Innovations
Technological and operational innovations in the UAS and counter-UAS space — what emerged first, where, and what it changes. Each entry is sourced, dated, and linked to the drones involved.
USAF KC-135 seen with new SATCOM 'hump' antenna likely tied to ATOMS/Starshield
A KC-135 tanker was photographed with a new large dorsal SATCOM antenna consistent with high-bandwidth, multi-orbit connectivity upgrades (potentially SNC ATOMS/MAF NEXUS using Starshield/Starlink). If fielded fleetwide, it improves beyond-…
Commercial near-real-time satellite intel pushed direct to AFU drone units
Post describes a commercial satellite-intelligence pipeline (Vantor + partners) that delivers imagery to Ukrainian tactical units’ phones/tablets in ~15 minutes via a distributed ground-server/network architecture, bypassing centralized Kyi…
Starlink-guided kamikaze drones strike logistics in Crimea
The post claims regular raids by guided kamikaze drones using Starlink connectivity, including an FP-2 strike on a locomotive near Dzhankoi, enabling ~100 km-range attacks on logistics. It also highlights the proposed countermeasure of depl…
US Army seeks high-altitude ISR balloons with Starlink/MPU5 networking in Pacific
The US Army is pursuing COTS/mod-COTS high-altitude balloons (up to ~90k–120k ft class) with modular EO/IR and electronic sensing/SIGINT payloads, plus payload buses integrating Starlink and MPU5 radios. The novelty is the push to operation…
US Space Force funds SpaceX SDN Backbone orbital data network
The post claims a new $2.29B contract for SpaceX to build an SDN Backbone military orbital data-transport network linking US radars and interceptors into a unified battle network, described as the communications foundation for the Golden Do…
US LUCAS kamikaze drones linked via Starshield SATCOM terminals
The post describes LUCAS one-way attack drones using miniature beyond-line-of-sight satellite datalinks, shifting from commercial Starlink to the government-focused Starshield network for weapon-system connectivity. This reflects an operati…
Drones: Shahed-136
ROK KSS-III submarine demonstrates combined C4I comms interoperability with Canada
The KSS-III submarine ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho conducted a first-time communications interoperability event with Canada’s Maritime Forces Pacific using an onboard combined C4I command-and-control system. While the trans-Pacific voyage is main…
Ukraine’s Delta C2 integrates drones, sensors and shooters into one network
The post describes Ukraine’s Delta common operating system: a modular, open-architecture command-and-control platform that fuses drone, sensor/radar and communications feeds onto a shared map and links them to firing platforms as a digital …
Russian FPV control uses multi-band reception and wide FHSS to resist jamming
Ukrainian EW specialist Serhii Flash reports growing difficulty jamming FPV control links (notably VT40) because Russian operators are using distributed command reception across multiple bands and expanding frequency-hopping (FHSS) bandwidt…
US Army tests networked comms in special forces-infantry exercise at Fort Carson
The post references a novel exercise at Fort Carson where special forces and infantry linked up, implying experimentation with Army networking/communications integration (“network wars”). While details are sparse, the novelty is the cross-u…