EX2 - For Defence Innovators’ Post

The U.S. must leverage its ability to develop autonomous systems to extend this transition to #unmanned #warfare #underseas, investing in a fleet of unmanned underwater vehicles to complement traditional submarines and surface vessels. The geographical problem is one of scale. The Chinese military grossly outmatches Taiwanese capabilities. But if the U.S. can apply its combat power directly in and around the Taiwan Strait, then all of its mass will simply become a target, just as so many massed forces have been #swarmed by #unmanned #aerial #systems on Ukrainian battlefields. China’s objective will be to keep U.S. reconnaissance and strike assets as far away from the Taiwan Strait as possible — ideally, more than 1,000 kilometers out of combat range. Undersea capabilities will therefore prove decisive in this contest. Currently, the balance of forces remains in our and our allies’ favor if forces are properly integrated. But the balance has narrowed considerably in even just the last five years. This makes a Chinese assault on Taiwan more likely in the event of marginal strategic changes."

Russian naval aircraft destroy four Ukrainian waterborne drones in Black Sea Russian naval aircraft destroyed four Ukrainian waterborne drones in the northwestern Black Sea over the past day, the ministry reported. "The Black Sea Fleet’s naval aircraft destroyed four uncrewed boats of the Ukrainian armed forces in the northwestern Black Sea. Operational/tactical aircraft, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces struck military airfield infrastructure, a fuel base, storage facilities of uncrewed boats, assembly workshops of unmanned aerial vehicles and massed enemy manpower and military equipment in 141 areas," the ministry said. Russian air defenses destroy 78 Ukrainian UAVs over past day Russian air defense forces shot down 78 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and 14 rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system over the past day, the ministry reported. "Air defense capabilities shot down 14 US-made HIMARS rockets and 78 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said. Overall, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 646 Ukrainian warplanes, 283 helicopters, 34,173 unmanned aerial vehicles, 583 surface-to-air missile systems, 18,769 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,478 multiple rocket launchers, 16,607 field artillery guns and mortars and 27,497 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported. (Part Five, The End) #business #finance #financialservices

Ukraine’s Drones Target Russia: Inside the Biggest Air Attacks in History Chuck Pfarrer analyzes the significance of Ukrainian drone strikes that have disrupted Russia’s energy infrastructure, destroyed military assets, and crippled air defenses. by Chuck Pfarrer | September 30, 2024, 7:36 pm For the first time in history, unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, are being used to conduct strategic bombardments in a conventional war. Ukraine is redefining warfare with its innovative use of kamikaze drones to strike key Russian military and energy targets. Join Chuck Pfarrer, former Navy SEAL Team Six Squadron Leader, as he breaks down Ukraine’s groundbreaking drone tactics and how they are shaking up Russia’s defenses. From military airfields to fuel storage sites, Ukrainian drones are hitting deep into Russian territory, marking a turning point in modern warfare. In this episode of Kyiv Post’s ‘Point of Impact,’ we analyze the significance of Ukrainian drone strikes that have disrupted Russia’s energy infrastructure, destroyed military assets, and crippled air defenses. With detailed accounts of missions that wiped out fighter jets, fuel reservoirs, and defense systems, this video explores how Ukraine is using this unconventional strategy to gain an advantage over a much larger adversary.

#WarshipDesign #France #UK "... Navies can no longer count on ships staying relevant over their 40-year lifespan, and weapon systems will change “dramatically” over such a period, French Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Nicolas Vaujour said at the Euronaval industry conference outside Paris on Monday. Weapon systems may need to be adapted as frequently as every year, requiring ship architecture that allows for systems to be plugged in and changed when needed, Vaujour said. “We have to build adaptable by design,” Vaujour said. “You must build the ship to be adaptable during 40 years, which is quite tricky.” Navies from the U.S., China and Russia, as well as France and the U.K., have been testing maritime weaponry ranging from swarming drones and lasers to hypersonic anti-ship missiles and rail guns in the past three years, while progress in artificial intelligence has allowed for increasingly autonomous unmanned vehicles. Generational technology change is happening much faster than the time it takes to construct a ship, meaning navies need to implement new capabilities “far quicker than the speed at which we can build a hull,” according to Adm. Sir Ben Key, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff of the U.K.’s Royal Navy. “So you have to detach the operational capability from the platform that’s going to take you there,” Key said. “That is quite a mindset change for us.” Ukraine has been using missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and seagoing drones to deny Russia access to much of the Black Sea, despite having little navy to speak of. In the Red Sea, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have targeted commercial vessels with drones and ballistic ... “If you stay with your old doctrine, you will be dead very rapidly,” Vaujour said. “What we saw in the Red Sea is that we have to adapt very quickly our system.” The response of the French and British navies to the Houthi threat showed how learning accelerated when the urgency was understood, according to Key. Both navies worked with MBDA to improve missile performance and software, and “learning time had to be dramatically reduced, because this was no longer a science project being done in the sea off Toulon or in the waters off Plymouth,” Key said. The lesson was that forces need to be “much sharper” about focusing on the factors that really matter, rather than seeking a perfect solution that will be late, according to the British admiral. ... Maritime warfare is experiencing a moment similar to the end of the Age of Sail, when engineers and deep-gunnery specialists became more important on board than the master of sail, according to Key. Going forward, key crew on board will be those able to tap into digital opportunities and needs, the British navy chief said. ... For the French, one lesson from the Red Sea was that facing a constant threat is “really hard” on crews, and the navy probably needs more people on board, according to Vaujour. “We make the bets to reduce the crew, and I came back from that.” ..."

"Musk and many small defense tech firms ... [are] calling for mass production of cheaper AI-powered drones, missiles and uncrewed submarines. Such views have given major defense contractors more incentive to partner with emerging defense technology players in these areas" https://lnkd.in/ebbZQBeT

Russian forces strike Ukrainian military airfields, UAV assembly workshops over past day Russian forces struck Ukrainian military airfields and UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) assembly workshops over the past day, the ministry reported. "Operational/tactical aircraft, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces struck infrastructure of military airfields, workshops assembling unmanned aerial vehicles and their storage sites and amassed manpower and military equipment of the Ukrainian army in 139 areas," the ministry said. Russian air defenses destroy 43 Ukrainian UAVs over past day Russian air defense forces destroyed 43 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the past day, the ministry reported. "Air defense capabilities shot down a rocket of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system and 43 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said. Overall, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 650 Ukrainian warplanes, 283 helicopters, 37,910 unmanned aerial vehicles, 590 surface-to-air missile systems, 19,834 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,501 multiple rocket launchers, 19,803 field artillery guns and mortars and 29,294 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported. (Part Four, The End) #business #finance #financialservices

- #China's State #Shipbuilding Corporation has developed the A2000 "Thunderer", an armed #unmanned surface vessel (#USV) showcased at the recent Defense Services Asia 2024 exhibition in #Malaysia. https://lnkd.in/gh8g9_Vd - The A2000 is a 147-foot long trimaran #drone designed for surveillance, intelligence gathering, and anti-access/area denial. It is armed with surface-to-air missiles, rockets, a 30mm cannon, and can deploy loitering munitions and smaller drones for swarm attacks. - This USV could present a serious threat, acting as a force multiplier for China's navy, which already exceeds the US Navy, potentially overwhelming them. The #USNavy is lagging behind in developing operational USVs as it remains focused on funding large shipbuilding projects, while dipping the toes into USV research and development. - The effectiveness of armed sea drones has been demonstrated in the Black Sea, where #Ukraine has used them in asymetric warfare to sink Russian ships despite having no navy. - China's progress in USV development suggests these uncrewed vessels could play a major role in the future of naval warfare. The U.S. risks falling behind a potential adversary in this area.

Russian forces eliminate over 250 Ukrainian troops in south Donetsk area over past day The Ukrainian army’s losses also totaled three motor vehicles, an Akatsiya motorized artillery system, a D-20 howitzer, two Gvozdika motorized artillery systems and a Grad multiple rocket launcher MOSCOW/ Russian forces destroyed in the south Donetsk area over the past day some 250 Ukrainian troops, an Akatsiya motorized artillery system, a D-20 howitzer, two Gvozdika motorized artillery systems and a Grad multiple rocket launcher in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Sunday. "In the south Donetsk direction, units of the Battlegroup East improved their forward edge positions and also inflicted damage on the manpower and military hardware of the Ukrainian army’s 72nd mechanized and 128th territorial defense brigades near the settlements of Dobropolye in the Zaporozhye Region, Ugledar and Vodyanoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic [DPR]," the ministry said in a statement. The Ukrainian army’s losses in the south Donetsk direction over the past day totaled as many as over 250 personnel, three motor vehicles, an Akatsiya motorized artillery system, a D-20 howitzer, two Gvozdika motorized artillery systems and a Grad multiple rocket launcher, the ministry specified. Aerial vehicles Russian air defense forces shot down 143 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, including Bayraktar TB2 drones, over the past day in the special military operation. "During the last 24-hour period, air defense capabilities shot down two rockets of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system, as well as 143 UAVs, including Bayraktar TB2 drones," the ministry specified.  More than 14,000 Ukrainian drones have been destroyed by Russian forces since the beginning of the special military operation. "Since the beginning of the special military operation, as many as 575 planes, 267 helicopters, 14,112 unmanned aerial vehicles, 476 air defense systems, 15,335 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,228 multiple rocket launch systems, 8,275 artillery systems and mortars, and 19,298 special combat motor vehicles have been destroyed," the Russian defense ministry said. (Part One, Continued in Part Two in the next post) #business #finance #financialservices

Rheinmetall presents its ultra Short-Range Air Defence (SHORAD) system mounted on the Rheinmetall Mission Master XT autonomous Unmanned Ground System (UGS). The ultra SHORAD system is composed of the Rheinmetall Fieldranger Multi remote-controlled weapon station featuring a twin Dillon Aero M134D minigun, a radar, an electronic optical package, and an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based target detector and tracker. Offering an engagement range from 50 to 700 m, Rheinmetall’s ultra SHORAD system stands out for its cost-effectiveness, achieving a low kill cost per drone, making it a sustainable and economical solution. This advanced layered defence system is capable of long periods of continuous fire and delivers multi-domain capabilities, excelling in the detection, tracking, and engagement of both aerial and ground-based threats with lethal precision. This system was showcased in mid-2024 at Red Sands III, the third iteration of Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems (CUAS) drills conducted by the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces and the U.S. Army Central Command. #military #defense #defence #aerospace #aviation #aircraft #aircrafts #airplane #airplanes #aviationlovers #militaryaviation #militaryaircraft #fighterjet #engineering #technology #militarytechnology #defensetechnology #defenseinnovation #defenseindustry #airforce #pilots #Saudi #Saudia #Saudiarabia #USA #Drone #Drones #SHORAD

Russian forces strike energy sites of Ukrainian military-industrial sector over past day Russian forces struck energy sites of Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises over the past day, the ministry reported. "Operational/tactical aircraft, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces struck energy infrastructure sites providing for the operation of Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises, and also massed enemy manpower and military equipment in 141 areas," the ministry said. Russian air defenses destroy 43 Ukrainian UAVs, five HIMARS rockets over past day Russian air defense forces shot down 43 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and five rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system over the past day, the ministry reported. "Air defense capabilities shot down five US-made HIMARS rockets and 43 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said. Overall, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 646 Ukrainian warplanes, 283 helicopters, 33,747 unmanned aerial vehicles, 582 surface-to-air missile systems, 18,634 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,472 multiple rocket launchers, 16,304 field artillery guns and mortars and 27,313 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported. (Part Four, The End) #business #finance #financialservices