Have you heard about Ukraine using these quirky Australian drones to hit a Russian airbase?
So, Ukrainian forces apparently turned to these drones called SYPAQ Corvo Precision Payload Delivery System, or just PPDS for short. These aren’t your regular drones; they can cover a distance of up to 74 miles, carry around 6.6 pounds, and fly at a speed of 37 mph. Cool, right?
But here’s the twist! Most of these drones are made from something like cardboard. Yep, you heard that right! It's this super affordable, throwaway kind of tech that comes in a tiny box and you can whip it together without a whole toolkit. Plus, its cardboard-ish makeup means it's tricky for radar to spot.
Back in May, this Aussie company from Melbourne mentioned they had shipped these drones over to Ukraine. The CEO of SYPAQ, Amanda Holt, was pretty proud, saying, “We're honored to back the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Our PPDS is an Aussie innovation aiming to support Ukraine in defending their land."
I spotted AeroTime trying to get a statement from SYPAQ about all of this.
As for when these drones saw some action? Apparently, Ukraine’s military first used them on August 27, 2023. This intel comes from the Fighterbomber Telegram channel, run by someone who seems to know a thing or two about the Russian Air Force. They said, “Tonight, Ukrainians unleashed these drones in a swarm, a mix of drones loaded with stuff and some decoys. Not sure what's powering these drones, but if they're running on electricity, they weren’t sent from Ukraine."
And while the exact spot of these drone attacks was a bit hush-hush, both Ukraine and Russia mentioned a drone incident at Kursk Vostochny Airfield that same day. A little birdie from Ukraine’s Security Service whispered to Kyiv Post that they sent a bunch of drones, which supposedly took out four Su-30 planes and a MiG-29. On top of that, they managed to mess up two missile launchers and some radars from Russia's air defense systems.
Meanwhile, Russia’s TASS news channel talked about drones being shot down over Kursk. One even accidentally hit an apartment building. Yikes! And just so you know, Kursk Airfield? It's a mere 60 miles from the Ukraine border. Crazy times, huh?
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