this post was submitted on 13 Jul 2024
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Ukraine

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[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I don't see humans in Electronic Ground-To-Air defense much longer: Extremely boring task, extreme quick reaction against a cheap, very small and quiet-ish three-dimensionally moving target required...

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I assume not -- and I'd go further, say that the same is true of point defense in general, electronic or not -- but until we have an automated turret or turreted vehicle designed, manufactured at scale, and deployed, not a lot of alternatives.

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

Definitely, the main advantage is this would be a very easy task to teach a human to do, very difficult for a computer.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

I do have to give the guards points here in that in both cases, they had their jammer ready, noticed the drone in time -- it has got to be mind-numbingly boring just standing around a fuel tank or in the second case, what I assume is an electrical transformer, all day waiting to see if maybe a drone will show up. And you have to act within a couple of seconds. I'd have been expecting to see more video of people screwing around on their phone and smoking or something.

The jammer they were supplied with didn't work, but the human side actually did work. I'd have expected the reverse to be more-likely -- the jammer to work had it actually been used, but for the guards to be off screwing around.

EDIT: Well, Electrical Transformer Guard Dude might have been notified that there was a drone coming in by Russian air defense or something, because he was on his phone and looking around prior to it showing up, so guess maybe it wasn't just him being on-the-ball.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The jammer they were supplied with didn't work, but the human side actually did work.

That was a winged UAV. If you jam it completely so close before impact, it's just going to hit anyway because of basic physics.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I suppose it depends on how the UAV behaves when jammed and the nature of the jamming. Does the jamming simply cut off remote control and guidance data? Then yes, the impact still happens. Instead does the jamming give false navigation data (altered GPS signals) where the drone will wrongly "correct" its path and end missing the target?

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

I'm not a drone pilot, but I don't think those winged suicide drones will turn on a dime, even if the jamming is the equivalent of a full up and right.

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

You've never been on firewatch duty at a job before eh? If you're unfamiliar, it's when somebody needs to do welding or similar work requiring the use of an open flame in a work environment where that is not typically done or required. The job is to literally stand (or sit) around with a fire extinguisher at hand and watch them while they do their work, and to use the fire extinguisher if anything should happen.

A buddy of mine once had to do this in the middle of a parking lot for half a day. It was required to be done even though there was literally nothing nearby to catch on fire, so he grabbed the chair out of the office and just sat there and shot the shit with the guy will he worked on the sewer access or w/e.

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

They way they don’t fucking run when the boom happens is very weird to me.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago

Life is hell in Russia.

Windows are regurgitating politicians, reporters, generals, scientists, and townsfolk all day, every day.

You so much as sneeze wrong, and you are sent to die being chased by killer drones in a war started by your insane Czar.

I'd not be fucking around and you dont show weakness either because they are watching you 24/7

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago

There will be a delay between the flash and the boom, so they may not have heard the bang right away.

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

My understanding is those drones are autonomous, much like any cruise missile. So my question is, what are they attempting to jam? This close to the target, wouldn't they be relying on video to hit the target?

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

Anti-drone rifles? So, what, 12 gauge hunting rifles loaded with birdshot?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago