uncle Sam has been putting Ukrainian forces on a multi day drone crash course before sending
them back to their country to deliver some kamikaze justice.
Okay so Russia has a mixed bag when it comes to drones.
A downed UAV was found to be put together with duct tape, legit bottle caps and a lower
end DSLR camera from London drugs.
This captured Orlan-10 surveillance Drone was estimated to cost, well, way too much
at upwards of 120 thousand per unit.
Maybe a more fair comparison is the KUB-BLA drone.
This is a catapult launched suicide munition that has struck numerous targets near Kyivs
government district.
If the Switchblade was a flying shotgun then this russian equivalent resembles a flying
claymore.
Carrying 3kg of explosives surrounded by ball bearings the Kub-BLA has a 40km range and
can ram into targets at 130 kph.
*But wait that's not all*
These Russian Drones also have a super power, they are fitted with cell-site simulators
which mimic mobile towers.
Any phones in the area will be tricked into connecting with them, allowing for the drone
to pinpoint enemy locations through their cellular signals.
Russia was expected to have an impressive force of these drones, oddly they have been
slow to bring their fleet into service.
Best guess for this is that they expected a quick initial victory, or that their fleet
is mostly hidden performing high level reconnaissance or maybe Russia's air and electronic warfare
defenses are out of duct tape and bottle caps.
Regardless of any of these earlier omissions, suicide drones and loitering munitions are
now a staple of modern conflict and will be found stalking any future battlefield.
They have become much cheaper, much easier to use and more effective than ever.
So, There you have it.
Similar to the revolution of the crossbow or the bazooka the drone once more allows
a simple squaddie to knock out the biggest machines of war and all for a fraction of
their cost.
Thanks for watching.
Check out these other videos looking at military tech, I think you will like them.