Minister: Ukraine Aims to Develop Air-to-air Combat Drones

Wednesday, 28 December, 2022

Ukraine has bought some 1,400 drones, mostly for reconnaissance, and plans to develop combat models that can attack the exploding drones Russia has used during its invasion of the country, according to the Ukrainian government minister in charge of technology.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov described Russia’s war in Ukraine as the first major war of the internet age. He credited drones and satellite internet systems like Elon Musk’s Starlink with having transformed the conflict.

Ukraine has purchased drones like the Fly Eye, a small used for intelligence, battlefield surveillance and reconnaissance.

“And the next stage, now that we are more or less equipped with reconnaissance drones, is strike drones,” Federov said. “These are both exploding drones and drones that fly up to three to 10 kilometers and hit targets.”

He predicted “more missions with strike drones” in the future, but would not elaborate. “We are talking there about drones, UAVs, UAVs that we are developing in Ukraine. Well, anyway, it will be the next step in the development of technologies,” he said.

Russian authorities have alleged several Ukrainian drone strikes on its military bases in recent weeks, including one on Monday in which they said Russian forces shot down a drone approaching the Engels airbase located more than 600 kilometers (over 370 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Russia's military said debris killed three service members but no aircraft were damaged. The base houses Tu-95 and Tu-160 nuclear-capable strategic bombers that have been involved in launching strikes on Ukraine.

Ukrainian authorities have never formally acknowledged carrying out such drone strikes, but they have made cryptic allusions to how Russia might expect retaliation for its war in Ukraine, including within Russian territory.

Ukraine is carrying out research and development on drones that could fight and down other drones, Federov said. Russia has used Iranian-made Shahed drones for its airstrikes in Ukrainian territory in recent weeks, in addition to rocket, cruise missile and artillery attacks.

“I can say already that the situation regarding drones will change drastically in February or March,” he said.

Federov sat for an interview in his bright and modern office. Located inside a staid ministry building, the room contained a vinyl record player, history books stacked on shelves and a treadmill.

The minister highlighted the importance of mobile communications for both civilian and military purposes during the war and said the most challenging places to maintain service have been in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa and Kyiv regions in the center and east of the country.

He said there are times when fewer than half of mobile phone towers are functioning in the capital, Kyiv, because Russian airstrikes have destroyed or damaged the infrastructure that power them.

Ukraine has some 30,000 mobile-phone towers, and the government is now trying to link them to generators so they can keep working when airstrikes damage the power grid.

The only alternative, for now, is satellite systems like Starlink, which Ukrainians may rely on more if blackouts start lasting longer.

“We should understand that in this case, the Starlinks and the towers, connected to the generators, will be the basic internet infrastructure,” Federov said.

Many cities and towns are facing power cuts lasting up to 10 hours. Fedorov said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree that instructs mobile phone companies to ensure they can provide signals without electricity for at least three days.

Meanwhile, with support from its European Union partners, his ministry is working to bring 10,000 more Starlink stations to Ukraine, with internet service made available to the public through hundreds of “Points of Invincibility” that offer warm drinks, heated spaces, electricity and shelter for people displaced by fighting or power outages.

Roughly 24,000 Starlink stations already are in operation in Ukraine. Musk’s company, SpaceX, began providing them during the early days of the war after Fedorov tweeted a request to the billionaire.

“I just stood there on my knees, begging them to start working in Ukraine, and promised that we would make a world record," he recalled.

Federov compared Space X's donation of the satellite terminals to the US-supplied multiple rocket launchers in terms of significance for Ukraine's ability to mount a defense to Russia's invasion.

“Thousands of lives were saved,” he said.

As well as the civilian applications, Starlink has helped front-line reconnaissance drone operators target artillery strikes on Russian assets and positions. Federov said his team is now dedicating 70% of its time to military technologies. The ministry was created only three years ago.

Providing the army with drones is among its main tasks.

“We need to do more than what is expected of us, and progress does not wait,” Federov said, scoffing at Russian skill in the domain of drones. “I don’t believe in their technological potential at all.”

Source: Asharq al-Awsat.

Link: https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/4067811/minister-ukraine-aims-develop-air-air-combat-drones.

Russia Drones Smash Power Network in Ukraine's Odesa, Leaving 1.5 Million without Power

Sunday, 11 December, 2022

All non-critical infrastructure in the Ukrainian port of Odesa was without power after Russia used Iranian-made drones to hit two energy facilities, leaving 1.5 million people without power, officials said on Saturday.

"The situation in the Odesa region is very difficult," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

"Unfortunately, the hits were critical, so it takes more than just time to restore electricity... It doesn't take hours, but a few days, unfortunately."

Since October, Moscow has been targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure with large waves of missile and drone strikes.

Norway was sending $100 million to help restore Ukraine's energy system, Zelenskiy said.

Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesperson for Odesa's regional administration, said electricity for the city's population will be restored "in the coming days," while complete restoration of the networks may take two to three months.

Bratchuk said an earlier Facebook post by the region's administration, advising some people to consider evacuating, was being investigated by Ukraine's security services as "an element of the hybrid war" by Russia.

That post has since been deleted.

"Not a single representative of the authorities in the region made any calls for the evacuation of the inhabitants of Odesa and the region," Bratchuk said.

Odesa had more than 1 million residents before the Feb. 24 invasion that Russia calls a "special military operation" to "denazify" its smaller neighbor.

Kyiv says Russia has launched hundreds of Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones at targets in Ukraine, describing the attacks as war crimes due to their devastating effect on civilian life. Moscow says its attacks are militarily legitimate and that it does not target civilians.

Ukraine's prosecutor general's office said two power facilities in Odesa region were hit by Shahed-136 drones.

Ukraine's armed forces said on Facebook that 15 drones had been launched against targets in the southern regions of Odesa and Mykolaiv, and 10 had been shot down.

Tehran denies supplying the drones to Moscow. Kyiv and its Western allies say that is a lie.

Britain's defense ministry said on Saturday that it believed Iran's military support for Russia was likely to increase in the coming months, including possible deliveries of ballistic missiles.

Source: Asharq al-Awsat.

Link: https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/4036976/russia-drones-smash-power-network-ukraine%E2%80%99s-odesa-leaving-15-million-without.

UN Deploys Unarmed Weapon in Humanitarian & Peacekeeping Operations

By Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 28 2022 (IPS) - A sign outside the United Nations reads, perhaps half-seriously, that it is a “No Drone Zone”—and “launching, landing or operating Unmanned or Remote-Controlled aircraft in this area is prohibited”.

The “warning” comes even as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) – or drones – are some of the new weapons of war deployed mostly by the US, and more recently, by Iran, Ukraine and Russia in ongoing military conflicts.

But the unarmed versions continue to be deployed by UN peacekeeping forces worldwide and by national and international humanitarian organizations.

In a recently-released report, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA says for women in Botswana, especially those living in remote communities where medical supplies and blood may not be in stock, giving birth can be life-threatening.

In 2019, the country recorded a maternal mortality rate of 166 deaths per 100,000 births, more than double the average for upper-middle-income countries.

Lorato Mokganya, Chief Health Officer in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, is quoted as saying that when a woman has lost a lot of blood during childbirth and may need to be transferred to a bigger medical facility, she first needs to be stabilized where she is before being driven out of that place. Timely delivery of blood can be lifesaving.

“A drone can be sent to deliver the blood so that the patient is stabilized,”

In an effort to curb the country’s preventable maternal deaths and overcome geographical barriers this innovative initiative will revolutionize the delivery of essential medical supplies and services across Botswana, says UNFPA.

Joseph Chamie, a former director of the UN Population Division and a consulting demographer., told IPS the increased use of drones for humanitarian and peacekeeping missions of the United Nations is certainly a good idea and should be encouraged.

“Why? Simply because the numerous benefits from the use of drones greatly outnumber the possible disadvantages”.

As is the case with all new technologies, he pointed out, resistance to the use of drones is to be expected. The public’s distrust in the use of drones is understandable given their use in military operations and surveillance activities.

Also, it should be acknowledged that drones could be misused and efforts are needed to ensure privacy, security and safety, said Chamie.

“In brief, the use of drones should be promoted and facilitated in the work of the UN’s humanitarian and peacekeeping operations as it will greatly enhance the effectiveness of their vital work,” he declared.

Drones have been deployed in several UN peacekeeping missions, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Uganda—going back to 2013.

Although this technology is not a magic solution, “the promise of drones is really tremendous,” says Christopher Fabian, principal advisor on innovation at the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

For UNICEF and other humanitarian and development agencies, he said, in an interview with UN News, drone technology can make a big difference in three ways.

First, drones can leapfrog over broken infrastructure in places where developed transportation networks or roads do not exist, carrying low-weight supplies.

Second, UAVs can be used for remote sensing, such as gathering imagery and data, in the wake of natural disasters like mudslides, to locate where the damage is and where the affected peoples are.

Third, drones can extend wi-fi connectivity, from the sky to the ground, providing refugee camps or schools with access to the Internet.

As big as a Boeing 737 passenger jet and as small as a hummingbird, a huge variety of drones exist. According to research firm Gartner, total drone unit sales climbed to 2.2 million worldwide in 2016, and revenue surged 36 per cent to $4.5 billion.

Although UNICEF’s use of drones has been limited, the agency is exploring ways to scale up the use of UAVs in its operations, Fabian said.

“Hardware itself does not violate human rights. It is the people behind the hardware,” said Fabian, stressing the need to “make sure that any technology we bring in or work on falls within the framing of rights-based documents,” such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

UNICEF has a set of guiding principles for innovation, which includes elements like designing with the end-user.

For drone applications to spread further, Fabian said, the UN has a strong role in advocating this technology and ensuring that policy is shared with different governments.

In addition, governments have to clearly define why they need drones and what specifically they will be used for, while also building up national infrastructure to support their use.

The private sector must understand that the market can provide them real business opportunities.

In 10 to 20 years, drones might be “as basic to us as a pen or pencil,” said Fabian.

“I believe this technology will go through a few years of regulatory difficulty but will eventually become so ubiquitous and simple that it’s like which version of the cell phones you have rather than have you ever use the mobile phone at all,” he said.

Meanwhile, armed UAVs are being increasingly used in war zones in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and most recently Ukraine.

The US has launched drone strikes in Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan targeting mostly terrorist groups. But the negative fallout has included the deaths of scores of civilians and non-combatants.

In recent months, the use of drones by both Russia and Ukraine has triggered a raging battle at the United Nations while Iran has launched drone attacks inside Iraq.

The US, France, UK and Germany have urged the UN to investigate whether the Russian drones originated in Iran. But Russia has denied the charge and insisted the drones were homemade.

Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy, urged Secretary-General António Guterres and his staff on October 25 not to engage in any “illegitimate investigation” of drones used in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, going back to 2017, Malawi, in partnership with UNICEF, launched Africa’s first air corridor to test the humanitarian use of drones in Kasungu District.

Also with UNICEF, Vanuatu has been testing the capacity, efficiency and effectiveness of drones to deliver life-saving vaccines to inaccessible, remote communities in the small Pacific- island country, according to the United Nations.

Vanuatu is an archipelago of 83 islands separated over 1,600 kilometres. Many are only accessible by boat, and mobile vaccination teams frequently walk to communities carrying all the equipment required for vaccinations – a difficult task given the climate and topography.

To extend the use of drones, UNICEF and the World Food Programmes (WFP) have formed a working group.

In addition, UNICEF, together with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), chairs the UN Innovation Network, an informal forum that meets quarterly to share lessons learned and advance discussions on innovation across agencies, the UN points out.

“Drones are also used in other parts of the UN system. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its partners have introduced a new quadcopter drone to visually map gamma radiation at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which was damaged by the devastating 2011 tsunami”.

ROMEO, or the Remotely Operated Mosquito Emission Operation, met the competition’s aim of improving people’s lives. It was designed to transport and release sterile male mosquitoes as part of an insect pest birth control method that stifles pest population growth.

Some UN peacekeeping missions, such as those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali and the Central African Republic, have deployed unarmed surveillance UAVs to improve security for civilians, according to the UN.

The UN, however, warns that drone technology can be a double-edged sword. UN human rights experts have spoken out against the lethal use of drones.

Source: Inter-Press Service (IPS).

Link: https://www.ipsnews.net/2022/11/un-deploys-unarmed-weapon-humanitarian-peacekeeping-operations/.

Taiwan's Chien Hsiang loitering drone was designed to destroy enemy radar and UAVs

by Scott N. Romaniuk and Tobias Burgers

Sydney, Australia (SPX)

Nov 22, 2022

Taiwan's domestically produced drone technology, developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), which develops military technology, was displayed to the public shortly after the conclusion of China's annual air show at Zhuhai, as debates intensify over the likelihood of a Chinese invasion of its tiny island nation sibling, exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine.

The Taiwanese-made anti-radiation UAV has a maximum flight time of five hours and can strike targets up to 621 miles (1,000 km) distant, according to Taiwan's Aeronautical Systems Research Division. It can monitor and attack foreign enemy units emitting radar signals, whether in flight or not, as well as electromagnetic waves if they are part of their internal mechanisms or offensive systems. Though they cannot fly as far as their American counterparts, they were developed with a specific purpose in mind: destroy Chinese radar and UAVs. Their range allows them to support strikes along China's southeastern coast, where megacities are located.

A single mobile delivery vehicle can launch up to 12 Chien Hsiangs at the same time. Taiwan, as its technological ambitions suggest, is likely to try to deploy as many of these UAVs as possible. Further R&D is projected to result in the construction of an offensive-purpose drone, as well as a decoy system to safeguard crucial defense systems.

Taiwan's 'suicide drone' made its debut at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition in 2017. It can be used in combination with other drones acting as decoys or loitering to successively target enemy units. The Chien Hsiang is comparable to Nazi Germany's V-2 rocket or the Me-163 rocket-propelled bomber- interceptor known as the 'Komet.'

Although its functions appear to be specialized, the unit is essentially a multi-system and multi-purpose machine. If Taiwan and China were at war (presumably because China invades or prompts preemptive action, such as a missile strike), Taiwan's focus would be on defensive measures, and its defensive instruments would reflect a cognitive relationship with the island's geopolitical profile.

Loitering

The drone's innovation lies in its ability to continue functioning while hanging in the air without a connection. When operational again, the unit can resume attacking its prey. The missile zeroes in on its target and then heads straight for it at a rate of 600 kilometers per hour (372 miles per hour).

Theoretically, the drones may create a barrier if hundreds or thousands of individuals congregate in preparation of an invasion or invasion support force. Its limited range and purpose complement the Taiwan Strait's tiny scale surroundings. These loitering weapons function as both an attacking and defensive deterrent. Hundreds of imagined drones crashing onto China's coastal megacities will undoubtedly result in catastrophic casualties and could therefore serve as a significant deterrence.

More drones?

States' defense strategies and doctrines will be increasingly influenced by unmanned combat systems. The majority of nations will also eventually seek to acquire drones, including armed drones, for a variety of reasons. Enhanced digital weapons systems and capabilities may help to preserve a balance of force and power between states and within regions such as the Middle East and, similarly, the Indo-Pacific, where discrepancies in nuclear weapons complicate the security environment and interstate relations.

Considering the putative promise that the future of human warfare will involve a growing number of unmanned conflicts and battles, the ongoing transitions in the strength of digital weapons could contribute to the maintenance of a stable peace. On the other side, Taiwan's continued development and manufacture of unmanned systems has the potential to create a security conundrum, ultimately bringing both China and Taiwan and presumably other countries, including the United States, closer to war.

Therefore, Taiwan's acquisition of more loitering munitions could be a double-edged sword that contributes to Taiwan's unease if China perceives a slight shift in the power distribution or balance of power between the two countries. This begs the question of whether Taiwan should risk aggravating existing security issues by placing additional orders. Taiwan will likely continue to increase its manufacturing of units as the need to prepare for a hypothetical invasion by China grows.

US technological ambitions and achievements in military weapons development in particular fuel the techno race and efforts to establish techno dominance in the military domain. Taiwan also benefits from the art of reengineering foreign military technology with aid, in the same way that China replicates American drone technology. The parallels between the Chinese MD-22, Teng Yun, and the American MQ-9 Reaper are readily apparent. It also draws inspiration from the futuristic designs of World War II Japanese and Nazi wonder weapons.

The Russian war in Ukraine has produced a testing ground for new drones in new environments. There are indications that the lessons learned in Ukraine have already influenced new drone orders, research and development, and trade agreements. Iran has supplied Russia with weaponry and UAVs, which Russia has utilized with catastrophic and terrifying results on the battlefield.

Ukraine has deployed similarly lethal armed drones against both soldiers and civilians. The Bayraktar TB2 is affordable, simple to make and acquire, and straightforward to run. Its laser-guided bombs would be destructive in the context of near urban combat operations and civilian environments where modern life and conflict are attempting to cohabit.

Small and lightweight laser-guided bombs and missiles impacting in downtown Taipei would yield serious military, economic, and political repercussions. Hundreds or thousands of such 'kamikaze drones,' similar to Imperial Japan's Yokosuka MXY- 7 Ohka (Cherry Blossom or 'Baka Bomb') or a more advanced version of Hitler's V1 rocket with room for a pilot, might successfully interdict or decimate an invading Chinese force.

Taiwan's loitering UAVs can be used for tactical and strategic preemptive strikes against China's crucial ground-based early warning radar and air-defense systems. While it is designed with the defensive imperative in mind, its applications expand beyond defensive purposes and demands.

This might be concerning to China if Taiwan adopts a defense strategy that incorporates the assemblage of hundreds of loitering weapons in the skies that can be deployed as attack aircraft suspended in flight. The notion is consistent with that of an aircraft carrier, where aircraft wait on the flight deck or in bays below. A considerable number of loitering munitions would function as a continuous, dense, and quick-response defense screen.

Through this description, the conceptual applications of the 'Rising Sword' become an airborne, suspended, and 'unsinkable' aircraft carrier in the skies. Taiwan can take advantage of their tiny and easily deployable size by moving them across the strategic waterway and stationing them on assets such as the Kinmen and Matsu islands, Kinmen County, and Lienchiang County.

The location of these islands directly opposite China's massive cities, Xiamen and Fuzhou, from the perspective of China's national security, endangers its entire southeastern as well as eastern flank, threatening unrestricted movement from the East China Sea to either the South China Sea or the Philippine Sea and wider Pacific Ocean, or even restricting the movement of Chinese maritime assets between the Yellow and East China seas.

China is unlikely to recognize Taiwan's capability to militarily invade mainland China, it will need to adapt and integrate this threat to its ground-based early warning radar units, air-defense systems, and densely populated coastal areas.

Dr. Scott N. Romaniuk is a visiting fellow at the International Centre for Policing and Security, University of South Wales, U.K., and a non-resident expert at the Taiwan Center for Security Studies...

Source: Space War.

Link: https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Taiwans_Chien_Hsiang_loitering_drone_was_designed_to_destroy_enemy_radar_and_UAVs_999.html.

China's MD-22 hypersonic UAV could be strategic asset in near- or outer-space

by Scott N. Romaniuk, Tobias Burgers, and Shih-yueh Yang for SpaceWar.com

Sydney, Australia (SPX)

Nov 16, 2022

China has made significant advancements in the security and defense industries, and the Zhuhai airshow showcases its cutting-edge military weaponry technology. This includes concept fighter aircraft like the J-20 and J-16 as well as state-of-the-art unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including stealth and hypersonic models like the MD-22. The MD-22 hypersonic UAV is said to be a unique idea that could help China compete with other countries in the hypersonic field.

The alleged hypersonic potential of China's MD-22 UAV has piqued the interest of many. There is hope that the MD-22, created by China's Guangdong Aerodynamic Research Academy (GARA) and the CAS Institute of Mechanics, will one day take people to the very edge of space. Rather than viewing the MD-22 as a singular drone-style weapon, it should be seen as a testing ground for the rapidly developing field of hypersonic weapons.

If the MD-22's specifications were true, it would be an incredible UAV, capable of travelling 8,000 kilometers at an average speed of 8,645 kilometers per hour while carrying more than 1,800 kilograms (4,000 pounds). It measures 10.8 meters long, or the length of a school bus; 4.5 meters wide, or the width of a Mini Cooper; and 1.6 meters high. It has a weight of one ton. The US MQ-9 Reaper weighs more than 2 tons.

The turboram accelerates the MD-22 to its maximum speed during takeoff, after which it switches to the scramjet for hypersonic flight. Potentially matching the MD-22's physical attributes are its theoretical capabilities. However, the claimed range of the aircraft is disputable unless carried by other large aircraft or rocket boosters. The similarities between the MD-22 and the Hongdu GJ-11 Sharp Sword stealth UAVs also highlight the aircraft's status as a showpiece. The practicality of its ostensibly high-altitude potential is also unclear.

The MD-22 is said to be capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 7 and utilizing a wide range of thrusts thanks to its uniquely streamlined exterior and internal architecture. Supersonic speeds are those between Mach 1 and Mach 5, whereas hypersonic speeds are those above Mach 5. Sound has a speed of 1,225 kilometers per hour (699 miles per hour), meaning that hypersonic missiles can reach speeds of at least 6,000 kilometers per hour (3,748 miles per hour).

However, the MD-22 is rumored to have 24 internal and storage pylons that can take up to 680 kilograms (1,500 pounds) each, while the MQ-9 Reaper only has four hard points for weaponry. This means that the standard range of the vehicle can be expanded by installing additional fuel tanks. With a heavy payload, the Chinese-made MD-22 could theoretically travel faster than hypersonic missiles.

The MD-22, on the other hand, is purely theoretical outside of the AVIC Group's "Nantianmen Project," which is functionally equivalent to discussions of the Star Wars universe. Still, there are aspects of such a discussion that would be relevant even now.

Space Race 2.0

As major nations work to improve their hypersonic weapons capabilities, academics, professionals, and policymakers debate whether the floodgates are opening, resulting in a new arms race in the local domain, near- or outer-space, or both. The "space race" is back, with big countries once again showing a lot of interest in space and low-orbit military systems and striving for rapid breakthroughs.

Because of competing interests and rising competitiveness among governments in near- or outer-space, the likelihood of an incident leading to armed conflict has increased significantly. A war between nations could have devastating effects on international stability if it is sparked by events in space. There is a significant danger that this may spark a security dilemma, increasing the likelihood that many states will be dragged into a war that uses elements of both conventional and nuclear warfare.

Like any other country, China is conducting extensive research in electronics, thermal management, and command and control as part of a technology race to develop hypersonic weapons. China's drones are built with upgrades and new uses in mind, suggesting that the country's leaders are already planning for or even testing a variety of applications and follow-up models.

It is expected that China will showcase a broad variety of UAVs at upcoming shows, either to boast about its achievements or to plant the idea that massive advances are being made in the field of hypersonic weaponry.

Other Chinese propeller-driven or subsonic UAVs are comparable to their American counterparts. Such as the Chengdu GJ-1 (-1) / Wing Loong 1 armed drones, which are essentially equal to the MQ-1/MQ-9; the Rainbow CH-7 stealth high-altitude drone, which resembles the X-47B; and the WZ-8 / BZK-008 CH-91 surveillance drone, which is roughly equivalent to the RQ-5.

The MD-22, on the other hand, could, in theory, be a great leap forward and be used to make sixth-generation or even more advanced seventh-generation planes.

Source: Space War.

Link: https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Chinas_MD_22_hypersonic_UAV_could_be_strategic_asset_in_near__or_outer_space_999.html.

Russia's use of Iranian drones in Ukraine hints at reliance on Iran

Anton Mardasov

October 4, 2022

The use of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by Russian forces in Ukraine has ceased to be taboo in Russian society.

Officials continue to call news about Iranian drone deliveries to Russia "artificially promoted" "fakes," but the Russian press writes about it quite freely and without hesitation, despite current laws that prohibit disseminating data about the army that contradict official ones.

Moreover, even the Russian Ministry of Defense — an agency whose representatives call any major retreat a "regrouping" without blinking an eye — has begun to acknowledge problems in equipping the troops with nationally developed drones. Thus, at the end of September, Col. Igor Ischuk, a representative of the Defense Ministry, stated directly that most Russian UAVs do not meet the tactical and technical requirements of the agency, which as a result "has to go to simplification, to additional approvals, to acceptance of drones for pilot operation."

However, even such statements do not mean that in the near future Moscow or Tehran will admit the obvious and thereby confirm rumors of a growing military-technical partnership.

First, due to the length of the front line, the massive use of artillery by both sides and the Ukrainians' use of air defense assets in ambush mode, any drones are expendable material. Russia still has not acknowledged the use of Iskander operational-tactical missiles against Georgia in 2008, despite ample proof. Therefore, it is rather naïve to believe that photos and videos with remnants of the Iranian MD550 engine from the Shahed-136 kamikaze drones will convince the Kremlin to make any public acknowledgment.

Second, even the Chinese civilian DJI quadcopters purchased en masse for Russian troops do not immediately find themselves on the front lines, because it takes time to hack to disable the transponder that gives out the operator's location. In the case of the Iranian UAVs, the time lag between receipt of the shipment and delivery to the frontline is used for repainting, namely to apply Russian markings and flight numbers. Incidentally, this repainting trick was first used by Moscow when moving MiG-29 fighter jets to Libya via Iran and Syria to support Khalifa Hifter.

Third, in May 2022, in order to promote its drone diplomacy, Iran opened a factory in Dushanbe to produce Ababil-2 UAVs. Hypothetically, given Tajikistan's membership in the Russian integration association of the CSTO, this makes it even easier to dissolve Iranian drones in the Russian fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles. All the more so because the Ababil-2 reconnaissance UAVs, based on a number of videos, can already be used by Russian troops in Ukraine.

Nevertheless, the saturation of Russian forces with Iranian drones does not mean that Russia has developed a clear concept for using these UAVs in combination with its own. Judging by the fact that Russian military transport aviation has only recently joined flights to Iran, it is possible that the number and quantity of UAVs purchased are being adjusted as they are used in the Ukrainian sub-theater.

In addition, the preparation of Russian drone operators took place at an accelerated pace in Iran, and the final period of training in the use of Shahed-136 (renamed Geran-2 or Geranium-2 by Russia) appears to be taking place already in Ukraine. For example, Russian experts attribute the loss of the Iranian Mohajer-6 drone, which can perform combat missions and act as a navigator for Shahed-136 loitering munitions, to pilot error due to lack of experience in their use.

According to media reports, the Russian military is using Iranian UAVs to strike targets both on the line of contact and deep inside Ukrainian territory at a range of several dozens of kilometers. However, according to Russian servicemen themselves with whom Al-Monitor spoke, expectations that the Shahed-136 kamikaze drones would be used en masse against mobile Ukrainian artillery brigades with American HIMARS artillery missile systems and M777 howitzers and French CAESARs have not yet materialized.

Theoretically, if Shahed-136 did not find a suitable target in the search area with the help of onboard electro-optics, it is sent to attack a stationary target with known coordinates, experts say. However, the shortage of precision-guided weapons, restrictions on the operation of attack aircraft in the operational depths of Ukraine's defense, and problems with the quality and quantity of technical reconnaissance equipment force the Russian military to use Iranian UAVs mainly as a replacement for cruise and tactical missiles for strikes against stationary targets that do not require reconnaissance check. In particular, it is known that Shahed-136 loitering munitions together with Russian Lancet-3 kamikaze drones were used to hit an air defense command post and a fuel storage facility in Ochakiv and the headquarters of the operational command South in Odessa.

Overall, the Ukrainian war not only highlighted numerous problems within the Russian army, which at the time of the invasion of Ukraine relied heavily on the experience of the "parade" campaign in Syria, but it also moved Russian generals and officers in relations with Iranian ones from the category of instructors to trainees. Due to the huge and, most importantly, unplanned consumption of ammunition, the Russian military is also interested in replenishing its stockpiles with shells and bullets of various calibers, which are serially produced at Iranian factories. This seemingly insignificant change at the grassroots level of military cooperation actually reflects a breakdown in the previous system of relations between Moscow and Tehran. Previously, it was the Kremlin that decided how deeply to strengthen cooperation with the Iranian clerical leadership in order not to upset the balance in relations with the West and Israel.

Now, given the dire consequences of the failed blitzkrieg in Ukraine, Moscow is essentially in a position where Tehran can already decide what it wants from Russia.

Representatives of the administration of former President Hassan Rouhani expressed a desire to have Russian Su-30 fighters, while the officials working under current President Ebrahim Raisi are in favor of buying more modern Su-35 fighters. In previous years, Moscow had shown little willingness to supply Iran with such sophisticated military hardware and apparently made this process conditional on the outcome of the negotiations on the nuclear deal. Today, with relations with the West in an acute crisis and negotiations on the nuclear deal revival essentially deadlocked, attitudes toward Iranian supplies are being reconsidered. Therefore, it is likely that in the future Iran may indeed receive Russian Su-35 fighter jets, which have not been delivered to Egypt.

At the same time, it is possible that Russia will try to rectify its position and present its current dependence on Iran as a temporary necessity. For instance, Moscow could offer Tehran joint programs to modernize existing drone models, highlighting such shortcomings as low speed, visual and acoustic visibility, which, logically, should be corrected. But here, too, the Kremlin is capable of falling into a trap. If Russian imports of Iranian UAVs do not bother Saudi Arabia, the UAE or Israel much, then the joint Russian-Iranian modernization of drones, based on the experience of a large-scale rather than local conflict, will be perceived extremely painfully, even taking into account the limited industrial capabilities of Russian enterprises specializing in UAV production.

Source: al-Monitor.

Link: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/10/russias-use-iranian-drones-ukraine-hints-reliance-iran.

Taliban Accuses Pakistan of Allowing US Drones to Use its Airspace

Sunday, 28 August, 2022

The Taliban's acting defense minister on Sunday said Pakistan had allowed American drones to use its airspace to access Afghanistan, a charge Pakistan has recently denied following a US air strike in Kabul.

Acting Minister of Defense Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob told reporters at a news conference in Kabul that American drones have been entering Afghanistan via Pakistan.

"According to our information the drones are entering through Pakistan to Afghanistan, they use Pakistan's airspace, we ask Pakistan, don't use your airspace against us," he said.

Pakistan's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Pakistani authorities have denied involvement in or advanced knowledge of a drone strike the United States said it carried out in Kabul in July that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Yaqoob's comments could exacerbate tension between the neighboring nations at a time when the Afghan Taliban is mediating talks between Pakistan and a Pakistani Taliban militant group. Afghanistan also relies heavily on trade with Pakistan as the country experiences an economic crisis.

The Taliban said it is investigating the July air strike and that it has not found the Al-Qaeda leader's body.

Source: Asharq al-Awsat.

Link: https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3841216/taliban-accuses-pakistan-allowing-us-drones-use-its-airspace.

Iran to Launch Drone Drills

Wednesday, 24 August, 2022

Iran's armed forces will on Wednesday launch large scale drone drills across the country involving 150 unmanned aerial vehicles to show off its “power”, state media reported Tuesday.

“The accuracy and power of weapons... the capabilities of guidance and control systems and the combat capabilities of drones are among the things that will be tested and evaluated in this exercise,” deputy coordinator of the armed forces Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told the state broadcaster.

“This is the first time that a joint drone exercise is conducted at the level of the four forces of the republic of Iran's army and the country's joint air defense base,” he added.

No details were given as to how long the exercises would last.

Iran started developing drones in the 1980s during its eight-year war with Iraq.

“This is only a part of the drone power of... Iran's army, which is carrying out operations in various reconnaissance, surveillance and combat missions,” Sayyari added.

The drills will take place “from the warm waters of the Gulf and the Sea of Oman in the south, to the eastern, western, northern and central parts of the country,” he said.

Iran's army unveiled its first division of ships and submarines capable of carrying armed drones in July when US President Joe Biden was touring the Middle East.

In May, state television broadcast footage of an air base for drones under the Zagros mountain range in the west of the country.

Iran’s drone program has sparked international concern over its supplying of the aircraft to its regional proxy militias, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and armed factions in Iraq and the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

The US and Israel, arch-enemies of Iran, have previously accused Tehran of using drones and missiles to attack US forces and Israel-linked ships in the Gulf.

Washington said in July that Iran plans to deliver “hundreds of drones” to Russia to aid its war on Ukraine, an accusation Tehran dismissed as “baseless”.

Source: Asharq al-Awsat.

Link: https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3834046/iran-launch-drone-drills.

Turkish Drone Bombs the Vicinity of Erbil

Saturday, 20 August, 2022

A Turkish drone has bombed the vicinity of Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, according to the German Press Agency on Saturday citing an Iraqi source.

The bombing targeted a “hideout of members of the Kurdistan Labor Party (PKK), early this morning, in the Sidekan sub-district of Soran in Erbil,” Iraqi media said quoting the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The bombing was carried out by a drone,” added the source “but the magnitude of losses has not yet been identified.”

On Friday, fires broke out in the pastures of two villages in the Amadiya district, north of Dohuk, as a result of the bombing carried out by Turkish military helicopters," stated the agency.

Source: Asharq al-Awsat.

Link: https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3827021/turkish-drone-bombs-vicinity-erbil.

Israel Sends Dozens of Drones to Gaza, Lapid Cancels his Vacation

Friday, 5 August, 2022

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid canceled his vacation due to the security situation in the south of the country, according to the Hebrew Channel 14.

Lapid's office said in a statement that the prime minister canceled his leave and will assess the situation at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv.

Israel sent dozens of drones into Gaza Strip amid the state of alert among its forces in the vicinity of the Palestinian enclave.

Tel Aviv is expecting a possible response after its brutal arrest and assault of the leader of the Islamic Jihad movement in Jenin, Bassam al-Saadi.

Hebrew media said that the Israeli Air Force attacked the Gaza Strip's borders to "target armed cells" that might launch anti-tank missiles or rockets or carry out sniping operations toward Israeli targets.

Meanwhile, the Chief of the General Staff, Aviv Kohavi, visited the Gaza Division and held an operational-security situational assessment with the Commanding Officer, Nimrod Aloni.

Kohavi ordered the Israeli forces to increase readiness for escalation and expand defensive and intelligence efforts.

Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (Makan) announced that the area near the Gaza Strip witnessed a state of alert. Roads were shut and train stations were closed.

Israel closed Kerem Shalom commercial crossing and the Beit Hanoun crossing.

Based on a new assessment of the security situation, the Israeli army sent a letter to Gaza residents announcing the extension of the state of alert for another day.

According to Israel's Channel 14, the army will not tolerate maintaining the state of alert in the Gaza Strip for a long time and may replace this with economic sanctions, such as banning fishing in the Gaza sea and keeping the crossings closed, in an attempt to put financial pressure.

The Israeli army confirmed it has a strong intelligence warning that Islamic Jihad plans to operate on the border between Israel and the Strip soon.

The Ynet website said these attacks might include anti-tank missiles, snipers, or missiles.

Islamic Jihad official Khaled al-Batsh said that the movement responded to the Egyptian efforts, given that attacks and arrests stopped in the West Bank.

Israel refused and arrested 20 Palestinians on Thursday.

Later, a Hamas delegation left for Egypt to contain the situation. The movement does not want an escalation from Gaza, but it will not prevent the Islamic Jihad if an agreement is not reached, according to Israeli estimates.

The Israeli Minister of Tourism, Yoel Razvozov, said that the relevant authorities are working at the military and political levels to end the current tension.

Razvozov stressed that the decision to restrict movement in the region was taken after carefully studying the situation and in consultation with intelligence agencies.

He made it clear that Israel wants to calm the situation and will not allow the Islamic Jihad to escalate the situation or impose its conditions, warning that Tel Aviv will continue to respond to any breach from the Strip.

The Israeli minister tried to calm the Jewish settlers in the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip, who expressed anger at the continued Israeli restrictions. The settlers demanded compensation from the Israeli government, and some had to leave their homes.

Source: Asharq al-Awsat.

Link: https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3799146/israel-sends-dozens-drones-gaza-lapid-cancels-his-vacation.

Turkey Continues its Drone War in Northern Syria

Friday, 5 August, 2022

A Tal Tamr Military Council member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was killed by a Turkish drone strike in Tal Jumaa on Thursday.

The areas east of the Euphrates witnessed an increase in Turkish drone attacks, which killed leaders and prominent fighters of the People’s Defense Units.

The new development comes after the Tehran summit between the presidents of Russia, Vladimir Putin, Iran’s Ebrahim Raisi, and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Observers believe that Turkey is following a new strategy to weaken the SDF after failing to secure international support that would allow it to carry out a military operation in northern Syria.

They considered that the Turkish escalation came after the Tehran summit, where Turkey may have obtained a green light from Russia and Iran to weaken the SDF by targeting its leaders instead of launching the military operation aimed at establishing safe areas 30 kilometers inside Syrian territory south of the Turkish border.

On July 24, Turkey announced the killing of the commander of military operations in Ain al-Arab, and a week later, the intelligence announced the death of Arhan Arman, a member of the Executive Council in Ain al-Arab.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the Turkish armed drones killed at least ten SDF fighters, including prominent leaders.

The Observatory recounted 43 Turkish drone attacks in the areas under the control of the Autonomous Administration of North and Northeastern Syria.

Since the beginning of the year, 35 soldiers and one civilian were killed and 80 others injured.

The Turkish forces and the Syrian National Army (SNA) factions bombed the SDF locations in al-Hasakah, where several artillery shells fell on Tawila village in Tal Tamr.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense said in a statement Thursday that it eliminated two SDF members who were preparing to launch an attack on the Spring of Peace area, which is controlled by Ankara and its loyal factions in northeastern Syria.

The statement said that the Turkish army continues its pre-emptive operations against terrorists in northern Syria.

Syrian regime forces directly targeted a vehicle of the Turkish troops on the Efes axis in the eastern countryside of Idlib. They shelled the vicinity of Maklabis village in the western countryside of Aleppo, coinciding with the flyover of a Russian warplane in the de-escalation zone in northwestern Syria.

Source: Asharq al-Awsat.

Link: https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3799211/turkey-continues-its-drone-war-northern-syria.

Al-Qaeda Leader Zawahiri Killed in US Drone Strike in Downtown Kabul

Tuesday, 2 August, 2022

The United States killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a "precision" strike in the center of Kabul, the Afghanistan capital, President Joe Biden said, the biggest blow to the militant group since its founder Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011.

Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon who had a $25 million bounty on his head, helped coordinate the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Zawahiri was killed when he came out on the balcony of his safe house in Kabul on Sunday morning and was hit by "hellfire" missiles from a US drone.

"Now justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more," Biden said in remarks from the White House on Monday. "No matter how long it takes, no matter where you hide, if you are a threat to our people, the United States will find you and take you out."

He said he had authorized the precision strike in downtown Kabul and that no civilians were killed.

Three spokespeople in the Taliban administration in Kabul declined comment on Zawahiri's death.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had previously confirmed that a strike took place in Kabul on Sunday and strongly condemned it, calling it a violation of "international principles."

A spokesperson for the interior ministry said a house was hit by a rocket in Sherpoor, an upscale residential neighborhood of the city which also houses several embassies.

"There were no casualties as the house was empty," Abdul Nafi Takor, the spokesperson, said.

Taliban authorities threw a security dragnet around the house in Sherpoor on Tuesday and journalists were not allowed nearby.

A senior Taliban official told Reuters that Zawahiri was previously in Helmand province and had moved to Kabul after the Taliban took over the country in August last year.

US intelligence determined with "high confidence" through multiple intelligence streams that the man killed was Zawahiri, one senior administration official told reporters.

"Zawahiri continued to pose an active threat to US persons, interests and national security," the official said on a conference call. "His death deals a significant blow to al-Qaeda and will degrade the group's ability to operate."

Zawahiri succeeded bin Laden as al-Qaeda leader after years as its main organizer and strategist, but his lack of charisma and competition from rival militants ISIS hobbled his ability to inspire devastating attacks on the West.

There were rumors of Zawahiri's death several times in recent years, and he was long reported to have been in poor health.

Sanctuary

The drone attack is the first known US strike inside Afghanistan since US troops and diplomats left the country in August 2021. The move may bolster the credibility of Washington's assurances that the United States can still address threats from Afghanistan without a military presence in the country.

His death also raises questions about whether Zawahiri received sanctuary from the Taliban following their takeover of Kabul in August 2021. The official said senior Taliban officials were aware of his presence in the city and said the United States expected the Taliban to abide by an agreement not to allow al-Qaeda fighters to re-establish themselves in the country.

"The Taliban will have to answer for al-Zawahiri's presence in Kabul, after assuring the world they would not give safe haven to al-Qaeda terrorists," Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a statement.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Taliban had "grossly violated" the Doha Agreement between the two sides by hosting and sheltering Zawahiri.

Former President Barack Obama joined lawmakers in praising the operation.

"Tonight’s news is also proof that it’s possible to root out terrorism without being at war in Afghanistan," Obama said in a Twitter message. "And I hope it provides a small measure of peace to the 9/11 families and everyone else who has suffered at the hands of al-Qaeda."

Republican US Senator Marco Rubio said: "The world is safer without him in it and this strike demonstrates our ongoing commitment to hunt down all terrorists responsible for 9/11 and those who continue to pose a threat to U.S. interests."

Until the US announcement, Zawahiri had been rumored variously to be in Pakistan's tribal area or inside Afghanistan.

The senior US official said finding Zawahiri was the result of persistent counter-terrorism work. The United States found out this year that Zawahiri's wife, daughter and her children had relocated to a safe house in Kabul, then identified that Zawahiri was there as well, the official said.

"Once Zawahiri arrived at the location, we are not aware of him ever leaving the safe house," the official said. He was identified multiple times on the balcony, where he was ultimately struck. He continued to produce videos from the house and some may be released after his death, the official said.

In the last few weeks, Biden convened officials to scrutinize the intelligence. He was updated throughout May and June and was briefed on July 1 on a proposed operation by intelligence leaders. On July 25 he received an updated report and authorized the strike once an opportunity was available, the administration official said.

With other senior al-Qaeda members, Zawahiri is believed to have plotted the October 12, 2000, attack on the USS Cole naval vessel in Yemen which killed 17 US sailors and injured more than 30 others, the Rewards for Justice website said.

He was indicted in the United States for his role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people and wounded more than 5,000 others.

Both bin Laden and Zawahiri eluded capture when US-led forces toppled Afghanistan’s Taliban government in late 2001 following the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

Source: Asharq al-Awsat.

Link: https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3793336/al-qaeda-leader-zawahiri-killed-us-drone-strike-downtown-kabul.

Iran unveils underground drone base

Tehran (AFP)

May 28, 2022

Iranian state television on Saturday broadcast footage of an air force base for drones under the Zagros mountain range in the west of the country.

The exact location of the base was not revealed, although the TV reporter said he travelled on a helicopter for nearly 40 minutes from the city of Kermanshah to reach it.

Iran started developing drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), in the 1980s during its eight-year war with Iraq.

The US and Israel accuse Iran of dispatching fleets of drones to its proxies in the Middle East, including Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, the regime of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and Yemen's Huthi rebels.

Video aired on state television showed Iran's armed forces chief of staff General Mohammad Bagheri and army commander Abdolrahim Mousavi visiting the underground site.

"More than 100 combat, reconnaissance and attack drones belonging to the army are kept for operations in this base located in the heart of the Zagros mountains," the report said.

Bagheri, quoted by the official news agency IRNA, described the site as a "safe operational base for strategic drones".

"We never underestimate threats, we never assume the enemy is asleep, and we are constantly alert and vigilant," he added.

Mousavi told state television the base was located "several hundred meters (yards) underground", without giving further details.

State TV said the flagship of the fleet was the "Kaman-22", a drone equipped with missiles and able to fly at least 2,000 kilometers (1,245 miles).

The US Treasury slapped sanctions on the drone program of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in October last year.

It accused the Guards of being behind a September 2019 drone strike on a Saudi oil refinery, as well as a July 2021 drone attack on a commercial ship off the coast of Oman that killed two crewmen.

Iran denied the charges.

Source: Space War.

Link: https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Iran_unveils_underground_drone_base_999.html.

Turkey shows off drones at Azerbaijan air show

Baku (AFP)

May 28, 2022

Looping in the air at lightning speed, Turkish drones like those used against Russian forces in Ukraine draw cheers from the crowd at an air show in Azerbaijan.

Turkey is showcasing its defense technology at the aerospace and technology festival "Teknofest" that started in Azerbaijan's capital Baku this week.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to attend on Saturday.

Turkey's TB2 drones are manufactured by aerospace company Baykar Defense, where Erdogan's increasingly prominent son-in-law Selcuk Bayraktar is chief technology officer.

On Wednesday, Bayraktar flew over Baku aboard an Azerbaijani air force Mikoyan MiG-29 plane. One of his combat drones, the "Akinci", accompanied the flight.

A video showing Bayraktar in command of the warplane, dressed in a pilot's uniform decorated with Turkish and Azerbaijani flag patches, went viral on social media.

"This has been a childhood dream for me," Bayraktar told reporters after the flight.

- Proximity to 'threats' -

Turkey's drones first attracted attention in 2019 when they were used during the war in Libya to thwart an advance by rebel commander, General Khalifa Haftar, against the government in Tripoli.

They were then again put into action the following year when Turkey-backed Azerbaijan in recapturing most of the land it lost to separatist Armenian forces in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Azerbaijani audience members at the aviation festival applauded during a display of TB2 drones, which are now playing a prominent role against invading Russian forces in Ukraine.

A senior official from the Turkish defense industry said his country was facing a wide spectrum of "threats", including the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Islamic State group jihadists.

The PKK is listed as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies.

But with NATO allies -- including the United States -- having imposed embargoes on Turkey, Ankara was forced to take matters into its own hands to build defense equipment, the official told AFP.

"The situation is changing now with the war in Ukraine," the official said.

Turkey has been looking to modernize its air force after it was kicked out of the F-35 fighter jet program because of its purchase of Russia's S-400 missile defense system.

But Ankara's role in trying to mediate an end to the Ukraine conflict through direct negotiations may have helped improve its relations with Washington in the past months.

In April, US President Joe Biden's administration said it now believed that supplying Turkey with F-16 fighter jets would serve Washington's strategic interests.

- Exports to 25 countries -

Michael Boyle, of the Rutgers University-Camden in the United States, said Turkish drones such as Bayraktar TB2 drones were "increasingly important to modern conflicts because they have spread so widely".

For years, leading exporters like the United States and Israel limited the number of countries they would sell to, and also limited the models they were willing to sell, he told AFP.

"This created an opening in the export market which other countries, notably Turkey and China, have been willing to fill," added the author of the book "The Drone Age: How Drone Technology Will Change War and Peace".

The Turkish official said Turkey has been investing in the defense industry since the 2000s, but the real leap came in 2014 after serious investments in advanced technologies and a shift towards using locally made goods.

While Turkey's export of defense technologies amounted to $248 million in early 2000, it surpassed $3 billion in 2021 and was expected to reach $4 billion in 2022, he said.

Today Turkey exports its relatively cheap and effective drones to more than 25 countries.

Boyle said these drones could be used "for direct strikes, particularly against insurgent and terrorist forces, but also for battlefield reconnaissance to increase the accuracy and lethality of strikes".

"So they are an enabler of ground forces, and this makes them particularly useful for countries like Ukraine which are fighting a militarily superior enemy," he said.

Source: Space War.

Link: https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Turkey_shows_off_drones_at_Azerbaijan_air_show_999.html.

Saudi Arabia wants Turkey's armed drones, says Erdogan

March 17, 2021

Saudi Arabia is seeking to buy armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a press briefing yesterday. Erdogan made the remarks after voicing his displeasure at Riyadh's decision to carry out joint military exercises with Greece, Turkey's long-standing rival.

"Saudi Arabia is conducting joint exercises with Greece," said Erdogan, "yet at the same time, Saudi Arabia is asking us for armed drones. Our hope is to solve this issue calmly without getting heated."

Last month the Saudis participated in the "Friendship Forum" in Athens, which was also attended by Egypt, France, Cyprus, the UAE and Bahrain. Turkey's foreign ministry condemned the meeting.

"It is not possible for any forum not to include Turkey, the key country in its region, and Turkish Cypriots, to constitute an effective and successful mechanism of cooperation and friendship with regard to the challenges in the region," said the ministry.

Ties between Ankara and Riyadh hit their lowest point following the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018. It is alleged that the killing was approved and sanctioned by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

Relations were also strained the year before, when Turkey sided with Qatar after a Saudi-led boycott was imposed on the Gulf State which has since been lifted. Moreover, both countries opposed the 2013 military coup against Egypt's first democratically-elected President, the late Mohamed Morsi.

Turkey has emerged as one of the world's leading makers of armed drones, which played an instrumental role in Azerbaijan's six-week war against Armenia last year over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. They have also been deployed in Syria and Libya to devastating effect.

Riyadh already has a technology transfer agreement with Turkey's privately-owned Vestel Company that allows Saudi Arabia to manufacture its own military drones. There are, though, concerns that it is also seeking weapons that could bypass Western arms embargoes imposed due to its war against Yemen.

Source: Middle East Monitor.

Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210317-saudi-arabia-wants-turkeys-armed-drones-says-erdogan/.

US Navy Plans Launch of Mideast Drone Force Alongside Partners

Tuesday, 22 February, 2022

The United States Navy and security partners will patrol Middle East waters with 100 unmanned vessels next year to improve deterrence against attacks, like those presented by Iran, the US Fifth Fleet commander said on Monday.

The region is vital for global trade, especially oil supplies that flow out of the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz.

There have been high-seas confrontations between US and Iranian forces with attacks on oil tankers in Gulf waters in 2019. Sanctions-hit Iran denied accusations of responsibility.

Last year the US Navy established a new task force to integrate drone systems and artificial intelligence into the maritime operations of its Bahrain-stationed Fifth Fleet.

"We are at the cusp of an unmanned technological revolution," Vice Admiral Brad Cooper told a defense exhibition in Abu Dhabi, where he unveiled plans for the joint fleet.

"By the summer of next year, 100 advanced unmanned surface vessels would be patrolling the waters around this region."

Cooper said the United States would join with Middle East allies whose forces have unmanned vessel capabilities to operate much of the new fleet to boost deterrence and threat detection and better secure critical waterways.

Israel and the United Arab Emirates, which established diplomatic ties in 2020 and work closely with Washington on regional security, have developed indigenous unmanned assets.

"No navy acting alone can protect against all the threats here in this region. The region is simply too big. We must address this in a coordinated multinational way," Cooper said.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militias, which recently carried out mostly failed drone and missile strikes on the UAE, have also targeted vessels off the Yemeni coast.

"It's well established that Iran is the principal security threat in the region," Cooper said.

The Fifth Fleet has used unmanned vessels in exercises since November, he said, racking up thousands of operating hours.

Source: Asharq al-Awsat.

Link: https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3489911/us-navy-plans-launch-mideast-drone-force-alongside-partners.

US House Passes Stop Iranian Drones Act

Friday, 29 April, 2022

The US House of Representatives unanimously passed the Stop Iranian Drones Act (SIDA) to end its drone program and impose sanctions on its supporters.

The bill was approved by 424 votes against two and required approval from the Senate and a presidential signature to become law.

Republicans Tom Massie and Marjorie Greene were against the bill.

The bill promises to punish those who deal with the Iranian regime in the drones' program under the US Sanctions on conventional weapons.

Democratic Representative Ted Deutsch tweeted: "time, and again, Iran has used UAVs to threaten global stability and US interests. Congress countered this destabilizing behavior today and passed the Stop Iranian Drones Act."

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik said the Act would stop Iran or Iranian allies from acquiring combat drones that could be used against US troops or US allies.

Alleging that Iran is "the world's leading exporter of terrorism," Stefanik said the world should know Washington will "use every tool at its disposal to cut off Iran's access to deadly weapons."

The legislators spoke of the importance of approving such a draft as Iran uses the drones to spread panic in the Middle East and attack US forces, Israel, and allies in the region.

They urged the Senate to pass the exact version of the bill quickly ahead of sending it for signing at the White House.

Last December, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mike McCaul, warned of the danger of drones against the US and its allies in the Middle East.

McCaul said that "these attacks are intolerable" whether Iran launches the attack, the Houthis, Iran-backed militia groups, or other Iran-sponsored entities.

"The people of the Middle East, including Americans living there, cannot live in freedom, stability, or prosperity under assault by Iran's drones," said McCaul.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks pointed out that the "deadly drones in the hands of the world's greatest exporter of terrorism, Iran, jeopardizes the security of the United States and regional peace."

He asserted that the recent Iranian drone attacks on US troops, commercial shipping vessels, regional partners, and the export of drone technology to conflict zones pose a dire threat.

The Democratic representative stressed that the bill sends a strong signal to the international community that it supports the Iranian drone program and will not be tolerated by the US government.

The senators pledged to expedite the bill's approval, which was put forward by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Bob Menendez, and its top Republican, Jim Risch, in December.

The lawmakers behind the proposed legislation say it clarifies that US sanctions on Iran's conventional weapons program under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) include the supply, sale, or transfer to or from Iran of drones, which can be used in attacks against the US or its allies.

"Iran's increasing reliance on unmanned aerial vehicles to attack US personnel and assets across the Middle East and shipping vessels, commercial facilities, and regional partners is a serious and growing menace to regional stability," said Menendez.

He warned that Iran's reckless export of this technology to proxies across the region represents a significant threat to human lives.

"We must do more to hold Iran accountable for its destabilizing behavior as we continue to confront the threat of its nuclear program."

Risch said the US must do more to halt "Iran's regional terrorism," as "we saw with recent Iranian-sponsored drone attacks on American troops and the Iraqi Prime Minister, as well as the constant attacks on Saudi Arabia."

Source: Asharq al-Awsat.

Link: https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3619136/us-house-passes-stop-iranian-drones-act.

Turkey, Kazakhstan sign joint production accord for drones

May 11, 2022

Nazlan Ertan

Turkey and Kazakhstan signed an agreement to start co-producing Turkey’s Anka drones in Kazakhstan during the first-ever state visit of Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Ankara.

The memorandum of understanding signed between Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) and state-owned Kazakhstan Engineering foresees the joint production of Anka — a medium-altitude, long-endurance, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) — by Turkish and Kazakh experts. This makes the energy-rich Central Asian state the first to produce these reconnaissance-strike drones outside Turkey.

Besides joint production, the sides plan to assemble unmanned aerial vehicles and hand over production technologies to Kazakhstan, according to the statement by TUSAS. Last year, Turkey sold three Anka drones (which have far less international fame than the Bayraktar TB2 fighters used in Ukraine) to Kazakhstan following a defense agreement in May.  Another three Anka drones were reportedly sold to Tunisia in an $80 million deal.

“This deal with Kazakhstan is an important gain for Turkey vis-a-vis China and Russia, both of which compete for political influence and economic dominance in Kazakhstan and have their own drones,” Ozgur Eksi, editor-in-chief of online defense portal TurDef.Co, told Al-Monitor. “This joint production plant may be a foothold to defense industry to Central Asia and former Soviet republics.”

Eksi maintains that the Anka drones had long been part of the defense industry agenda between Ankara and Astana. “They caught the Kazakh military’s eye at the Kazakh Defense Fair, Kadex, almost a decade ago. This is a large but scarcely populated country, and it wants to be able to control its airspace. These drones — which fly at medium altitude, cover a large area and can stay long in the air — are well suited to the Kazakh needs of reconnaissance and surveillance,” he said.

The joint-production announcement comes on the heels of Tuesday’s “enhanced strategic partnership” memorandum between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Tokayev on May 10. The two presidents also oversaw the inking of 15 accords in widely divergent areas such as cooperation between communication agencies and exchange of military intelligence.

“This first state visit by Tokayev ever since he took office is a confidence-bolstering one between the two countries,” professor and director of the Ankara-based Foreign Policy Institute Huseyin Bagci told Al-Monitor. “Tokayev signals that the bilateral ties with Turkey will remain a priority for him, as it had been with Nursultan Nazarbayev, his mentor.”

Bagci maintains that Ankara is also extending a similar message to Astana. “Ankara’s relationship with Uzbekistan (Kazakhstan’s neighbor and rival for regional leadership) has gained a new momentum, particularly with Erdogan’s visit to Tashkent last month, when the sides heralded their comprehensive strategic partnership,” he said. “Tokayev’s visit gave the opportunity to Turkey to rekindle its strategic partnership with Astana and reaffirm Kazakhstan’s key role in the Organization of Turkic States.”

The visit, marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties, was filled with mutual compliments and diplomatic niceties. “We have elevated our cooperation to the enhanced strategic partnership level with the joint memorandum we have just signed. Turkey and Kazakhstan, which draw strength from their shared history, language, religion and culture, are two brotherly countries with long-standing relations,” Erdogan said. In turn, Tokayev, a career diplomat, referred to Turkey as a very important strategic partner for Kazakhstan and to Erdogan as “a wise and respected statesman with a vision.”

Taking a break from official talks, the two leaders played a table tennis match in a move intended as a charm offensive to Tokayev, an accomplished player who held the chair of the Kazakh Table Tennis Federation for 13 years.

Erdogan also praised Tokayev’s leadership when his oil, gas and uranium-rich but landlocked country was rocked with unrest in January due to fuel price hikes, labor unrest and long-term grievances on inequality. The unrest spiraled into mass disturbances and looting that led to the worst bloodshed in the former Soviet state's 30 years of independence. Offering condolences for those who died in the protests, Erdogan said, “The perseverance and will President Tokayev has displayed to shape the New Kazakhstan is praiseworthy. We support the comprehensive reform program implemented in this regard and stand ready to do our part for the stability, peace, security and prosperity of this brotherly country.”

Many analysts believe that Turkey was caught off guard when unrest spread across Kazakhstan. “Turkey was unprepared for this uprising [and] the quick departure of the Nazarbayev regime, as they thought that Nazarbayev had fully consolidated authoritarian rule,” Gul Berna Ozcan, an academic who specializes in Central Asia at the School of Business and Management, Royal Holloway, University of London, told Al-Monitor. The fact that Tokayev turned to the Russian Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to help Kazakhstan overcome what he called “the terrorist threat” was seen as undermining, if not a downright snubbing, the Organization of  Turkic States (OTS) and Turkey’s leadership role.

Others say that it would be unrealistic to imagine that OTS could have played a similar role to CSTO, a military alliance created by Russian President Vladimir Putin to mirror NATO. “OTS neither has a military force nor such a mandate, so there does not seem to be an ‘either CSTO or OTS’ situation there,” Isik Kuscu, associate professor of international relations at METU and a Kazakhstan expert, told Al-Monitor.

“Ties with Turkey are an important pillar in Kazakhstan’s decades long multivector foreign policy, particularly vis-a-vis the two larger powers, China and Russia. With the growing concern among the Kazakhs following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and some Russian politicians’ claims on Kazakhstan’s northern territories, warmer ties with Turkey seem even more relevant,” Kuscu said.

Speaking at the press conference on the Ukraine crisis and the importance the two countries attach to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Erdogan said that the two countries were on the same page. He also underscored that the Ukraine crisis had shown the need for “solidarity and cooperation” among the Turkic states both at the bilateral level and within the Organization of Turkic States.

The Organization of Turkic States, founded under the name “Turkic Council” in 2009, was strongly supported by Nazarbayev. Its founding members consisted of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Uzbekistan joined in 2019, and Turkmenistan, which follows a policy of permanent neutrality, joined the organization as an observer at the Istanbul summit. EU-member Hungary has observer status. For cynics, the organization looks like an autocrats’ club. Its advocates — and there are many in Turkey’s diplomatic circles — say it offers an institutionalized platform where participants take up critical issues such as infrastructure, energy and transportation through economy-focused pragmatism rather than ethnic idealism.

President Erdogan maintained his “business-first” tone with Tokayev, saying that the sides planned to double the bilateral trade volume from the current $5 billion to $10 billion — exactly the same amount he pronounced with Uzbekistan during his Tashkent visit.

In March, Deputy President Fuat Oktay visited Kazakstan and attended a business forum that gathered more than 250 representatives of business, government agencies and the quasi-public sector from the two countries to seek ways to strengthen bilateral business ties. Ten commercial agreements worth $500 million were signed at the forum, including building transport and logistics centers with air cargo in western Kazakhstan and a pharmaceutical plant in Almaty, the Astana Times reported.

Source: al-Monitor.

Link: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/05/turkey-kazakhstan-sign-joint-production-accord-drones.

Saudi Arabia to Start Manufacturing Drones, Eyeing Foreign Exports

Wednesday, 6 April, 2022

Saudi Arabia’s INTRA Defense Technologies CEO Abdulsalam Ghamdi said unmanned aircraft systems have become a useful technology for many fields, indicating that a developed country such as the Kingdom cannot ignore its interest in the sector meeting its local needs.

Ghamdi highlighted Saudi Arabia’s interest in investing in manufacturing and exporting drones as the move would help to diversify the Kingdom’s sources of income and develop its capabilities.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, he revealed the details of the Samoom medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned air vehicle (UAV). INTRA had introduced the drone at the inaugural World Defense Show in Riyadh last month.

“INTRA Defense Technologies launched the Samoom UAV for the first time at the World Defense Show in Riyadh, and it is the first strategic unmanned aircraft that is being designed and developed and will be manufactured in Saudi Arabia,” said Ghamdi.

“Samoom’s operational endurance allows it to conduct up to 50-hour reconnaissance missions with the UAV flying at up to 45,000 ft,” he revealed, adding that it could be ready to serve the Saudi armed forces by 2024.

On expanding production at INTRA, Ghamdi recalled that the company had announced the first UAV factory in the Kingdom, whose production lines will be completed, and manufacturing operations begin in the middle of 2022.

“The production plant will contain the complete infrastructure for manufacturing various airframes using composite materials according to the highest international standards,” revealed Ghamdi.

Worldwide, drones have become an active element in many fields with both civilian and military uses.

“A developed and forward-looking country, such as Saudi Arabia, cannot ignore interest in the UAV industry and in developing its own capabilities to build advanced systems and meet its local needs,” said Ghamdi.

He highlighted Saudi Arabia’s interest in investing in the manufacture and export of drones.

“It is no secret that progress in productive industries enhances national sovereignty and bypasses export restrictions that some countries may impose on supporting materials and systems,” he continued.

He moved on to point out that the production of drones is part of Saudi Arabia’s plan to localize military industries, transfer and localize unmanned aircraft systems, and enhance local content in the military industries sector.

All these objectives top the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.

The Kingdom is at an important stage in the process of digital transformation across various sectors, and this provides the infrastructure needed for making great strides in the field of UAV production.

“There is no doubt that the progress that Saudi Arabia enjoys would benefit all businesses, including the military manufacturing of defense systems and unmanned aircraft, which require a high level of technical readiness,” explained Ghamdi.

Such a headway was achieved thanks to the government’s support under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense.

As for Saudi defense companies building international ties, Ghamdi said that platforms and exhibitions, such as the World Defense Show, provide local manufacturers with the opportunity to exchange experiences, bridge distances, build partnerships and strengthen relationships with global designers, sector leaders, and stakeholders in the military and security industries.

“These connections would have a positive impact on the Kingdom's ambitions for localizing more than 50% of its military spending by 2030, and could contribute to consolidating the bonds of cooperation that bring the Kingdom together with its partners in the defense industry from around the world,” he noted.

Moreover, major transformations in the Saudi investment environment and the many new regulations and legal and social reforms, have raised the Kingdom's attractiveness and increased its interaction with the growing opportunities in all fields, including the military and security manufacturing sector.

The Kingdom's position as one of the world's most influential countries in the defense industry and its influence on many regional and international files make it an ideal destination for military production.

“Saudi Arabia’s strategic geographical location connects three continents, and places the Kingdom at the center of global supply chains and the heart of logistical equations, as well as being one of the largest international markets in the defense industry and related technologies,” stressed Ghamdi.

The localization of the military industries sector in the Kingdom is at the heart of the goals of Vision 2030.

“During the past four years, the localization rate doubled from 2% in 2016 to 12% by the end of 2021,” revealed Ghamdi, adding that the increased rates bring the Kingdom closer to reaching its 50% goal by 2030.

The high demand from local and international investors to enter Saudi Arabia’s military industries sector proves that the Kingdom is an attractive market for investment, and that the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) is working to overcome the difficulties that may face investors in this sector.

In its latest reports, GAMI revealed that the number of licensed companies in the military industries in the Kingdom would increase by 41% by the end of the first half of 2022.

Source: Asharq al-Awsat.

Link: https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3575941/saudi-arabia-start-manufacturing-drones-eyeing-foreign-exports.

Cutting-edge drones displayed at show

Zhuhai, China (XNA)

Oct 01, 2021

Three cutting-edge military drones built by Aviation Industry Corp of China, the nation's leading aircraft maker, have gone on display at the Zhuhai Airshow in Guangdong province, highlighting the huge strides made by the company in manufacturing unmanned craft.

The WZ-7 reconnaissance aircraft, the WZ-8 high-altitude, high-speed reconnaissance drone and the GJ-11 stealth strike drone are among the biggest attractions at the ongoing 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, aviation experts said.

The biennial exhibition is China's largest defense technology show.

It is the first time the WZ-7 has been shown to the public, sparking enthusiastic interest from aviation fans. The Chinese military and AVIC have published no information or photos of the craft since 2006, when a conceptual model was unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow. Even its service code name, WZ-7, was classified.

Called Xianglong, or Soaring Dragon, by industry sources, the WZ-7 is an unusually shaped drone and is regarded as China's answer to the United States' Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk, a high-altitude, long-endurance craft with surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

Featuring an innovative "joined tandem wing" design, the WZ-7's aerodynamic configuration is different from all other Chinese manned and unmanned planes-It has a main conventional swept wing joined with a smaller forward swept wing, which makes it look like a traditional Chinese kite.

The drone is 14-meters-long, 3.9-meters-tall and has a long wingspan of 22.8 meters, according to AVIC.

Equipped with infrared and optical imagers, it is tasked with providing imagery intelligence to the People's Liberation Army for strategic and tactical reconnaissance, the State-owned defense conglomerate said.

A special characteristic of the WZ-7 is that it is only the second unmanned aircraft in the world that is able to fly at the same altitude and speeds as commercial aircraft, the company said.

Fu Qianshao, a retired equipment researcher with the PLA Air Force, said the WZ-7 has extensively improved the PLA Air Force's reconnaissance capability and has a proven service record.

The WZ-7 is one of the largest unmanned reconnaissance drones in the world and can fly higher and faster than the RQ-4 Global Hawk.

The WZ-8 and GJ-11 were first shown to the public at the National Day parade in October 2019 in Beijing. The Zhuhai Airshow is the first to present the public an up-close view of them.

According to AVIC, the WZ-8 integrates aircraft and spacecraft technologies and travels in near space, the part of Earth's atmosphere 20 to 100 kilometers above sea level. The altitudes are above where commercial airliners fly, but lower than where satellites orbit.

Source: Space War.

Link: https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Cutting_edge_drones_displayed_at_show_999.html.