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kingdragonfly
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  #3039582 20-Feb-2023 19:26
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A good video with commonplace terminology

Why Russia is Running Out of Tanks

The Military Show


Rikkitic
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  #3039850 21-Feb-2023 00:10
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Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

 


 


ezbee
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  #3039990 21-Feb-2023 12:13
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Stamps, they have something that I doubt an NFT can aspire to.


kingdragonfly
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  #3042296 26-Feb-2023 17:58
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I just learned about this story, from 3 weeks ago.

Reuters: SpaceX curbed Ukraine's use of Starlink internet for drones -company president

SpaceX has taken steps to prevent Ukraine's military from using the company's Starlink satellite internet service for controlling drones in the region during the country's war with Russia, SpaceX's president said Wednesday.

SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, which has provided Ukraine's military with broadband communications in its defense against Russia's military, was "never never meant to be weaponized," Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's president and chief operating officer, said during a conference in Washington, D.C.

"However, Ukrainians have leveraged it in ways that were unintentional and not part of any agreement," she said.

Speaking later with reporters, Shotwell referred to reports that the Ukrainian military had used the Starlink service to control drones.

Ukraine has made effective use of unmanned aircraft for spotting enemy positions, targeting long-range fires and dropping bombs.

"There are things that we can do to limit their ability to do that," she said, referring to Starlink's use with drones. "There are things that we can do, and have done."

Shotwell declined to say what measures SpaceX had taken.
...

kingdragonfly
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  #3042299 26-Feb-2023 18:04
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In related news, military's use of SpaceX hasn't bothered them before...

Space News: SpaceX rolls out new business line focused on military satellite services

Starshield will leverage the Starlink internet constellation to develop new products for the military market

Tinkerisk
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  #3042304 26-Feb-2023 18:17
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kingdragonfly: SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, which has provided Ukraine's military with broadband communications in its defense against Russia's military, was "never never meant to be weaponized," Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's president and chief operating officer, said during a conference in Washington D.C. 

 

Has he actually been told that the entire network since 1968 has military origins? My first military contact with it was in 1982 in the field. Consequently, no kitchen knives should be delivered to Ukraine, as they could be used for military purposes. 😂

 

 

 

 





- NET: FTTH, OPNsense, 10G backbone, GWN APs, ipPBX
- SRV: 12 RU HA server cluster, 0.1 PB storage on premise
- IoT:   thread, zigbee, tasmota, BidCoS, LoRa, WX suite, IR
- 3D:    two 3D printers, 3D scanner, CNC router, laser cutter


ezbee
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  #3042805 27-Feb-2023 14:33
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SpaceX is up to its  .... in Military contract $$$

 

SpaceX would probably not exist if it were not for Military, NASA and other Government flows of money.

 

Military basically paid for whole launch complex upgrade for Falcon 9 launches.
Military contract profit is very large, so kept the company liquid through its struggles.

 

2006-2008: In 2006, SpaceX won its first major military contract, worth $278 million, to develop the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 rockets for the U.S. Air Force. The company also continued to receive funding from NASA under the COTS program.

 

2009-2012: During this period, SpaceX continued to win military contracts, including a $1.6 billion contract from NASA to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) using the Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft. The company also received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for research on advanced rocket engines.

 

2013-2016: In 2013, SpaceX won a contract from the U.S. Air Force worth $90 million to launch a GPS satellite using the Falcon 9 rocket. 

 

In 2015, SpaceX received a $33.6 million contract from DARPA to develop a reusable hypersonic vehicle.

 

2017-2020: During this period, SpaceX won several more military contracts, including a $96.5 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to launch a GPS satellite and a $297 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to launch a National Security Payload. The company also continued to receive funding from NASA for Crew Dragon development and ISS resupply missions.

 

Starlink also won tax dollars $$$.
December 2020, SpaceX won $885 million in RDOF funding to provide high-speed internet to over 642,000 rural homes and businesses in 35 states.
Kicker here is that Starlink won the contract by stating it could meet certain performance it has not delivered on. 

 

Its not everything as info is scattered here and there, re research grants and such parceled out.
A few million here a few million there.
Individual states may also compete to have programs sited in their state to bring prestige.


SJB

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  #3045900 5-Mar-2023 08:50
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Lavrov laughed at for suggesting Ukraine started the war.

 

Sergei Lavrov: Russian foreign minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims - BBC News


ezbee
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  #3045975 5-Mar-2023 10:10
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Yeh Lavrov. Shades of 'Bagdahd Bob?' 
He did not look happy through Putin's long speech.
Maybe someone in front was farting through whole thing.
I got impression it might be his normal look till I saw him greet the China(CCP) top diplomat,
he was positively beaming

 

The Flatpack Cardboard Drone from Australia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k-2W23s3Ys

 

 

Though the packaging fails I have seen with goods shipped with boxes that can hardly contain contents.
Quality of cardboard seems to have taken a dive, so hopefully they have better sources.


Gurezaemon

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  #3046011 5-Mar-2023 13:23
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I've made and flown coreflute (think the stuff used for real-estate signs) RC planes, and I can't help but think that might be a better option, but I'm sure the people who developed this thing had thought of that.





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neb

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  #3046013 5-Mar-2023 13:27
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Wonder what good such a thing would be, it'd be way too flimsy to carry any kind of useful payload or enough fuel to have much endurance, and even if you can make the body cost next to nothing you've still got the engine and a bunch of electronics that cost not-nothing. Perhaps as decoys for real drones, or for nuisance effect to fly around the other side's front lines so they think they're being threatened by real drones?

Gurezaemon

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  #3046017 5-Mar-2023 13:37
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The cost of most components in fixed wing is surprisingly cheap - basic foamy kits can be had for a couple of hundred dollars. Other things such as FPV gear so you can see what the plane can see cost a bit more, but when compared to other military equipment, it is still a laughably cheap way to find out what your enemy is doing.





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Ge0rge
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  #3046022 5-Mar-2023 14:04
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Some militaries have very expensive automated systems designed to shoot down incoming threats before they can cause damage. They use these to protect installations, bases and other expensive assets like ships. These systems work by firing 1000s of rounds a minute at the threat to destroy it at a safe distance.

The magazines for these systems are not infinite, and take a not-insignificant period of time to reload.

Flying a wave of dirt-cheap drones at a target protected with such a system allows an adversary to work out how many targets the system can deal with and for how long, before it is overwhelmed or run dry - and that's when the warheads are flown in...

Gurezaemon

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  #3046025 5-Mar-2023 14:17
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Flying a wave of dirt-cheap drones at a target protected with such a system allows an adversary to work out how many targets the system can deal with and for how long, before it is overwhelmed or run dry - and that's when the warheads are flown in...

 

Indeed. The argument can be made that Russia sending swarms of cheapish Iranian Shahed drones (worth about $20,000), all of which are shot down by $250,000 anti-air missiles, is a successful and valid method to wear through Ukrainian anti-air stocks.

 

Any drones that get through to hit their targets are just an added bonus.





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Rikkitic
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  #3046032 5-Mar-2023 14:34
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Place a book of matches (remember those?) and a lighted cigarette (remember that) on the drone, and fly it into an ammo dump. Being cheap and flimsy does not make you insignificant.

 

 





Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

 


 


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