>

But in the mean-time we should be sending C-RAMs galore.
Russia makes the bet that Iran can produce drones faster than NATO can produce anti-air missiles. >

Honestly I think they’ll be able to do it cheaper with high volume computer assisted machine gun fire or computer guided anti drone electronic warfare weapons. 
Missiles are expensive but a tracked weapon that either doesn’t need reloading or costs a fraction of a missile is coming. >

cheapest is to kill the source, just need some long range, accurate missiles >

And most effective - I’d go for this option >

Just here to casually remind people that this naval anti-missile system called ‘goalkeeper’ exists.
And while it’d be very expensive to buy even just a few to use in major population centres, Ukraine effectively has a blank cheque from the entire planet to make sure that Russia stays behind its borders. 
But rockets are probably a better option in general. It means militaries who support Ukraine can use this opportunity to donate their ageing stock and replenish with brand-new munitions. >

Yeah Ukraine is basically becoming NATO's dumping ground for their outdated equipment so they can get new state-of-the-art tech themselves.
It's convenient that NATO's outdated equipment is still better than Russia's current equipment though. >

Just look at NATO stuff like the German Gepard. It was constantly modernized in regard of electronics but got pretty much phased out because NATO AA doctrine switched to missile systems against high value threats like modern era helicopters or jets with some auto cannon functionality on ifvs against Helis.  
Turns out, dedicated radar AA vehicles with auto cannons that have airburst capability are the perfect answer to drones. 
The basic idea of drones is twofold. First they are relatively cheap and stupid, second their price would allow them to overwhelm most missile systems that are more designed to deal with individual high threat weapon carriers or high yield missiles rather than a swarm of low yield targets. 
These auto cannon as systems are turning the cost efficiency back in favor of the defender. 
I bet developers like Rheinmetall with their mantis are salviating at the prospect of this turning longterm with NATO basically building a new iron dome. >

They're easy to counter if you have the systems in place to counter them, but they're so plentiful and cheap to produce that you're going to find a lot of places where they can still be used effectively. 
I'm also really interested to see about naval drones. Ukraine developed naval drones by rigging civilian jet skis with explosives and a piloting system but it was only like 10 boats or something. A proper naval drone swarm similar with higher yield explosives and hundreds of boats could be a serious threat to larger battleships. Imagine that in combination with a proper air strike. >

Anything involving more jet skis is automatically cooler. >

This puts the Miami vice theme in my head for some reason. >

Can the drones be targeted while in transit? Is that too logistically complicated to pull off at the moment? Would the result of that draw another country into the war? >

The Iranian drones are easy enough to shoot out of the sky with the right defences. Ukraine blasted them all last night. What Russia is banking on is that the missile to destroy it costs more than the drone.
It’s a pretty stupid plan, to be honest. >

I think what he meant by transit, and it's also what's on my mind is how are they getting from Iran to Russia?
Is it a ship or plane that can be ambushed before Russia takes possession? Would it cause Iran to officially enter the war? >

Russia and Iran have plane routes. Not to mention Russia is working on establishing a trade route with Iran through the Caspian Sea which directly links the two and bypasses sanctions. >

Step 1: NATO-funded pirates
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Memes? >

Aren't they called something else when they are hired to harass the other side in a war?
Edit: Yep, they wouldn't be pirates anymore, they would be Privateers. >

It's not a war. It's a special maritime operation. >

A special arghperation... >

How long before someone smokes too close to the drone factory? >

Israel is already handing out Marlboros. >

Boom !!! >

The takeaway:  Russia's supposedly formidable army has been reduced to cheap drones. >

That they import >

From Iran. >

Those drones seem to be doing what they were intended to do, I would not underestimate them just because they come from Iran. >

Ukraine should offer more money than Russia to buy said Drones. Game of Thrones this shit. >

That's like saying Russian should offer the US more money to buy their weapons. This is all a little more ideological than that. >

I don't know, I guess also, the US wouldn't want Iran getting money. I tried, there's a reason I don't run countries lol. >

I guess this can go on forever even if the Russians get kicked out. Probably need to have their own drone program striking inside Russia to get a ceasefire >

This is going to be another Afghanistan/Vietnam where the war is dragged out longer than it has to be, possibly for a decade, leading to gigantic amounts of losses, destroyed economies and suffering with absolutely nothing gained. NATO could end the war in a month, but since everyone is still afraid of Putin's nuke threats, Ukraine will have to bleed out, possibly being ruined permanently, because they are left alone to fend off Adolf Putler and his mafia. We can only hope he and his goons die off quicker than their missle piles. >

The best case scenario is that someone popular within the military/political sphere takes control and forces putin out, with said person being benevolent enough to stop the war and return the status quo. 
Worse case is Russia as a country is dissolved and the nukes are spread across black markets. >

Putin is taking out all potential competition. >

The Nazis tried that in London during WW2. It didn't work then and I hope that it fails again. >

It will fail, attempting to beat a population into submission never works. They just become more resilient, vengeful, resourceful people.
Ukraine will win this war, my only fear is that it may take years. The sooner somebody takes care of Putin, the sooner the war will end. Putin is reliant on victory in Ukraine to ensure his continued domestic dictatorship. >

Yep, you either annihilate thoroughly, destroying everything, or you leave them alone.
Walking anywhere in the middle just doesn't work. >

I mean we have a more modern example of such a hell in Sarajevo. 
We really have only seen this scale of conflict in Mosul, Raqqa, Kobani, and Aleppo which are more comparable to the liberation of Kherson and the possible future campaign to retake Mariupol. 
We need anti drone tech. I am full fucking luddite with this shit. Smash every drone that ever existed or will ever exist. I have talked to children who talked about being hunted by robots. Its only a matter of time before a quadrocopter drops a bomb onto a crowd as a terrorist attack with shit they bought from walmart and printed in their basement. >

I'm right there with you. Anti-Drone solutions are a necessity. I believe various organizations have been experimenting with different possibilities, but not many have been fruitful.
Me thinks modern air-burst munitions are the way to go. They already exist, but I feel like they're underutilized. >

There is promise in the vampire system which is currently in operation in Ukraine. >

Hmm, I wonder who's more vulnerable to drone strikes on vast swaths of static civilian infrastructure 🤔
Pretty dangerous game to be playing for someone who can't even defend their military installations >

Now i fully agree, but Ukraine cant hit russn infrastructure much, cant look like the bad guy. Just keep hitting military targets, defend,  ruaas will run out before the west. Is the west actively crying for a cease fire? Well... outside of ppl who are in pootins influence. >

Why would that be? There is plenty of infrastructure to be hit that it s directly related degrading Russia's military capabilities. Bridges that carry weapons and supplies, electricity to weapons factories, ... It would be waste of ammo to hit civilian infrastructure. >

In war its always a waste to attack civilians.  This isn't the fkn 1600's... >

Sounds like Iran should be held accountable >

We should start sanctioning Iran!!!! >

Fuck, we aren’t? >

It was a joke Iran is very sanctioned and has been for decades. Before this war they were probably the most sanctioned country. 
They play games with making nukes as a negotiating tactic to get them losened now and again. >

Yet the sanctions are for the nuclear program.  Ironic... >

Russia seems committed to finding new and creative ways to stay in the headlines and prevent public interest in the West from waning, which is really their only chance to win. 
Their management of this war has been disastrous on pretty much every level >

Maybe retool a single European lawn-mover factory to produce a couple of thousand cheap knockoffs every month and donate them to Ukraine to see if that makes Russia reconsider its stupid plan?
First month they could be launched with nothing but confetti and party balloons as payload to make a subtle point? >

Issue is the Ukrainians aren't hitting Russian targets. They're hitting their own land temporarily held by Russians. Putin doesn't give a shit if more of Ukraine gets destroyed. >

Bruh, they hit airports with jet planes in Russia far away enought to also be in range of Moscow.
They hit gas stations and refinery, ammo depots (pretty fireworks I might say) and command post (we are already in the 5-6° commander death by missile/artillery/drone strike) while in and out of Russia territory.
Also the buildings might be a thing but the guns and ammo that might hold outweighs the future NATO and Europe rebuilding plan, at this point it doesn't matter much, it just be a larger number on a check that future Russia will have to pay. 
It's true that he doesn't care. But he cares about IMARS changing the public opinion (/s he only cares about the obligarcs and military not fucking with him). >

Begun, the Drone Wars have. >

Drone warfare. I can only imagine how humans will further weaponize drones by the end of this war. Fuck Putin for accelerating this timeline. >

The U.S. is developing laser weapons to defend against drones. The future is now. >

That would be cheaper in the long run probably