Latest news with #OWA
NDTV
3 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Russia Working On Creating Drones That Go Undercover. Here's How They Work
Scotland (UK): Russia launched its largest single drone attack of the war against Ukraine's cities on June 1. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that they faced 472 unmanned one-way attack (OWA) drones overnight. The record may not stand for long. The prior record was on May 26, when Moscow launched some 355 drones. The day before Russia had set a record with 298 Shaheds, which itself surpassed the May 18 tally. Russia's enormous OWA drone attacks came as a surprise to politicians and the general public, but it's the culmination of years of work by the Russia military. Initially purchased from Iran, Russia began building factories in 2023 to assemble and then manufacture Shaheds (Iranian-designed unmanned drones) in Russia. Greater control over production gave Russia the opportunity to expand the number of Shaheds quickly. It also helps them gradually upgrade their drones. Investigations into downed Shaheds show that Russia has been coating the drones in carbon, which resists detection by radar by absorbing incoming waves instead of reflecting them back. They have also been adding SIM cards to transmit data back to Russia through mobile networks. Shaheds also had their warheads upgraded. On May 20 the Ukrainian media reported that Shaheds were using newer incendiary and fragmentation warheads which start fires and spread large volumes of shrapnel respectively to increase their effectiveness. These upgrades were simple in order to keep the cost of the drone, its major advantage over a missile, under control. These drones are both inexpensive and long-range. This means that an attacker such as Russia can launch hundreds every month at targets across Ukraine with little concern about how many are lost along the way. Meanwhile, the defender is stuck figuring out how to shoot all incoming drones down at a reasonable cost indefinitely. The problem is made even more complicated by the fact that air defence systems are sorely needed at the front line to shoot down hostile aircraft, making it a difficult trade-off. Adding to the problem is the recent production of decoy Shaheds. While they carry no warhead and pose little threat by themselves, Ukrainian air defence cannot always tell the decoy from the real thing and still need to shoot them down. In late May, Ukrainian officials told the media that up to 40 per cent of incoming Shaheds were decoys. Consequently, Russia's 472-drone attack reflects all of Russia's innovations so far. These have improved the number of drones that survive, increased lethality, while using decoys alongside armed drones to ensure as many as possible reach their target. What are the challenges for Ukraine? Ukraine shoots most incoming Shaheds down. Even the 472-drone attack still had 382 claimed interceptions, a rate of 81 per cent. However, the relatively high interception rate disguises the Shahed's benefits for Russia. Shaheds are cheap by military standards, so launching constant attacks is a disproportionate burden for Ukrainian air defence units. Kyiv has mobilised an enormous amount of resources to protect its cities, from mobile units in trucks to counter-Shahed drones that function like a cheaper anti-aircraft missile. That said, these systems often have short ranges, which means that the savings per interception are somewhat offset by the need to maintain many hundreds of systems across a country as large as Ukraine. Ukraine also has the option of trying to strike Russia's Shahed factories, which they have attempted a few times. Despite Ukraine's evolving air defence, Russia still sees military benefits to constant Shahed attacks. In a study I contributed to last year, we found that Russia's initial OWA drone strategy in 2022 and 2023 did little to force Ukraine to negotiate an end to the war on terms favourable to Russia. That may still be the case now, but the volume of drones and the high tempo of attacks means that Russian strategy could well be aimed at systematically exhausting Ukrainian air defence. As Ukraine grapples with unpredictable US military support, Kyiv is more vulnerable to running out of ammunition for its more advanced air defence systems. This means that constant Shahed attacks make it more difficult for Ukraine to stop incoming missiles, which carry much larger warheads. Of course, Ukraine has its own versions of the Shahed, which it uses to routinely launch strikes against Russian military and oil facilities. Less is known about Ukraine's OWA drones, but they often use many similar features to Shaheds such as satellite navigation. For Russia's Vladimir Putin, using Shaheds is not all about military benefit. Politically, he has increasingly used Shahed attacks to project a sense of power to his domestic audiences. (Author: , PhD Candidate in the School of International Relations, University of St Andrews) (Disclosure statement: Marcel Plichta works for Grey Dynamics Ltd. as an intelligence instructor.)
Asia Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Asia Times
Russia prepping drones that call home, hide and start fires
Russia launched its largest single drone attack of the war against Ukraine's cities on June 1. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that they faced 472 unmanned one-way attack (OWA) drones overnight. The record may not stand for long. The prior record was on May 26, when Moscow launched some 355 drones. The day before, Russia had set a record with 298 Shaheds, which itself surpassed the May 18 tally. Russia's enormous OWA drone attacks came as a surprise to politicians and the general public, but it's the culmination of years of work by the Russia military. Initially purchased from Iran, Russia began building factories in 2023 to assemble and then manufacture Shaheds (Iranian-designed unmanned drones) in Russia. Greater control over production gave Russia the opportunity to expand the number of Shaheds quickly. It also helps them gradually upgrade their drones. Investigations into downed Shaheds show that Russia has been coating the drones in carbon, which resists detection by radar by absorbing incoming waves instead of reflecting them back. They have also been adding SIM cards to transmit data back to Russia through mobile networks. Shaheds also had their warheads upgraded. On May 20, the Ukrainian media reported that Shaheds were using newer incendiary and fragmentation warheads, which start fires and spread large volumes of shrapnel, respectively, to increase their effectiveness. Russia hit Kyiv with its biggest-ever drone strike a few days ago. These upgrades were simple in order to keep the cost of the drone, its major advantage over a missile, under control. These drones are both inexpensive and long-range. This means that an attacker such as Russia can launch hundreds every month at targets across Ukraine with little concern about how many are lost along the way. Meanwhile, the defender is stuck figuring out how to shoot all incoming drones down at a reasonable cost indefinitely. The problem is made even more complicated by the fact that air defence systems are sorely needed at the front line to shoot down hostile aircraft, making it a difficult trade-off. Adding to the problem is the recent production of decoy Shaheds. While they carry no warhead and pose little threat by themselves, Ukrainian air defense cannot always tell the decoy from the real thing and still need to shoot them down. In late May, Ukrainian officials told the media that up to 40% of incoming Shaheds were decoys. Consequently, Russia's 472-drone attack reflects all of Russia's innovations so far. These have improved the number of drones that survive, increased lethality, while using decoys alongside armed drones to ensure as many as possible reach their target. Ukraine shoots most incoming Shaheds down. Even the 472-drone attack still had 382 claimed interceptions, a rate of 81%. However, the relatively high interception rate disguises the Shahed's benefits for Russia. Shaheds are cheap by military standards, so launching constant attacks is a disproportionate burden for Ukrainian air defence units. Kyiv has mobilized an enormous amount of resources to protect its cities, from mobile units in trucks to counter-Shahed drones that function like a cheaper anti-aircraft missile. That said, these systems often have short ranges, which means that the savings per interception are somewhat offset by the need to maintain many hundreds of systems across a country as large as Ukraine. Ukraine also has the option of trying to strike Russia's Shahed factories, which they have attempted a few times. Despite Ukraine's evolving air defense, Russia still sees military benefits to constant Shahed attacks. In a study I contributed to last year, we found that Russia's initial OWA drone strategy in 2022 and 2023 did little to force Ukraine to negotiate an end to the war on terms favorable to Russia. That may still be the case now, but the volume of drones and the high tempo of attacks means that Russian strategy could well be aimed at systematically exhausting Ukrainian air defenses. As Ukraine grapples with unpredictable US military support, Kyiv is more vulnerable to running out of ammunition for its more advanced air defense systems. This means that constant Shahed attacks make it more difficult for Ukraine to stop incoming missiles, which carry much larger warheads. Ukraine's drone strike this week. Of course, Ukraine has its own versions of the Shahed, which it uses to routinely launch strikes against Russian military and oil facilities. Less is known about Ukraine's OWA drones, but they often use many similar features to Shaheds such as satellite navigation. For Russia's Vladimir Putin, using Shaheds is not all about military benefit. Politically, he has increasingly used Shahed attacks to project a sense of power to his domestic audiences. On May 9, Russia paraded Shaheds through Moscow's streets as part of its annual Victory Day celebrations, which had not been done in years past. Ukraine has begun employing its own OWA drones as part of the 'Spiderweb' operation to attack military and oil infrastructure across Russia. Russia's 472-drone attack is unlikely to remain its largest attack for long. Putin has shown a determination to expand the scale and tempo of his drone campaign and resist Ukraine's calls for a permanent 'ceasefire in the sky', but this week Ukraine's drone strategy has shown that prolonging the drone war can also have serious and unexpected effects for Moscow. So long as the conflict continues, Ukraine's defenders will find themselves facing more, and better, drones aimed at their cities. But increasingly, it looks like Russia must worry about Ukraine's drone capabilities too. Marcel Plichta is PhD Candidate in the School of International Relations, University of St Andrews This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia has been working on creating drones that ‘call home', go undercover and start fires. Here's how they work
Russia launched its largest single drone attack of the war against Ukraine's cities on June 1. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that they faced 472 unmanned one-way attack (OWA) drones overnight. The record may not stand for long. The prior record was on May 26, when Moscow launched some 355 drones. The day before Russia had set a record with 298 Shaheds, which itself surpassed the May 18 tally. Russia's enormous OWA drone attacks came as a surprise to politicians and the general public, but it's the culmination of years of work by the Russia military. Initially purchased from Iran, Russia began building factories in 2023 to assemble and then manufacture Shaheds (Iranian-designed unmanned drones) in Russia. Greater control over production gave Russia the opportunity to expand the number of Shaheds quickly. Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK's latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences. It also helps them gradually upgrade their drones. Investigations into downed Shaheds show that Russia has been coating the drones in carbon, which resists detection by radar by absorbing incoming waves instead of reflecting them back. They have also been adding SIM cards to transmit data back to Russia through mobile networks. Shaheds also had their warheads upgraded. On May 20 the Ukrainian media reported that Shaheds were using newer incendiary and fragmentation warheads which start fires and spread large volumes of shrapnel respectively to increase their effectiveness. These upgrades were simple in order to keep the cost of the drone, its major advantage over a missile, under control. These drones are both inexpensive and long-range. This means that an attacker such as Russia can launch hundreds every month at targets across Ukraine with little concern about how many are lost along the way. Meanwhile, the defender is stuck figuring out how to shoot all incoming drones down at a reasonable cost indefinitely. The problem is made even more complicated by the fact that air defence systems are sorely needed at the front line to shoot down hostile aircraft, making it a difficult trade-off. Adding to the problem is the recent production of decoy Shaheds. While they carry no warhead and pose little threat by themselves, Ukrainian air defence cannot always tell the decoy from the real thing and still need to shoot them down. In late May, Ukrainian officials told the media that up to 40% of incoming Shaheds were decoys. Consequently, Russia's 472-drone attack reflects all of Russia's innovations so far. These have improved the number of drones that survive, increased lethality, while using decoys alongside armed drones to ensure as many as possible reach their target. Ukraine shoots most incoming Shaheds down. Even the 472-drone attack still had 382 claimed interceptions, a rate of 81%. However, the relatively high interception rate disguises the Shahed's benefits for Russia. Shaheds are cheap by military standards, so launching constant attacks is a disproportionate burden for Ukrainian air defence units. Kyiv has mobilised an enormous amount of resources to protect its cities, from mobile units in trucks to counter-Shahed drones that function like a cheaper anti-aircraft missile. That said, these systems often have short ranges, which means that the savings per interception are somewhat offset by the need to maintain many hundreds of systems across a country as large as Ukraine. Ukraine also has the option of trying to strike Russia's Shahed factories, which they have attempted a few times. Despite Ukraine's evolving air defence, Russia still sees military benefits to constant Shahed attacks. In a study I contributed to last year, we found that Russia's initial OWA drone strategy in 2022 and 2023 did little to force Ukraine to negotiate an end to the war on terms favourable to Russia. That may still be the case now, but the volume of drones and the high tempo of attacks means that Russian strategy could well be aimed at systematically exhausting Ukrainian air defence. As Ukraine grapples with unpredictable US military support, Kyiv is more vulnerable to running out of ammunition for its more advanced air defence systems. This means that constant Shahed attacks make it more difficult for Ukraine to stop incoming missiles, which carry much larger warheads. Of course, Ukraine has its own versions of the Shahed, which it uses to routinely launch strikes against Russian military and oil facilities. Less is known about Ukraine's OWA drones, but they often use many similar features to Shaheds such as satellite navigation. Read more: For Russia's Vladimir Putin, using Shaheds is not all about military benefit. Politically, he has increasingly used Shahed attacks to project a sense of power to his domestic audiences. On May 9, Russia paraded Shaheds through Moscow's streets as part of its annual Victory Day celebrations, which had not been done in years past. Ukraine has begun employing its own OWA drones as part of the 'Spiderweb' operation to attack military and oil infrastructure across Russia. Russia's 472-drone attack is unlikely to remain its largest attack for long. Putin has shown a determination to expand the scale and tempo of its drone campaign and resist Ukaine's calls for a permanent 'ceasefire in the sky', but this week Ukraine's drone strategy has shown that prolonging the drone war can also have serious and unexpected effects for Moscow. So long as the conflict continues, Ukraine's defenders will find themselves facing more, and better, drones aimed at their cities. But increasingly it looks like Russia must worry about Ukraine's drone capabilities too. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Marcel Plichta works for Grey Dynamics Ltd. as an intelligence instructor.
Forbes
27-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The World's Best Whiskey—According To The 2025 London Spirits Competition
WL Weller Antique 107 takes home the highest honor for any whiskey at this year's London Spirits ... More Competition. The London Spirits Competition hasn't been around for that long. This year marks its 8th edition; a veritable newcomer compared to some of the more established names in the booze contest space. Nevertheless, it's already making waves in the industry and you can point to its unique mission statement as a big reason why. As posted on its site, the LSC '[singles] out and shines the spotlight on those spirits brands that consumers really want to buy,' brands which 'have a clear market value for trade buyers.' To do this, the revered panel of judges at its core don't merely taste the liquids entered. They evaluate based upon look, value and marketability--in addition to the quality of the product itself. Consequently, the brands that take home the top prize aren't only of interest to the end consumer. It's worth it for bars, restaurants and bottle shops to take note as well. Because these are the products that move rapidly through the marketplace. With this in mind, it's hardly a surprise that the distinction of highest-rated spirit on earth went to something from the Buffalo Trace Distillery. Indeed, the pride and joy of Frankfort, Kentucky has been routinely deified--by consumers and critics, alike--for most of the 21st century. And for much of that time, WL Weller Antique 107 has been widely received as one of its most consistently stellar offerings. The judges at this year's London Spirits Competition obviously agree with the assessment. They just awarded it a whopping 99 out of 100 points--high enough of a score to make it not only the whiskey of the year, but the spirit of the year by overall quality. This quintessential wheated bourbon is sometimes referred to simply as OWA (Old Weller Antique). As you can derive from the name, it hits the bottle at 107 proof. But what you wouldn't know if you'd never tasted it before is how supremely balanced and complex of a whiskey it is. There's a depth to the nose, girded by cassia bark and licorice. And though the palate is sweet with vanilla and brûléed sugars, saccharine notes evolve into herbaceous threads of tobacco leaf in a lengthy finish. Before it fades for good, a pinch of cherry fruit leather fans out across the back of the throat. Put simply: OWA is a splendid, full-bodied sipper that can sometimes still even be acquired for $150 a bottle. Though the whiskies Van Winkle and the Antique Collection are typically the Buffalo Trace-produced labels inciting the greatest fervor, no self-respecting bourbon geek is ever going to sleep on Weller. Indeed, they've long known that it's made from the exact same mashbill as Pappy. It's even named after William Larue Weller, the 19th century industry legend who first propelled 'wheaters' into widespread production. He would eventually go on to hire Julian Proctor Van Winkle as his personal whiskey salesman, long before the world knew him as 'Pappy.' All this is to say, if there were a Mount Rushmore of bourbon, Weller's visage would feature prominently on the monument. OWA is perhaps the most classic entry in the portfolio--a lineup which has seen one of the whiskey world's greatest glowups, beginning with a tasteful re-design in 2016. None of this was lost on the discerning judges at the London Spirits Competition this year. Don't let it be lost on you the next time you saunter past a bottle of Antique 107 on the shelf at retail. We should all be so lucky. A view of the Buffalo Trace distillery in 2009. On March 2, 2022, an incendiary World War II bomb ... More was found on the property. (Tom Eblen/Lexington Herald-Leader/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
