[LINK] Chinese drone maker DJI halts sales to Ukraine and Russia

[Tom Worthington]

On 1/5/22 16:12, Stephen Loosley wrote:

> Tom do you think the drone that China supplies to their “100%-full-cooperation-partner” Russia
> for war is the same version they supply to the defence forces of Ukraine and Australia? ...

Yes. Today's ally may be tomorrows enemy.

> And if they are being actively used in wartime, and by both sides, although are now withdrawn
> by the company, obviously that makes them, and proves them to be, effective weapons indeed. ...

Not necessarily: it may just be all anyone can afford, or get at the 
time. There are some weapons proving effective in the Ukraine war, such 
as the Javelin and NLAW anti-tank missiles. But these are not cheap.

One system which is cheap and proving surprisingly effective is the 
Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone. I have suggested Australia buy the 
shipboard TB3 version, for HMAS Canberra and Adelaide.

> And hence, obviously, something to somehow urgently and speedily be countered as a weapon. ...

Australia is a leader in anti-drone weapons, with Drone Shield's  "Drone 
Gun" from Brisbane: https://www.droneshield.com/dronegun-tactical

And Electro Optic Systems laser, from Canberra: 
https://www.eos-aus.com/eos-achieves-directed-energy-drone-defence-milestone/

>  Thus would you want your product utilized in war so countries speedily develop defence tactics?

Much military technology is widely available, so there is no point in 
missing out on sales by keeping it to yourself. The characteristics are 
usually known, or can be inferred, even if you don't have the hardware, 
and can be used to develop tactics. This is what I was helping with at 
the Navy Warfare Innovation Workshop 2020, working out how to counter 
swarms of drones, not any particulate model of drone. 
https://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/2020/12/navy-warfare-innovation-workshop-2020.html

> It just seems all too unlikely, if the drones are also important defensive weapons for the country
> that makes them. ...

Drones are just little remote control aircraft, vehicles, ships and 
submarines, or not so little*. Hobbyists can build them. There are some 
smarts in sensors and autonomous controls. Linux software pioneer Andrew 
"Tridge" Tridgell OAM, developed UAV software: 
https://www.computerworld.com/article/3487890/the-aussie-open-source-effort-that-keeps-a-million-drones-in-the-air.html

> And eg, quote: “Drone company DJI Technology Co said on April 27 2022, that it has temporarily suspended business activities in Russia and Ukraine to prevent use of its drones in combat ... ”

So you get out your credit card and buy a whole lot through some front 
company in the third country. Or you order the parts and assemble them 
yourself.

> Yet, they will happily sell them to our Australian Defence forces?

I was a bit surprised the ADF was using Chinese drones. But it is usual 
for countries which are potential enemies to sell each other far more 
lethal weapons.

* The Liberal Party has proposed extra large robot submarines for the 
Australian Navy: 
https://www.liberal.org.au/latest-news/2022/05/05/autonomous-undersea-warfare-capability-australias-navy

And one of our old patrol boats is being turned into a drone: 
https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/indo-pacific-2022/2022/05/austal-to-convert-decommissioned-ran-patrol-boat-into-usv/


-- 
Tom Worthington http://www.tomw.net.au