How Ukraine has built an army of drones and how to sustain it
Details of the meeting will be sent personally to the participants after registration.
Time: 8:30-10:00
Date: 13 March 2023
Special guests:
Time: 8:30-10:00
Date: 13 March 2023
Special guests:
- Mariia Berlinska, head of Dignitas, Ukraine
- Henri Seydoux, CEO of Parrot, France
Summary
⚡️ Eastern Circles and Confrontations Europe held a discussion on 13/03 on the development of the #drones industry in #Ukraine, with Maria Berlinska, Ukrainian veteran, drone pilot and head of Victory Drones project by Dignitas Ukraine, and with Henri Seydoux, CEO of Parrot a French electronics company working in Ukraine:
1. In its 2nd year, the war is driven by drone and #robotics technology, where #Russia and Ukraine learn from each other daily on the battlefield.
2. Russia’s #radioelectronic warfare represents 20 000 jamming points along the frontline, creating a wall effect, and is improving fast.
3. Russia is also acquiring and producing many more tactical level drones than Ukraine.
4. Ukraine needs at least 5 million of drones/year to counter this and fill the gap between the need and current production capabilities. Ukraine acquires drones through decentralized domestic production and imports, which are coordinated by the Ministry of Digital Transformation and MoD. Civil society actors like Dignitas Ukraine play an important role in production scaling through “kitchen drones” and training thousands of military drone pilots monthly, in coordination with Ukraine’s MoD and Chief of General Staff.
5. To counter Russian electronic warfare, more technological development is needed in AI, autonomous drones, computer vision, laser technology, thermal sensor technology, etc.
6. The biggest threat on the front lines in the drones technology are swarms of drones which are difficult to detect and to bring down, and self-guided drones which can penetrate the trenches and camouflage areas.
7. Big, expensive drones were effective in the first months of the war. Before the Russians scaled their radio electronic warfare capacity and anti-aircraft missile systems. Now they are too easy targets.
8. FPV drones with payload deployed in mass quantities are the most effective in terms of cost-benefit ratio: 500$ drone can burn a 3M$ tank.
9. But drones cannot replace manned combat aircraft, artillery, tanks and armoured vehicles. All these technologies are complementary and equally necessary.
10. Parrot is developing drones in Ukraine, targeting millions of units a year.
11. IT, cyber and electronic warfare are the backbone of drone development.
12. Ukraine holds unique experience in practical drone warfare, which is matched only by one country: Russia. As the biggest testing ground in the biggest technological war of modernity, Ukraine is ready to share the expertise with allies to help them strengthen their own defense capabilities.
1. In its 2nd year, the war is driven by drone and #robotics technology, where #Russia and Ukraine learn from each other daily on the battlefield.
2. Russia’s #radioelectronic warfare represents 20 000 jamming points along the frontline, creating a wall effect, and is improving fast.
3. Russia is also acquiring and producing many more tactical level drones than Ukraine.
4. Ukraine needs at least 5 million of drones/year to counter this and fill the gap between the need and current production capabilities. Ukraine acquires drones through decentralized domestic production and imports, which are coordinated by the Ministry of Digital Transformation and MoD. Civil society actors like Dignitas Ukraine play an important role in production scaling through “kitchen drones” and training thousands of military drone pilots monthly, in coordination with Ukraine’s MoD and Chief of General Staff.
5. To counter Russian electronic warfare, more technological development is needed in AI, autonomous drones, computer vision, laser technology, thermal sensor technology, etc.
6. The biggest threat on the front lines in the drones technology are swarms of drones which are difficult to detect and to bring down, and self-guided drones which can penetrate the trenches and camouflage areas.
7. Big, expensive drones were effective in the first months of the war. Before the Russians scaled their radio electronic warfare capacity and anti-aircraft missile systems. Now they are too easy targets.
8. FPV drones with payload deployed in mass quantities are the most effective in terms of cost-benefit ratio: 500$ drone can burn a 3M$ tank.
9. But drones cannot replace manned combat aircraft, artillery, tanks and armoured vehicles. All these technologies are complementary and equally necessary.
10. Parrot is developing drones in Ukraine, targeting millions of units a year.
11. IT, cyber and electronic warfare are the backbone of drone development.
12. Ukraine holds unique experience in practical drone warfare, which is matched only by one country: Russia. As the biggest testing ground in the biggest technological war of modernity, Ukraine is ready to share the expertise with allies to help them strengthen their own defense capabilities.
