Russia accuses Ukraine of attempting to kill President Putin with drone attacks on Kremlin - YouTube 

15k distance range. 55min use. Temperatures -20 to plus 50.

#China #Drones

#Ukraine #Turkey #Drones

By drone attack / 'cowardly rocket'. In the Green Zone.

No one claimed responsibility, but militants are one of the main suspects.

#Iraq #Politics #Drones

A war which lasted only a couple weeks (27 Sept – 10 Nov 2020) before Armenia, harassed by Azerbaijan's use of drones, surrendered. Azerbaijan then posted lots of high-res videos of their attacks and showed them in the town square.

They autonomized their jets and when Armenia fired on them, they identified the Armenian forces and attacked them. Instead of firing weapons, the drones just flew into them.

Loitering munition (drones) has no single effective countermeasure. Things that are used together to thwart them are radio jammers, EMP, laser defense, acoustic detection, net traps and kinetic power (bullets). This is all limited, however, by ambient stuff like traffic.

Drones were also used in 2019 to attack SA's oil refineries that flew below radar. SA couldn't do anything and had to shut down half their production.

They were also used against a Russian base during the Syrian 'civil' war in 2018, and no one claimed responsibility. Russia said the US did it, but it could have been anyone. They used plywood drones.

People have drawn lines of comparison with hackers, who also attack from a safe location, anonymously, and without identifying themselves.

Miniature drones, Autopilot and image recognition software open source and developed by sellers.

Are we even going to be able to have any drones allowed to exist in the air?

#Drones #Autonomous #Military #NaKa

According to NYT.

DailymailUK: 'The drone strike that the Pentagon claimed killed an ISIS-K suicide bomber in Kabul actually targeted an aid worker who had filled his car with water jugs, rather than explosives, according to a shocking new report.'

According to the family, 10 were killed in that car, although the Pentagon says 3 civilians.

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar  wrote of a recent drone strike (I don't know if it was the same strike):

"This is the lastest in 20 years of innocent lives taken and children orphaned in Afghanistan and covert drone warfare around the world. Impunity for these attacks continues to create a neverending cycle of violence and retribution. Where should these victims go to seek justice?"

#Drones #NYT #MIC

Of 200 people killed in a 1-year period in 2012-2013 US special forces airstrikes (using drone) only 35 were the intended targets.

The innocent civilians were routinely categorized as 'enemies killed in action.'

Hale was a defense contractor in 2013 when his conscience caused him to release classified documents to the press. Hale was charged under the Espionage Act and received 45 months.

In a hand-written letter to Judge Liam O’Grady Hale explained that the drone attacks and the war in Afghanistan had “little to do with preventing terror from coming into the United States and a lot more to do with protecting the profits of weapons manufacturers and so-called defense contractors.”

Hale also cited a 1995 statement by former U.S. Navy Admiral Gene LaRocque: “We now kill people without ever seeing them. Now you push a button thousands of miles away … since it’s all done by remote control, there’s no remorse … and then we come home in triumph.”

#Drones #AI

“I believe that it is wrong to kill, but it is especially wrong to kill the defenseless,” Hale told the court. He said he shared what “was necessary to dispel the lie that drone warfare keeps us safe, that our lives are worth more than theirs.”

“Hale did not in any way contribute to the public debate about how we fight wars. All he did was endanger the people who are doing the fighting.” This was said by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Kromberg.

“You are not being prosecuted for speaking out about the drone program killing innocent people. You could have been a whistleblower ... without taking any of these documents." This was said by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady.

The defense said it was a public service. WP reported: 'The documents included a report finding that reliance on deadly attacks was undermining intelligence gathering. During one five-month stretch of an operation in Afghanistan, the documents revealed, nearly 90 percent of the people killed were not the intended targets.'

#Publishing #Drones #Military

WP: Daniel Hale, who leaked information on U.S. drone warfare, sentenced to 45 months in prison

Reports have it that last year a Turkish quad-copter which was a true set-and-forget weapon, identified targets and opened fire in Libya. The targets were renegades loyal to Khalifa Haftar, reportedly.

Analysts note that Turkey and other countries perceive themselves to have a competitive advantage by using these tools.

#drones #Turkey