this post was submitted on 04 Jun 2025
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[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 week ago (3 children)

So my thoughts watching this is that it wasn't exactly a quick attack. The drones were actually being used as quadcopters, manually controlled instead of seeking a target or coordinates, and they seem to be launched sequentially, likely because they're piloted locally by a limited pool of operatives.

This means that there was no useful jamming going on, and I wonder if any base personnel even tried to shoot them down.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

If i understand correctly they sneaked in the drones into Russia and were released behind their wall of defenses.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yeah sure, but if you go to a military base in your country and release a swarm of drones, they'll likely at least attempt to shoot them down, the base has its own wall of defence.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago

This is why they used small FPV drones and launched them just a few kilometers away. There was virtually no warning, and small low flying drones would be very difficult for any automated defensive system to detect in time.

I think the Russians also felt a false sense of security given how far these airbases are from Ukraine. They may have had defenses in place for larger drones flying all the way from Ukraine, but again, such a system would have difficulty with small drones flying at treetop level from a very short distance.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

I remember reading that the drones were meant to be autonamous? (I refuse to look up how to spell that word and simply accept my incorrectness) so those pauses and such might just be whatever image recognitions is intended to identify the shape of an aircraft freaking out a bit. Would also explain sequential launches as it would stop them all dogpiling one plan and being wasted.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

I'm feeling lazy with sources, but I've seen reporting that they were at least partially using Ardupilot for autonomous control, and likely were moving slower since they were tethered fiber optic drones that can't be jammed anyway. Hence, spider's web with all the fibers on the field.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Anyone know what the tires are about?

[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Seriously? Paint probably would have been easier.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago

You didn't read the link.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Right? That's still pretty clearly the outline of a plane.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

cope tires, aka anti drone high-technology, there are other overhead pics of planes fully covered, which might help but from most of these shots they clearly were running low on tires and just looks really odd.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Thanks for the info.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I saw this exact video the day of the attack, why is this article phrased as if it was released just now?

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Giving The Guardian the benefit of the doubt: because they took time to verify its authenticity before reporting on it.

More likely reason: urgency and BREAKING NEWS gets more clicks.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That’s so badass. As an FPV hobbyist this is like a fantasy. I’m curious though, why do they all say failsafe, yet they’re seemingly still in control of most of them. I see there’s no GPS lock. Maybe it calls failsafe when no GPS but doesn’t trigger the drone to shut down.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Is that even beta flight? Never seen it configured like this, I know that's what they were using at the beginning because that was basically the only FPV software available, but maybe they have a new "military-grade" one now?

Also it's interesting to see the different flying styles, some of them are like "let me carefully position myself slowly right next to this wing, yesss just right", meanwhile their buddy just flies full speed ahead straight into it.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

According to the Ukrainians they trained an AI on some of the target planes they had in museums (some of the strategic bombers blown up were actually handed over from Ukraine in the nineties to russia (alongside the nukes), and I guess they kept one or two as museum pieces), so it could be the AI carefully chosing the good spot to blow up

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Yeah idk what config they’re using. Doesn’t look like any that I’ve used.

Haha yeah and some look like they’re just falling from the sky. Not sure how the camera is facing straight down and moving down as well unless they just disarmed and let it fall.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I read they are using ArduPilot.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Interesting. Better for positioning I think Thanks

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

If we're thinking of the same ones they just look like full throttle/tilt forward to me!

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago

So how are them tires working for ya? 😏

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago

That was really satisfying to watch

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I suppose all the planes where fully tanked up and ready to fly in order to be so flammable. I wonder if the damages would be so bad if a plan would be empty of fuel ?

Also, why do they put tires on top ?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Some have theorized the tires disrupt object recognition in aerial imagery analysis (and possibly munitions or drone targeting). Obviously that didn't work here as the targets were already known and visually confirmed.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That seems like a trick that only works the first time

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Maybe maybe not. Camo is just about playing the odds, nothing works from every angle or circumstance. If tires on wings means 5% more planes survive it's probably worth it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Wonder why they keep all the planes the same color if that is what they are trying to do. The drones just have to target the specific Pantone.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

Pantone doesn't mean much when the lighting conditions change throughout the day.