Ukraine And Israel Are Using Chinese Drones For War
The acquisition of more efficient and cost-effective war drones developed by the Chinese is gaining attention in countries such as the Ukraine, India, and parts of Europe. However, it seems to be rece
In search for accurate news, which is hard to find in traditional media or from well-known news anchors, I discovered an interesting fact: Ukraine is purchasing civilian drones from China, making some adjustments to turn them into warfare weapons.
If you take the time to really digest what you just read, it means a lot. Let’s dissect that seemingly odd statement.
Buying these civilian Asian drones from toy stores and having experts make a few inexpensive modifications is providing military teams worldwide with better war drones than anything else currently available on the market.
DJI drones can be purchased on Amazon, Best Buy, and many other retailers.
Considering the current geopolitical landscape and the chaos worldwide, particularly the Ukraine-Russia conflict, it carries significant weight.
I’ve promised that my writing is based on truth and facts. So, while some might say my perspective is biased, it is always supported by a dose of reality that can be fact-checked.
As harsh as it may seem, it appears that China is producing items that are more durable, affordable, and reliable.
Drones are just the beginning.
For example, I recently learned that Chinese car batteries, both for regular and electric vehicles, are now lasting longer.
I won’t delve too deeply into the topic, but I recently discovered that Chinese electric cars, which compete directly with Elon Musk’s Tesla, have batteries that last longer than those from the U.S. manufacturer.
The only issue is that U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods are around 25%, making them more expensive compared to American Teslas. With the recent increase with an additional 100% tax, it will now be near impossible for Americans to afford them.
If you can overlook the possibility that these Chinese cars might be listening to you and capturing your data, you might also be tempted buy because of their lower prices. These Asian competitors offer a compelling alternative, before the unnecessary taxes of course.
Ukraine found out that not only were our drones more expensive, but they also failed to meet expectations. This led the Ukrainians to turn to Asia for more reliable and cost-effective war drones to use against the Russians.
Before I delve into the controversy further, let me begin by sharing some facts about American drone failures that have been previously reported by Business Insider and The Wall Street Journal, though they didn’t receive prominent headlines.
The US Involvement
Let me pose a couple of questions and you can tell me what’s happening.
Although many questions are on my mind, do we truly believe that the Ukrainians went ahead and purchased from their Asian counterparts without consulting Daddy first? We all know who Daddy is here.
Another question arises, why is the US approving the purchase of military equipment from the much-hated Chinese? Could it be the reason why this issue isn’t widely discussed in the US—because we might feel embarrassed that other countries are developing superior military technology?
I also wonder if this decision is related to the recent imposition of new sanctions on Russia, which have also affected Chinese banks.
It’s also noteworthy that Russia and China have significantly strengthened their ties.
Or perhaps this is yet another unsuccessful attempt that has backfired in multiple ways for Americans, as it seems many US initiatives are not yielding the intended results.
I won’t go too deeply into this, but it has been reported by other media outlets like Reuters that the BRICS giants have already found a way around these challenges.
They suggest the strategy involves utilizing smaller financial institutions that can currently evade detection by US sanctions.
By leveraging these small banks in targeted regions, transactions on behalf of Russian entities can temporarily fill the gap.
This approach apparently aims to minimize potential repercussions for China as well.
Back To Kyiv
Let’s revisit this peculiar coalition between the former Soviet states and their affinity for Asian partnerships.
The acquisition of more efficient and cost-effective war drones developed by the Chinese is gaining attention in countries such as the Ukraine, India, and parts of Europe. However, it seems to be receiving less traction here in the US
According to reports from The Odessa Journal from Ukraine and Aviación Online from Argentina, the Defense Procurement Agency of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has secured contracts through auctions on Prozorro for the supply of 3,000 UAVs DJI Mavic 3E and 1,000 DJI Mavic 3T, with optional additions. The total value of these contracts amounts to $575.2 million.
“The best prices are obtained when there is real competition among suppliers. That is why, when the Agency had the opportunity to purchase the necessary Mavics for the front, we used the new framework agreement procedure in Prozorro. And this approach has proved itself 100 percent. In some auctions, 6-7 participants competed, lowering the price during the auction. In the end, we were able to achieve record-low prices for the state, confirming the findings of investigative journalists,” said Marina Bezrukova, spokesperson for the Ukraine.
It seems our leaders in the establishment are currently attempting to develop better drones, but we’ll have to wait and see how long it takes and how many millions of our dollars it will cost before they succeed.
I wonder what other military technologies the Chinese are developing that are cheaper and more effective than ours.
Hopefully, the Chinese don’t develop an even superior drone in the meantime.
Russia-China 101
The fact that Putin is tolerant of their primary partner supplying adversaries of Russia cannot be emphasized sufficiently. The historical backdrop of the Russia-China relationship dates to the 17th century when the Qing dynasty attempted to expel Russian settlers from Manchuria, eventually settled by the Treaty of Nerchinsk.
The Treaty of Nerchinsk was brokered following a military conflict in the 1680s, sparked by the Qing dynasty’s ambition to control the newly acquired Russian Amur region. According to the treaty terms, Russia relinquished nearly all territories along the upper Amur River to the Qing Empire and dismantled Russian settlements in that area.
Israel Is Also Doing It
Israelis have had to defend against the drones, as well as using them to their advantage.
It was reported in April of this year, that the IDF Army Headquarters Procurement Directorate also recently requested thousands of drones from the two main Chinese manufacturers, DJI and Autel Robotics.
The report was first announced on Globes, then confirmed by The News of Israel.
The cheaper Asian drones have been widely used by both sides in Gaza since the beginning of the most recent escalation for information gathering, security, and many other missions.
It should be noted that the United States has prohibited its armed forces from using these Chinese drones due to obvious concerns about information security and related issues.
Ukraine And Israel: The Process
Ukraine and Israel found a way to supply themselves in an indirect way that could give them some leeway with their biggest financier and North American ally.
The Drone Association of Ukraine currently has about 18,000 registered members and Taras Troiak, chairman of the organization, has said publicly that many of them have donated drones for their war needs.
Israel is doing something a bit different but along the same lines. They are getting their Chinese drones from people that purchase them in the US.
Chief executive of American drone company Easy Aerial, Ido Gur, said that just after a few hours after the Hamas attack, he started getting messages asking for drones from multiple people including the IDF, Israel military heads, community leaders and many Jewish organization.
He was responsible for making sure they got their supplies and said that all of those orders were going to be donated to the IDF.
Gur, a veteran of the Israeli military, also noted that almost all the drones sent were Chinese.
The Chinese Catch
Russian forces are also employing these drones.
Early in the conflict, Ukrainians discovered that Russians had a system capable of detecting these drones, potentially in collaboration with Xi Jinping. This may explain why Putin was unconcerned about China distributing them globally under the guise of non-military purposes.
Allegedly, Moscow used Aerospace, an application designed to track DJI drones, to locate and defend against them. Toras Troiak claimed to have contacted DJI, the manufacturer, requesting that they disable their drones from the Aerospace platform, but this request was promptly denied.
In response, Ukrainians developed a device called OLGA, which effectively hides drones from the Aerospace surveillance system.
Last Call
In a world where the US has repeatedly attempted to influence China with sanctions, it’s ironic that they are not imposing sanctions on Ukraine or Israel for acquiring Chinese goods and repurposing them for military use.
The global stage continues to showcase the ongoing spectacle of The Great American Circus.