What's said to be a Ukrainian-made long-range anti-drone rifle is one of the latest weapons to emerge from Russia's ongoing invasion of its neighbor.
The Antidron KVS G-6 is manufactured by Kvertus Technology, in the western Ukraine region of Ivano-Frankivsk, whose capital of the same name has twice been subjected to Russian bombings during the war. Like other drone-dropping equipment, we're told it uses radio signals to interrupt control, remotely disabling them, and it reportedly has an impressive 3.5 km (2.17 miles) range.
"We are not damaging the drone. With communication lost, it just loses coordination and doesn't know where to go. The drone lands where it is jammed, or can be carried away by the wind because it's uncontrollable," Kvertus' director of technology Yaroslav Filimonov said. Because the downed drones are unharmed, they give Ukrainian soldiers recovering them a wealth of potential intelligence, he added.
In a Radio Free Europe video demonstrating the rifle's claimed capabilities, Filimonov said the gun's simple aim-and-shoot design was made to be easy to operate "even in a stressful situation." All of the rifle's components are hidden inside a plastic frame with a battery attached in a fashion similar to a magazine. The gun can disrupt 2.4GHz and 5GHz remote control and video transmission, GPS L2 (and L1) and GLONASS signals, according to the maker. It also has disk, amplified, and directional antennae.
Eighty KVS G-6s have been manufactured since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Kvertus said, and over 100 more have been ordered. Filimonov said many of the orders have come from "volunteer organizations, donors and businesses buying our devices for military units fighting at the front."
We note that Kvertus has been offering the Antidron device since at least January this year, prior to the start of Russia's illegal and bloody invasion of Ukraine in late February. The rifle costs $12,000 apiece, and looks more solid than the janky homemade Russian one that popped up in May.
Drones have been central to the Ukrainian and Russian efforts in the war, with both sides fielding craft for various purposes. "It's a new kind of war," Filimonov said. "Many tasks are done by drones, like correcting artillery fire, dropping explosives or reconnaissance."
Along with operating its own aerial drones, Ukraine has also fielded a remote-controlled ground drone equipped with a 7.62mm machine gun. The Guardian said the US has also supplied Ukraine with at least 700 Switchblade kamikaze drones with ranges up to 25 miles.
On the Russian side, Chinese drone maker DJI allegedly aided the Kremlin by disabling Ukrainian users' ability to detect drones with DJI's AeroScope software, while Russia was able to use the product. DJI has since suspended operations in Russia and Ukraine.
America's use of high-powered drones is also well established, and DARPA's latest plans for drone warfare could see them being recharged in flight, greatly extending operational ranges. DARPA has also considered silly-stringing drones to death. ®
The latest drone headed to Ukraine's front lines isn't getting there by air. This one powers over rough terrain, armed with a 7.62mm tank machine gun.
The GNOM (pronounced gnome), designed and built by a company called Temerland, based in Zaporizhzhia, won't be going far either. Next week it's scheduled to begin combat trials in its home city, which sits in southeastern Ukraine and has faced periods of rocket attacks and more since the beginning of the war.
Measuring just under two feet in length, a couple inches less in width (57cm L х 60cm W x 38cm H), and weighing around 110lbs (50kg), GNOM is small like its namesake. It's also designed to operate quietly, with an all-electric motor that drives its 4x4 wheels. This particular model forgoes stealth in favor of a machine gun, but Temerland said it's quiet enough to "conduct covert surveillance using a circular survey camera on a telescopic mast."
Cisco has decided it's time to leave Russia and Belarus, almost four months after stopping operations in response to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
The networking giant announced it would halt operations in Russia and Belarus "for the foreseeable future" on March 3 this year.
A June 23 update suggests Cisco sees no future in either nation.
Russia and China have each warned the United States that the offensive cyber-ops it ran to support Ukraine were acts of aggression that invite reprisal.
The US has acknowledged it assisted Ukraine to shore up its cyber defences, conducted information operations, and took offensive actions during Russia's illegal invasion.
While many nations occasionally mention they possess offensive cyber-weapons and won't be afraid to use them, admissions they've been used are rare. US Cyber Command chief General Paul Nakasone's public remarks to that effect were therefore unusual.
US military researchers are trying to turn in-flight refueling tankers into laser-shooting "airborne energy wells" for charging drones, and they want the public's help to figure out how.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) published a request for information (RFI) from anyone willing and able to contribute their tech, with a few caveats. It needs to fit on existing in-flight refueling tankers (the newer KC-46 and Cold War-era KC-135, specifically) and be able to deliver 100kW of power.
Militaries around the world have been using in-flight refueling for decades to extend aircraft patrols and long-range missions. With a history of development stretching back to the 1920s, the practice has since developed into a standard part of operating an air fleet powered by aviation fuel.
Nine members of non-lethal weapons-maker Axon's AI ethics board resigned Monday after the company's CEO announced plans to build drones equipped with tasers to prevent US school shootings.
When an 18-year-old shot dead nineteen students and two teachers, whilst wounding several others at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, Axon's founder and CEO, Rick Smith, began thinking about how he could help stop mass shootings. His best idea: deploying taser-equipped drones in classrooms and public venues.
Axon develops body cameras and non-lethal weapons for law enforcement. Smith thought he could combine both capabilities and install them onto a drone that, in theory, could immobilize shooters. Smith announced Axon had formally begun developing such systems last week.
Rick Smith, founder and CEO of body camera and Taser maker Axon, believes he has a way to reduce the risk of school children being shot by people with guns.
No, it doesn't involve reducing access to guns, which Smith dismisses as politically unworkable in the US. Nor does it involve relocating to any of the many countries where school shootings seldom, if ever, occur and – coincidentally – where there are laws that limit access to guns.
Here's a hint – his answer involves Axon.
After freezing operations in Russia earlier this year, IBM has told employees it is ending all work in the country and has begun laying off staff.
A letter obtained by Reuters sent by IBM CEO Arvind Krishna to staff cites sanctions as one of the prime reasons for the decision to exit Russia.
"As the consequences of the war continue to mount and uncertainty about its long-term ramifications grows, we have now made the decision to carry out an orderly wind-down of IBM's business in Russia," Krishna said.
Updated Arkady Volozh, CEO of Russia's biggest internet company Yandex, has resigned after being added to the European Union's list of individuals sanctioned as part of its response to the illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Yandex is an analogue of Google, having started as a search engine and then added numerous productivity, cloud, and social services. The company has since expanded into ride-sharing and e-commerce.
The European Union (EU) last Friday named Volozh and many others as part of its sixth round of sanctions against Russia.
PC and printer giant HP Inc. is boldly but belatedly turning its back on Russia and Belarus due to the continued conflict in Ukraine.
HP was among the first wave of tech companies to suspend shipments to the countries soon after Russia invaded its neighbor on February 24, but now the company's president and CEO Enrique Lores is making the move more permanent.
"Considering the COVID environment and long-term outlook for Russia, we have decided to stop our Russia activity and have begun the process of fully winding down our operations," he said on a Q2 earnings call with analysts.
Chinese academics have christened an ocean research vessel that has a twist: it will sail the seas with a complement of aerial and ocean-going drones and no human crew.
The Zhu Hai Yun, or Zhuhai Cloud, launched in Guangzhou after a year of construction. The 290-foot-long mothership can hit a top speed of 18 knots (about 20 miles per hour) and will carry 50 flying, surface, and submersible drones that launch and self-recover autonomously.
According to this blurb from the shipbuilder behind its construction, the Cloud will also be equipped with a variety of additional observational instruments "which can be deployed in batches in the target sea area, and carry out task-oriented adaptive networking to achieve three-dimensional view of specific targets." Most of the ship is an open deck where flying drones can land and be stored. The ship is also equipped with launch and recovery equipment for its aquatic craft.
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