Comments - Drone Swarms: Saudi Oil Fields Attack Shows Their Destructive Power - PakAlumni Worldwide: The Global Social Network 2024-03-28T12:41:59Zhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profiles/comment/feed?attachedTo=1119293%3ABlogPost%3A126367&xn_auth=noS-400: Ukraine Overwhelms 'Wo…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2024-01-02:1119293:Comment:4285102024-01-02T19:30:45.620ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p>S-400: Ukraine Overwhelms 'World's Best' Defense Systems; Reports Say At-Least 3 Launchers Destroyed<br></br><br></br><a href="https://www.eurasiantimes.com/s-400-ukraine-overwhelms-worlds-best-defense-systems-reports/" target="_blank">https://www.eurasiantimes.com/s-400-ukraine-overwhelms-worlds-best-defense-systems-reports/</a><br></br><br></br>Ukraine launched a new attack on the Kerch Strait connecting Crimea and the Russian mainland, reportedly damaging a warship while firing eight Storm Shadow…</p>
<p>S-400: Ukraine Overwhelms 'World's Best' Defense Systems; Reports Say At-Least 3 Launchers Destroyed<br/><br/><a href="https://www.eurasiantimes.com/s-400-ukraine-overwhelms-worlds-best-defense-systems-reports/" target="_blank">https://www.eurasiantimes.com/s-400-ukraine-overwhelms-worlds-best-defense-systems-reports/</a><br/><br/>Ukraine launched a new attack on the Kerch Strait connecting Crimea and the Russian mainland, reportedly damaging a warship while firing eight Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs).<br/><br/>Before that, towards the end of October, reports also claimed Ukraine destroyed four S-400 systems, possibly using the newly acquired Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) from the United States (US).<br/><br/>The early November attacks on the Kerch Strait specifically displayed the Ukrainian air force’s new tactics meant to overwhelm and divert Russian air defense’s attention, Russian experts have said.<br/><br/>---------<br/><br/>According to the UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) intelligence update on November 2, Russia has “likely lost at least four long-range Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) launchers to Ukrainian strikes” in the preceding week. It quoted Russian media reports on October 26 reporting the loss of three “SA-21 launchers” in the Luhansk region, with Ukrainian sources reporting “additional Russian air defense losses in Crimea.”<br/><br/><br/>-------<br/><br/>As for the kind of weapon used to hit the S-400, Business Insider quoted a Russian Telegram channel saying they used the ATACMS, particularly the M39 missile, a 150-kilometer range ‘area weapon’ that scatters 950 M74 submunitions over a vast expanse. Forbes said the M39’s first victims were 21 Russian helicopters in an October 17 strike “in Luhansk and outside Berdyansk in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine.”<br/><br/>Videos on X (formerly Twitter) showed smoke rising from Luhansk, claiming this was an S-400 system. Earlier pictures from October 26 also showed a detached engine of the M39 missile fired from the ATACMS launcher in the settlement of Bilorichensk, Lutuginsky District, temporarily occupied Luhansk Oblast. This proved the use of the missile on Russian targets.</p>
<p class="comment-timestamp"></p> Pakistan tests Fatah-2 missil…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2024-01-01:1119293:Comment:4282402024-01-01T17:56:38.614ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>Pakistan tests Fatah-2 missile</span><br></br><br></br><br></br><span><a href="https://www.defensenews.com/training-sim/2023/12/27/watch-pakistan-test-new-long-range-precision-strike-weapon/" target="_blank">https://www.defensenews.com/training-sim/2023/12/27/watch-pakistan-test-new-long-range-precision-strike-weapon/</a></span><br></br><br></br><span>The Fatah 2 test “marks another step in Pakistan’s efforts to field multiple precision strike artillery systems with variable ranges to hold adversary…</span></p>
<p><span>Pakistan tests Fatah-2 missile</span><br/><br/><br/><span><a href="https://www.defensenews.com/training-sim/2023/12/27/watch-pakistan-test-new-long-range-precision-strike-weapon/" target="_blank">https://www.defensenews.com/training-sim/2023/12/27/watch-pakistan-test-new-long-range-precision-strike-weapon/</a></span><br/><br/><span>The Fatah 2 test “marks another step in Pakistan’s efforts to field multiple precision strike artillery systems with variable ranges to hold adversary targets at risk,” said Frank O’Donnell, a nonresident fellow with the Stimson Center think tank’s South Asia Program and a senior research adviser at the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network.</span><br/><br/><span>The fact Pakistan developed the weapon, he added, demonstrates the country has learned lessons from recent or ongoing conflicts.</span><br/><br/><span>“When viewed in the context of Pakistan’s parallel efforts to field a similarly diverse arsenal of combat drones, its implementation of certain lessons — which the military feels the Azerbaijan-Armenia and Russia-Ukraine wars have reinforced — become clear,” O’Donnell told Defense News. “They include the advantages of assigning adversary precision ground bombardment missions to relatively low-cost artillery and combat drone systems, preserving manned fighter aircraft for higher-end strike missions and interception of their counterparts.”</span><br/><br/><span>India’s S-400 air defense system is likely a key target of the Fatah 2, he added, as Pakistan could fire the weapon as a decoy to create “greater room for a combat drone to strike the S-400 itself in the midst of the bombardment.”</span></p> Pentagon pushes A.I. research…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2023-11-27:1119293:Comment:4282172023-11-27T16:16:31.066ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>Pentagon pushes A.I. research toward lethal autonomous weapons</span><br></br><br></br><span><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/pentagon-pushes-ai-research-toward-lethal-autonomous-weapons/" target="_blank">https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/pentagon-pushes-ai-research-toward-lethal-autonomous-weapons/</a></span><br></br><br></br><span>There is little dispute among scientists, industry experts and Pentagon officials that the U.S. will within the next few years have fully…</span></p>
<p><span>Pentagon pushes A.I. research toward lethal autonomous weapons</span><br/><br/><span><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/pentagon-pushes-ai-research-toward-lethal-autonomous-weapons/" target="_blank">https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/pentagon-pushes-ai-research-toward-lethal-autonomous-weapons/</a></span><br/><br/><span>There is little dispute among scientists, industry experts and Pentagon officials that the U.S. will within the next few years have fully autonomous lethal weapons. And though officials insist humans will always be in control, experts say advances in data-processing speed and machine-to-machine communications will inevitably relegate people to supervisory roles.</span><br/><br/><span>That's especially true if, as expected, lethal weapons are deployed en masse in drone swarms. Many countries are working on them — and neither China, Russia, Iran, India or Pakistan have signed a U.S.-initiated pledge to use military AI responsibly.</span><br/><br/><span>It's unclear if the Pentagon is currently formally assessing any fully autonomous lethal weapons system for deployment, as required by a 2012 directive. A Pentagon spokeswoman would not say.</span><br/><br/><span>----------</span><br/><br/><span>NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Artificial intelligence employed by the U.S. military has piloted pint-sized surveillance drones in special operations forces' missions and helped Ukraine in its war against Russia. It tracks soldiers' fitness, predicts when Air Force planes need maintenance and helps keep tabs on rivals in space.</span><br/><br/><span>Now, the Pentagon is intent on fielding multiple thousands of relatively inexpensive, expendable AI-enabled autonomous vehicles by 2026 to keep pace with China. The ambitious initiative — dubbed Replicator — seeks to "galvanize progress in the too-slow shift of U.S. military innovation to leverage platforms that are small, smart, cheap, and many," Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said in August.</span><br/><br/><br/><br/><span>While its funding is uncertain and details vague, Replicator is expected to accelerate hard decisions on what AI tech is mature and trustworthy enough to deploy - including on weaponized systems.</span><br/><br/><span>There is little dispute among scientists, industry experts and Pentagon officials that the U.S. will within the next few years have fully autonomous lethal weapons. And though officials insist humans will always be in control, experts say advances in data-processing speed and machine-to-machine communications will inevitably relegate people to supervisory roles.</span><br/><br/><span>That's especially true if, as expected, lethal weapons are deployed en masse in drone swarms. Many countries are working on them — and neither China, Russia, Iran, India or Pakistan have signed a U.S.-initiated pledge to use military AI responsibly.</span></p> Turkish Aerospace, Pakistani…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2022-02-13:1119293:Comment:4062922022-02-13T04:55:02.132ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>Turkish Aerospace, Pakistani institution to jointly produce UAV parts</span><br></br><br></br><span><a href="https://www.dailysabah.com/business/defense/turkish-aerospace-pakistani-institution-to-jointly-produce-uav-parts" target="_blank">https://www.dailysabah.com/business/defense/turkish-aerospace-pakistani-institution-to-jointly-produce-uav-parts</a></span><br></br><br></br><span>One of Turkey’s leading unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) producers, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), has inked a…</span></p>
<p><span>Turkish Aerospace, Pakistani institution to jointly produce UAV parts</span><br/><br/><span><a href="https://www.dailysabah.com/business/defense/turkish-aerospace-pakistani-institution-to-jointly-produce-uav-parts" target="_blank">https://www.dailysabah.com/business/defense/turkish-aerospace-pakistani-institution-to-jointly-produce-uav-parts</a></span><br/><br/><span>One of Turkey’s leading unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) producers, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), has inked a contract with Pakistan's National Engineering and Science Commission (NESCOM) to produce components for TAI's medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) combat drone, Anka.</span><br/><br/><span>TAI and NESCOM will be jointly responsible for employment, resource and technology transfer within the scope of the agreement that was inked to expand the markets for the Turkish drones, an Anadolu Agency (AA) report said Saturday.</span><br/><br/><span>TAI General Manager Temel Kotil said, “The contract we made with Pakistan within the scope of our Anka UAV systems will provide significant gains to the UAV industry. This acquisition, especially with Pakistan’s National Engineering and Science Commission, will strengthen our UAVs.”</span><br/><br/><span>The Anka UAV performed its maiden flight in September 2016 and entered serial production in 2017.</span><br/><br/><span>The drone, which is manufactured locally, is currently in active use by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), the Gendarmerie General Command and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT).</span><br/><br/><span>Anka can stay in the air for more than 24 hours at an altitude of 30,000 feet (9,144 meters) with a payload capacity of 250 kilograms (550 pounds).</span><br/><br/><span>Anka has three configurations. The Anka-S configuration has Beyond Line Of Sight (BLOS) capability through satellite links and is being used by the TSK and the Gendarmerie units. The Anka-B configuration can use Link Relay capabilities and is also used by the TSK and the Gendarmerie The Anka-I, which is the configuration that performs signal intelligence, is used by the MIT.</span></p> #China may sell or help #Paki…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2022-01-28:1119293:Comment:4063082022-01-28T18:22:30.031ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p>#China may sell or help #Pakistan develop its own HGV (Hypersonic Glide Vehicle) or sell #hypersonic DF-17 #missile. It's in response to #India's #Russian S-400 acquisition which may limit Pakistan's use of its own airspace, given its geography/proximity…</p>
<p>#China may sell or help #Pakistan develop its own HGV (Hypersonic Glide Vehicle) or sell #hypersonic DF-17 #missile. It's in response to #India's #Russian S-400 acquisition which may limit Pakistan's use of its own airspace, given its geography/proximity <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/videos/china-may-sell-pak-its-df-17-missile-why-china-thinks-india-s-s-400-is-a-threat-101643369071114.html" target="_blank">https://www.hindustantimes.com/videos/china-may-sell-pak-its-df-17-missile-why-china-thinks-india-s-s-400-is-a-threat-101643369071114.html</a><br/><br/>Pakistan and China have come up with a new strategy in wake of India flexing its military muscle. Experts suggest that China is likely to equip Pakistan with its DF-17 hypersonic missile system in a bid to counter India's S-400 air defence system. Richard D. Fisher, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center in an interview has claimed that China is likely to sell the DF-17 or assist Pakistani HGV like it has supported North Korea’s new hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) missile warhead. Hypersonic weapons, which travel at Mach 5 speeds (five times the speed of sound), are difficult to track and engage for air defence systems like S-400, that both India and China possess. Pakistan sees India's acquisition of the S-400 as a threat because of the system's versatility, which allows it to shoot down planes even in Pakistani airspace. A notable element of the S-400 is its potential offensive capabilities, which would limit an adversary's usage of its own airspace. The defensive system can cover a huge portion of Pakistan because of the country's terrain and lengthy border with India.<br/><br/>-----------<br/><br/><br/><a href="https://eurasiantimes.com/china-to-equip-pakistan-with-hypersonic-df-17-missiles-india/" target="_blank">https://eurasiantimes.com/china-to-equip-pakistan-with-hypersonic-df-17-missiles-india/</a><br/><br/>Richard D. Fisher, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, testified before the US Congress about China’s military advances and has written extensively about the People’s Liberation Army.<br/><br/>“To the extent that China has supported North Korea’s new hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) missile warhead, it has or will similarly assist a Pakistani HGV, or just sell the DF-17,” he told Defense News.<br/><br/>Given the air defense system’s superior sensors and the array of missiles, the Indian Media has referred to the S-400 as a “game-changer.” The S-400 employs four different types of surface-to-air missiles having a range from 40 to 400 kilometers.</p>
<p class="comment-timestamp"></p> Does Pakistan Have Any Counte…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2022-01-22:1119293:Comment:4061002022-01-22T01:47:13.662ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>Does Pakistan Have Any Countermeasures?</span><br></br><span>This begs the question- what strategies and weapons does Pakistan have in its arsenal to counter the S-400s?</span><br></br><br></br><br></br><span><a href="https://eurasiantimes.com/challenging-s-400-missiles-pakistan-says-its-stealth-drones-india/" target="_blank">https://eurasiantimes.com/challenging-s-400-missiles-pakistan-says-its-stealth-drones-india/</a></span><br></br><br></br><span>Peshawar-based journalist and editor of Global Conflict…</span></p>
<p><span>Does Pakistan Have Any Countermeasures?</span><br/><span>This begs the question- what strategies and weapons does Pakistan have in its arsenal to counter the S-400s?</span><br/><br/><br/><span><a href="https://eurasiantimes.com/challenging-s-400-missiles-pakistan-says-its-stealth-drones-india/" target="_blank">https://eurasiantimes.com/challenging-s-400-missiles-pakistan-says-its-stealth-drones-india/</a></span><br/><br/><span>Peshawar-based journalist and editor of Global Conflict Watch, Farzana Shah told The EurAsian Times that the “S-400 acquisition by India is a continuation of Delhi’s drive to project her military power in the region. This system will boost Indian air defense capabilities. However, this acquisition was planned and so Pakistan was aware of it.”</span><br/><br/><br/><span>Shah said that as an answer to India’s acquisition of this system, Pakistan has inducted a system of similar capability in the form of HQ-9B. “Pakistan Air Force is also evaluating another high-altitude long-range SAM system. S-400 is an expensive ABM system so using it as SAM will be expensive and counterproductive,” she opined.</span><br/><br/><span>Mid-October last year, Janes had reported that the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistani military, had issued a press release stating that the Pakistan Army’s (PA) Air Defence forces had inducted a variant of the Chinese-made HQ-9 SAM system in their service.</span><br/><br/><span>The HQ-9/P is capable of operating as part of an integrated air and missile defense network. The ISPR noted that the system would be used to “significantly enhance” the ‘Comprehensive Layered Integrated Air Defence (CLIAD)’ along the frontiers of Pakistan.</span><br/><br/><span>This system’s engagement range against cruise missiles and aircraft is over 100 kilometers with a claimed high “single-shot kill probability.” However, it is believed that this range actually applies only to aircraft. Engagement ranges against cruise missiles and other such targets are thought to be close to 25 km.</span><br/><br/><span>Pakistani journalist Syed Ali Abbas, Managing Editor of Global Defense Insight, said that while Pakistan cannot afford to buy a costly missile defense system like S-400 due to economic constraints, the country already has the tools to counter India’s S-400 acquisition in its inventory.</span><br/><br/><br/><span>“For instance, Pakistan’s missiles have the capability to penetrate the S-400; MIRV technology can have a substantial impact on S-400. Moreover, with drones coming to assist on the battlefield, and proving to be notably effective in neutralizing various air defense systems, Pakistan also has the option of the Pakistan Air Force acquiring Turkish Bayraktar drones, coupled with its indigenous armed drone inventory,” he explained.</span><br/><br/><span>In July last year, it was reported that Pakistan was looking to acquire armed drones from Turkey, while simultaneously seeking to deepen the already strong bilateral cooperation with Ankara.</span><br/><br/><span>Shah highlighted other strategies that the PAF has to deal with the S-400. “Options range from suppressing S-400 radar using stand-off jamming capabilities to taking it out using saturated drone attacks. The system’s radar can pick hundreds of targets but each regiment has only a limited number of interceptor missiles.“</span><br/><br/><span>Another weapon that Pakistan could potentially use to deal with the S-400 is the ZF-1 stealth drone. This drone was made specifically to attack heavily defended targets. The drone was promoted at Pakistan’s biennial arms exhibition IDEAS in 2018 by UAS Global.</span><br/><br/><span>According to some experts, Pakistan might also benefit indirectly by holding joint military exercises with friendly countries, which already possess the S-400, such as China and Turkey. Such drills might assist in helping Pakistan identify the system’s strengths and weaknesses.</span></p> #China deploys armed robotic…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2022-01-01:1119293:Comment:4056872022-01-01T15:56:14.435ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>#China deploys armed robotic ground vehicles during standoff with #India to deal with cold, difficult terrain. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) acquired the vehicles – known as the Sharp Claw and the Mule-200 – as early as 2014 | Fox News…</span><br></br><br></br></p>
<p><span>#China deploys armed robotic ground vehicles during standoff with #India to deal with cold, difficult terrain. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) acquired the vehicles – known as the Sharp Claw and the Mule-200 – as early as 2014 | Fox News</span><br/><br/><span><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/china-unmanned-vehicles-armed-robots-standoff-indian-forces" target="_blank">https://www.foxnews.com/world/china-unmanned-vehicles-armed-robots-standoff-indian-forces</a></span><br/><br/><span>Reports from India claim that China has started to deploy armed robotic vehicles to handle the altitude and terrain that has proven too difficult for its troops.</span><br/><br/><span>China and India clashed in Sept. 2020 during a border dispute along the southern coast of Pangong Lake in an area known in China as Shenpaoshan and in India as Chushul, but the armies continued their standoff along the two nations' borders throughout 2021. China has now reportedly deployed unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) to the region of Tibet to strengthen its position.</span><br/><br/><span>The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) acquired the vehicles – known as the Sharp Claw and the Mule-200 – as early as 2014, but they have not seen much deployment until now. The Chinese military has deployed around 120-300 Mules to Tibet, the majority of them stationed near the border, WION News reported.</span><br/><br/><span>Operators can control the Claw wirelessly, but it can also move on its own, according to National Interest. The Mule can serve as either an unmanned delivery truck or utilize weapons, such as mounted guns.</span><br/><br/><span>The PLA has deployed around 88 Sharp Claws into Tibet, with 38 of them in the western part of the province close to where the Indian and Chinese armies maintain a standoff, Times Now News reported.</span><br/><br/><br/><span>The region in which the vehicles may have deployed is described as exceedingly arid, remote, and largely inhospitable. The area mainly serves as access for a few commerce routes to cross the desert.</span><br/><br/><span>The PLA has also deployed the VP-22 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle, which can help move troops through the difficult terrain or serve as an ambulance. Most of the 70 units reportedly deployed to Tibet have also focused in the western sector.</span><br/><br/><span>Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic have called on world governments to halt the development of war robots for almost a decade, but efforts continue.</span><br/><br/><span>Tech company Zhong Tian Zhu Kong Technology Holdings developed the Mule, which has a range of roughly 31 miles (50 km)and can carry up to 440 pounds (200 kg) of ammunition, supplies or weapons.</span><br/><br/><span>CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP</span><br/><br/><span>Chinese Defense Company NORINCO (China North Industries Corporation) developed the Sharp Claw for reconnaissance and limited engagements. The operator wears a small control unit to utilize the vehicle, Army Recognition reported.</span></p> #Military #Drones Tip the Bal…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2021-12-22:1119293:Comment:4053702021-12-22T22:07:15.878ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>#Military #Drones Tip the Balance in #Ethiopia’s Civil War. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed pulled off a stunning reversal in the year-old conflict with the help of armed drones supplied by the #UAE, #Turkey and #Iran. #Africa #AbiyAhmed #Tigray #TPLF <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/20/world/africa/drones-ethiopia-war-turkey-emirates.html?smid=tw-share" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/20/world/africa/drones-ethiopia-war-turkey-emirates.html?smid=tw-share…</a></span></p>
<p><span>#Military #Drones Tip the Balance in #Ethiopia’s Civil War. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed pulled off a stunning reversal in the year-old conflict with the help of armed drones supplied by the #UAE, #Turkey and #Iran. #Africa #AbiyAhmed #Tigray #TPLF <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/20/world/africa/drones-ethiopia-war-turkey-emirates.html?smid=tw-share" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/20/world/africa/drones-ethiopia-war-turkey-emirates.html?smid=tw-share</a> .</span><br/><br/><span>“Increasingly, unmanned systems are becoming a game changer,” said Peter W. Singer, an expert on drone warfare at New America, a research group in Washington. “It’s not just about the raw capability of the drones themselves — it’s the multiplying effect they have on nearly every other human and system on the battlefield.”</span><br/><br/><span>For Mr. Abiy, the drones arrived just in time.</span><br/><br/><span>He launched a military campaign in Tigray in November 2020, a year after he won the Nobel Peace Prize, in coordination with the leader of neighboring Eritrea. But his forces suffered a humiliating defeat last summer when Tigrayan rebels forced them from Tigray, then started to push south. By late November the Tigrayans were approaching the city of Debre Birhan, about 85 miles north of Addis Ababa.</span><br/><br/><span>But they could go no further. Swarms of drones appeared overhead, striking soldiers and supply convoys, Gen. Tsadkan Gebretensae, a leading Tigrayan commander, said in an interview with The New York Times.</span><br/><br/><span>“At one time, there were 10 drones in the sky,” he said. “You can imagine the effect. We were an easy target.”</span><br/><br/><span>Mr. Abiy built his drone arsenal by tapping the sympathy of foreign autocrats and a booming segment of the global arms trade.</span><br/><br/><span>Even as he talked about negotiations, Mr. Abiy was turning to other countries to bolster his military. Nearly every day, cargo flights arrived from a military base in the United Arab Emirates, one of Mr. Abiy’s closest allies.</span><br/><br/><span>The Emiratis had trained Mr. Abiy’s Republican Guard and provided crucial military support at the start of the war, running drone strikes that took out Tigrayan artillery and weapons depots, a Western official and a former Ethiopian official said.</span><br/><br/><span>The Emirati strikes stopped in January after President Biden came to power, under pressure from Washington. But they have resumed in recent months, largely in the form of the latest Chinese-made drones, the officials said.</span><br/><br/><span>The Emirati drone strikes, under the direction of the national security adviser Tahnoun bin Zayed al-Nahyan, appear to be a snub to American diplomatic efforts to end the war. American officials say they are trying to draw the U.A.E. into peace efforts as an ally, but that cooperation is limited.</span><br/><br/><span>In a meeting with the United States regional envoy, Jeffrey Feltman, earlier this week, Sheikh al-Nahyan denied that his country was shipping weapons to Ethiopia, an American official with knowledge of the meeting said.</span><br/><br/><span>By contrast, Mr. Abiy’s dealings with Turkey have been relatively open.</span><br/><br/><span>He signed a military pact in August with Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose Bayraktar TB2 drone played a decisive role in Azerbaijan’s victory over Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh. It is manufactured by a company run by Mr. Erdogan’s son-in-law.</span><br/><br/><br/><span>Turkish drones are attractive to many African countries seeking battle-tested, relatively cheap hardware with few strings attached. “Even in Africa, everywhere I go, they want U.A.V.s,” Mr. Erdogan boasted in October after a tour of Nigeria, Togo and Angola. (Drones are also known as unmanned aerial vehicles).</span><br/><br/><span>After Bayraktar drones appeared in Ethiopia recently, Turkish officials insisted the drone sale was a purely commercial activity — defense and aviation exports to Ethiopia rose to $95 million this year, up from $235,000 in 2020, the Turkish Exporters Assembly reported.</span><br/><br/><span>But in recent days, Turkish officials have privately claimed to have frozen exports to Ethiopia, apparently in response to international pressure over a war that has become a byword for atrocities and starvation.</span><br/><br/><span>At least 400,000 people are living in famine-like conditions, according to the United Nations.</span></p> In Nagorno-Karabakh, drones g…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2020-11-13:1119293:Comment:3390352020-11-13T18:16:38.204ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p>In Nagorno-Karabakh, drones gave Azerbaijan huge advantage and showed future of warfare - The Washington Post</p>
<p><br></br><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/nagorno-karabkah-drones-azerbaijan-aremenia/2020/11/11/441bcbd2-193d-11eb-8bda-814ca56e138b_story.html" target="_blank">https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/nagorno-karabkah-drones-azerbaijan-aremenia/2020/11/11/441bcbd2-193d-11eb-8bda-814ca56e138b_story.html</a></p>
<p>In a matter of months, however,…</p>
<p>In Nagorno-Karabakh, drones gave Azerbaijan huge advantage and showed future of warfare - The Washington Post</p>
<p><br/><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/nagorno-karabkah-drones-azerbaijan-aremenia/2020/11/11/441bcbd2-193d-11eb-8bda-814ca56e138b_story.html" target="_blank">https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/nagorno-karabkah-drones-azerbaijan-aremenia/2020/11/11/441bcbd2-193d-11eb-8bda-814ca56e138b_story.html</a></p>
<p>In a matter of months, however, Nagorno-Karabakh has become perhaps the most powerful example of how small and relatively inexpensive attack drones can change the dimensions of conflicts once dominated by ground battles and traditional air power.</p>
<p>It also highlighted the vulnerabilities of even sophisticated weapons systems, tanks, radars and surface-to-air missiles without specific drone defenses. And it has raised debate on whether the era of the traditional tank could be coming to an end.</p>
<p>Azerbaijan used its drone fleet — purchased from Israel and Turkey — to stalk and destroy Armenia’s weapons systems in Nagorno-Karabakh, shattering its defenses and enabling a swift advance. Armenia found that air defense systems in Nagorno-Karabakh, many of them older Soviet systems, were impossible to defend against drone attacks, and losses quickly piled up.</p>
<p>Franz-Stefan Gady, a research fellow on the future of conflict at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said traditional military equipment such as tanks and armored vehicles will not become obsolete.</p>
<p>But Nagorno-Karabakh has shown “the ever-increasing importance” of using armed drones along with other weapons and highly trained ground forces, and “the exponentially more devastating consequences of failing to do so in future wars,” he said.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/azerbaijan-armenia-israel-kamikaze-drones-nagorno-karabakh-shushi" target="_blank">https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/azerbaijan-armenia-israel-kamikaze-drones-nagorno-karabakh-shushi</a></p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/KDmDi_QN3kE" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/KDmDi_QN3kE</a></p> U.S. Army’s New Drone Swarm M…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2020-10-16:1119293:Comment:3231242020-10-16T23:51:08.040ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<h1 class="fs-headline speakable-headline font-base font-size">U.S. Army’s New Drone Swarm May Be A Weapon Of Mass Destruction</h1>
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<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2020/06/01/why-new-us-armys-tank-killing-drone-swarm-may-be-a-weapon-of-mass-destruction/#33b06b44ece8" target="_blank">https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2020/06/01/why-new-us-armys-tank-killing-drone-swarm-may-be-a-weapon-of-mass-destruction/#33b06b44ece8</a></p>
<p><span>‘Weapon of Mass…</span></p>
<h1 class="fs-headline speakable-headline font-base font-size">U.S. Army’s New Drone Swarm May Be A Weapon Of Mass Destruction</h1>
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<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2020/06/01/why-new-us-armys-tank-killing-drone-swarm-may-be-a-weapon-of-mass-destruction/#33b06b44ece8" target="_blank">https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2020/06/01/why-new-us-armys-tank-killing-drone-swarm-may-be-a-weapon-of-mass-destruction/#33b06b44ece8</a></p>
<p><span>‘Weapon of Mass Destruction’ is a term used in arms-control circles signifying something capable of damage on a large scale and subject to international treaties. Analyst Zak Kallenborn argues in a </span><a href="https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/CSDS/monographs/MONO60%20Drone%20Swarms%20as%20WMD.pdf?ver=2020-05-13-135901-057" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/CSDS/monographs/MONO60%20Drone%20Swarms%20as%20WMD.pdf?ver=2020-05-13-135901-057" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">recent study</a><span> for the U.S. Air Force Center for Strategic Deterrence Studies that some types of drone swarm would count as WMD. The argument might seem like the theoretical arms control equivalent of angels dancing on the head of a pin — except that the U.S. Army is working on a lethal swarm which fits Kallenborn’s description.</span></p>
<p>Current drones like the<span> </span><a href="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104470/mq-9-reaper/" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104470/mq-9-reaper/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">MQ-9 Reaper</a><span> </span>are controlled remotely, with a pilot flying the aircraft and a payload operator aiming and launching missiles. A battery of other personnel, including military lawyers and image analysts,<span> </span><a href="https://dronewars.net/2017/05/30/justin-thompson-interview/" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://dronewars.net/2017/05/30/justin-thompson-interview/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">look over their shoulders</a><span> </span>and argue what is or is not a valid target. (The movie<span> </span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2057392/" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2057392/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Eye in the Sky</a><span> </span>brilliantly captured the military-political-legal wrangling during drone operations). Future drones may have more autonomy, flying and fighting with much less human supervision, in particular when many of them work together as a swarm.</p>
<p>Kallenborn, an expert in unmanned systems and WMD,<span> </span><a href="https://mwi.usma.edu/swarms-mass-destruction-case-declaring-armed-fully-autonomous-drone-swarms-wmd/" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://mwi.usma.edu/swarms-mass-destruction-case-declaring-armed-fully-autonomous-drone-swarms-wmd/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">describes one type of swarm</a><span> </span>that he calls an Armed, Fully-Autonomous Drone Swarm, or AFADS. Once unleashed an AFADS will locate, identify, and attack targets without human intervention. Kallenborn argues that an AFADS-type swarm is a genuine Weapon of Mass Destruction because of the amount of harm it can do and because of its inability to distinguish civilians from military targets. This is the type of swarm in the fictional 2017 viral video<span> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CO6M2HsoIA" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CO6M2HsoIA" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Slaughterbots</a><span> </span>released as a warning against autonomous weapons.</p>
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<p>Like Terminators, such drones may look like science fiction. But the U.S. Army has been working on a<span> </span><a href="https://www.sbir.gov/sbirsearch/detail/1207935" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.sbir.gov/sbirsearch/detail/1207935" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Cluster UAS Smart Munition for Missile Deployment</a><span> </span>which looks like a real-world embodiment of AFADS.</p>
<p>The Cluster Swarm project is developing a missile warhead to dispense a swarm of small drones that fan out to locate and destroy vehicles with explosively formed penetrators or EFPs. (An EFP<span> </span><a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a19053/the-army-want-some-silver-bullets/" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a19053/the-army-want-some-silver-bullets/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">spits a high-speed slug</a><span> </span>of armor-piercing metal some tens or hundreds of meters). This is similar in concept to the<span> </span><a href="http://armamentresearch.com/us-cbu-97cbu-105-sensor-fuzed-weapon-cluster-munition/" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="http://armamentresearch.com/us-cbu-97cbu-105-sensor-fuzed-weapon-cluster-munition/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">existing CBU-105 bomb</a>, a 1000-pound munition which scatters forty ‘Skeet’ submunitions each over the target area, each of which parachutes down, scanning the ground with a seeker until it finds a tank and fires an EFP at it; the picture above shows one test. CBU-105’s dropped by B-52 bombers successfully<span> </span><a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2003/US/08/19/hln.terror.sensor.fuzed/" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://edition.cnn.com/2003/US/08/19/hln.terror.sensor.fuzed/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">knocked out entire Iraqi tank columns</a><span> </span>in 2003, leading them to be termed ‘<a href="https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/1081m-for-13280-cans-of-whupass-01782/" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/1081m-for-13280-cans-of-whupass-01782/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Cans of whup-ass.’</a><span> </span>The Cluster Swarm would be vastly more powerful.</p>
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<p><span>The Cluster Swarm involved drones packed into the Army’s existing </span><a href="https://www.army-technology.com/projects/mlrs/" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.army-technology.com/projects/mlrs/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">GMLRS rockets</a><span>, which carry a 180-pound payload and have a range of over 70 kilometers, or </span><a href="https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/atacms/" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/atacms/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">ATACMS missiles</a><span> that carry a 350-pound payload over 270 kilometers. The original idea was that the missile payload would be quadcopter drones encased in an aerodynamic shell that would disperse them over the target area. However, the challenges of unfolding quadcopters mid-air may have been too great, as the </span><a href="https://www.sbir.gov/sbirsearch/detail/1624487" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.sbir.gov/sbirsearch/detail/1624487" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Phase II development</a><span>, recently completed, went to </span><a href="http://www.avidaerospace.com/" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="http://www.avidaerospace.com/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">AVID LLC</a><span>, who have a slightly different approach.</span></p>
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<p>Would such a swarm constitute a WMD?</p>
<p>“The weapon could plausibly be classified as a weapon of mass destruction,” Kallenborn said. “However, it would depend on the number and payload of armed UAVs [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles] within the swarm.”</p>
<p>Kallenborn says that as a rough rule of thumb, a swarm with munitions equivalent to a thousand<span> </span><a href="https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m67.htm" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m67.htm" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">M67 hand grenades</a><span> </span>would likely be in the WMD class. If it meets this threshold, then according to his new paper the swarm could be<span> </span><a href="https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/CSDS/monographs/MONO60%20Drone%20Swarms%20as%20WMD.pdf?ver=2020-05-13-135901-057" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/CSDS/monographs/MONO60%20Drone%20Swarms%20as%20WMD.pdf?ver=2020-05-13-135901-057" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">subject to international arms control law</a>.</p>
<p>“Certainly off-course drones would have potential for considerable damage if they identified civilian vehicles as military ones,” says Kallenborn.</p>
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