Daily digest › 28 October 2026

Daily digest, 28 October 2026

Machine-translated from Russian by a language model; where the translation and the original differ, the original counts. Russian original · Post on Telegram. Source posts are mostly in Russian or Ukrainian.

In this issue

Priority 1. UAVs, counter-UAV, military AI and new technologies in conflicts
Priority 2. Military innovation
Priority 3. The conflict around Ukraine: trends and signals
What to watch
What's new in UAVs and counter-UAV
Military space and space-based data
Under the radar
And what about our Chinese comrades?
External analysis
Top mil-tech signals of the day

Priority 1. UAVs, counter-UAV, military AI and new technologies in conflicts

Russian strike assets

A nearly intact example that came down in Odesa Oblast has yielded the first good-quality images of the variant. They show how the Russian jet-powered drone is moving away from dependence on satellite navigation.

The Russian channel milinfolive read the tail number as ANS-3031. By the logic of the Geran-2 numbering, this means that no fewer than 3031 Geran-5s have been produced and used source. The channel "Oboronka" gives a different number, ANS 3301 source. The discrepancy in the reading has not yet been resolved. For scale: the type has been in active use for less than a year.

[TECH] Two posts by the channel battle_technic compile the performance specifications, the operating principle of the optical correction and the design changes source, source.

The key new feature is the "Susanin" electro-optical system of the DSMAC class (Digital Scene Matching Area Correlator — matching camera frames against reference images of the route). It switches on approximately 20 km from the target and resets the accumulated error of the INS (inertial navigation system).

The turbojet engine has been moved from an external nacelle into the aft compartment. This reduces drag and signature.

Estimated specifications: length 6–6.2 m, mass about 850 kg, speed up to 800 km/h, range up to 1500 km. Warhead about 90 kg, up to 120–130 kg with a reduced fuel load.

Baseline navigation is "Kometa-M12" with a CRPA antenna (Controlled Reception Pattern Antenna — an antenna with a controllable radiation pattern that suppresses jamming).

The weak point is night: the correlation system depends on illumination and shadows.

The channel itself notes that the K5 designation and the type of system have not been confirmed by Russian official sources. Because of its speed, Ukrainian air defence often mistakes this drone for a "Banderol" missile.

update "Lancet" — night strikes with the IRRA target recognition system

The manufacturer links the Lancet's night operation to the IRRA intelligent guidance and recognition system. According to the manufacturer, a crew of the 61st Unmanned Systems Brigade struck an electrical substation and a concentration of vehicles at night source. Within the same 24 hours, ZALA showed a strike on a French Caesar self-propelled howitzer source.

Ukrainian strike assets and their "internals"

CRPA "ASN-5717" — eight-element anti-jam antenna from Ukrainian long-range strike drones taken apart

Russian channels obtained and opened up an antenna that protects the navigation of Ukrainian long-range strike airframes against EW (electronic warfare). This shows that both sides have already moved to full-fledged digital antenna arrays.

[TECH] The channel payloadUAV published photos and the presumed architecture source. The product of OOO "KB Tsentr" has so far been seen only on Fire Point fixed-wing strike airframes. The architecture is as follows:

seven peripheral and one central GNSS (global navigation satellite system) patch;

shielded high-frequency paths;

LTC2175-14 ADC (analog-to-digital converter);

spatial processing in an Altera Cyclone V FPGA (field-programmable gate array);

presumably an AD9755 DAC and an STM32H743 for control.

[TECH] The channel mil_hub provided a two-part engineering breakdown of CRPA in general source, source.

An array of N elements forms no more than N−1 pattern "nulls". Eight elements can theoretically suppress up to seven jamming sources.

Spoofing (substitution of the navigation signal) is detected before the coordinates are computed. The indicator is that signals from "different" satellites arrive from the same direction.

According to claimed data, "Kometa-M8" in jammer-detector mode outputs the azimuth, elevation and power of the strongest jammer. This allows the onboard computer to take bearings on the EW station: to route around it or to direct a strike at it.

The physical ceiling is about 50 dB of suppression. Close to a powerful jammer, the dynamic range of the ADC is saturated, so the optimum is deep integration with the INS.

Geometry prevents increasing the number of elements. A 6×6 array is an aperture of about 48 cm, 8×8 about 67 cm. Such an array does not fit into the fuselage of a small UAV with a cross-section of 10–20 cm.

Conclusion: CRPA is turning from passive protection into an ELINT (electronic intelligence) sensor. Reliance on "jamming" long-range drones is weakening for both sides.

"Kolibri 10 Advance" — Ukrainian FPV with the Aura automatic detection and terminal guidance module

TAF Industries and DoD Solution have brought an FPV drone with built-in autonomy to Brave1 Market. The Aura module itself detects and classifies vehicles and guides the drone to the selected target source. Payload — 1–4 kg, range — 15–40 km depending on the munition's mass. According to "Militarnyi", the module not only tracks a target designated by the operator but also suggests potential objects in flight source.

Fire Point abandons new cruise missiles: "Flamingo" called a "political statement", FP-7 ballistic missiles go into reserve for Freyja

The leading Ukrainian manufacturer of long-range weapons has publicly revised its line-up. The emphasis is shifting from missiles to cheap fixed-wing drones.

The company's head Iryna Terekh stated that Flamingo was "much more important as a political statement" than as a "wunderwaffe". The company does not currently plan new cruise missiles source.

Chief designer Denys Shtilerman cited the economics behind the decision source. Delivering a 200 kg warhead over 300 km with a ballistic missile costs about 600 thousand dollars. A fixed-wing drone with a modified wing carries the same warhead over 380 km for 40–50 thousand dollars, i.e. 12–15 times cheaper. The ballistic missiles are already being produced but are being stockpiled for the Freyja anti-ballistic project. Shtilerman considers their use justified only, if at all, against a freshly deployed "Iskander" launcher.

The Russian "Rybar" considers the statement possible disinformation intended to protect the workshops. According to it, about 100 Flamingos remained in the Ukrainian forces source.

Separately, the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed a strike in Kyiv on a workshop of OOO "Oakline", where, according to it, FP-1 and FP-2 were assembled and stored source. There is no independent confirmation.

FP-1s strike synthetic rubber chemistry — the raw material base for solid rocket propellant

The Ukrainian long-range campaign has found a new vulnerability in Russian missile production. Polymers such as polybutadiene acrylonitrile bind the components of solid propellant and simultaneously serve as fuel. Propellant of this kind is used by the "Iskander-M" motors, and such a component is difficult to replace quickly.

According to a Ukrainian channel, over the past few days FP-1s have struck "Voronezhsintezkauchuk", "Omsky Kauchuk" and "Togliattikauchuk" source. Of about 10 major enterprises in the industry, six have already suffered 11 successful attacks. "Togliattikauchuk" has been attacked at least four times.

update Freyja — component allocation revealed: prototype in the first half of 2027, first ballistic intercept by mid-2027

The cooperation scheme for the European anti-ballistic system has been published source:

Fire Point — FP-7.X interceptor and launcher;

Hensoldt — cooperation agreement on radars;

Weibel (Denmark) — another proposed radar option;

Kongsberg — integration with the command and control system;

Diehl Defence — possible supplier of seekers.

A Ukrainian channel clarifies that two different radars are involved — detection and tracking. The second may be interchangeable, for example from the SAMP/T NG system source. The Russian UAVDEV concludes that Ukraine "has been left with the missile airframe and the tractor" source.

Counter-UAV

update Helsing CONTRA — contract with an unnamed customer, container for 20 AD-1 or 40 AD-2, HX-2 strike drones integrated into the system

The German air defence system is moving from presentation to deliveries. The company reported a concluded contract, and market entry is expected in the second half of 2027 source.

A standard container holds about 20 jet-powered AD-1 Inferno or 40 solid-fuel AD-2 Ambush. In the midcourse phase the interceptors are guided by radar, in the terminal phase by their own radar seeker. Sources give the AD-2's speed differently: "more than Mach 2" and "up to Mach 2.5".

The Altra platform interfaces with SitaWare and national command and control systems. According to co-founder Gundbert Scherf, the HX-1 and HX-2 strike drones, which Ukraine already uses, can be included in CONTRA source. A Belarusian channel suggests the customer is Kyiv, but this is a guess.

Auterion Talon — Bundeswehr tests man-portable interceptor drone

German military personnel tested the Talon interceptor, which is launched from a handheld launcher. A two-person crew: one launches, the other flies and guides it. The next stage is vehicle-mounted launchers source. This is infantry-level C-UAS (Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems — means of countering UAVs), which European armies have lacked until now.

Ukraine's "private air defense" — about 100 companies, 50 groups, over 60 intercepts

Ukraine has legalized business participation in air defense under the overall control of the Air Command. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, as relayed by a Russian channel, about 100 companies have joined the project and about 50 air defense groups have been formed source. Groups from six enterprises have already been assigned combat tasks. As of mid-October, they had intercepted over 60 targets, mostly UAVs.

The main assets are interceptor drones and automated turrets. Companies buy some of the weapons themselves as end users and receive some from military unit depots. One of the latest to join was Nova Poshta: its facilities have survived nearly 80 attacks since 2022. The company's co-owner stated that it already has downed "Shaheds" source.

In parallel, France has authorized critical infrastructure enterprises to shoot down UAVs near their facilities, and Germany is considering a similar step source.

Russian private anti-drone initiative "Gagaring" runs into bureaucracy

Gagaring head Barashkov described how a private air defense network sealed off an area within a month and yet turned out to be of no use to anyone source.

Three MOG (mobile fire group) crews and three "Vogan" interceptor crews destroyed more than 30 UAVs in less than a month. Within a week, drones began flying around the area. According to Barashkov, others "claimed the kills for themselves," the team was disconnected from the systems, and they were not granted a "separate BARS" — only offered reservist recruitment. He believes only people with combat experience can be quickly retrained as operators: a rifleman-machine gunner into a twin-mount operator on a MOG in a week, an FPV operator into an interceptor operator.

The contrast with the Ukrainian model, where business is officially integrated into the air defense loop, is noticeable. Ukraine has also sanctioned Gagaring as a communications supplier for FPV source.

"Lis-2" — over 200 Ukrainian UAVs downed over Bryansk region in two months

The Russian Ministry of Defense increasingly reports on interceptor drones and cites a figure for Bryansk region source. The lineup also includes the jet-powered "Roscherk". The developers themselves caveat that effectiveness hinges on detection and data transmission, not on the vehicle itself.

In a Rubikon video, "Molniya-PVO" interceptors strike Ukrainian long-range FP-2 and "Lyutyi" drones source. This is a mass-produced cheap interceptor against a mass-produced long-range strike target.

4 kW laser on a pickup — in the Rosgvardiya mobile group toolkit

An unknown Russian laser system mounted on a Ford pickup has been spotted. It covers MOGs and directly engages UAVs. The video states a power of 4 kW; range is not given; the channel estimates it at 1–2 km source. For comparison: the French HELMA-P at 2 kW melts a drone at up to 1 km.

The same Rosgvardiya toolkit includes the "Lis-2" anti-aircraft drone with an airburst warhead, the "Kalitka-KA" turret, a turret with a four-barrel GShG-7.62, and a twin PKT mount source.

Acoustics becoming the main detection channel for "radio-silent" targets

Russian developers note a shift: fiber-optic FPVs have no radio link, and long-range drones with CRPA and INS fly autonomously. Therefore ELINT cannot hear them and EW is useless.

[TECH] A review compares systems of different echelons source:

Ukrainian ZVOOK network — thousands of microphones on cell towers, early warning based on time difference of sound arrival, output to "Virazh-Planshet" and Delta. A compact NW0 sensor is being prepared for FPV.

Ukrainian FENEK tactical post — 7 microphones, on-site processing. Hears drones up to 2.5 km, missiles up to 5 km, but gets lost during group raids.

Norwegian Squarehead Discovair G2 — 128 microphones with a PTZ camera, from 50 thousand euros. Poorly detects targets at zenith.

French Metravib PAAD — isolates drone noise against the din of battle.

The authors themselves are betting on a hemispherical dome. It eliminates the zenith blind spot and distinguishes several targets simultaneously.

Pulsed light against computer vision — Russian patent

Inventor Rizvan Ganiev has patented a device that blinds drone cameras with light pulses rather than jamming the radio link source.

[TECH] The post includes a schematic. Up to 20 LED modules of 50 W each, 1000 W total. Power is stepped up to 35 V, energy is stored in capacitors and released in short pulses controlled by Arduino or Raspberry Pi. The idea is to induce flicker and glare that disrupt navigation algorithms. In an advanced version, a multimodal neural network fuses data from cameras, thermal imager, microphones and radar and selects the method of action. No one has demonstrated combat effectiveness. The device will not stop drones with other sensors, and it may blind people.

"Matryoshka" 5.45 mm — anti-drone cartridge for 300–500 rubles

AO "NPP" (a TsBST resident) has developed a technology for mass production of a cartridge with three joined conical bullets. This assembly provides fire density sufficient to down an FPV with a Kalashnikov rifle source. The sixth iteration is to go into series production. Co-author Aleksei Vasiliev estimates a possible reduction in personnel losses of 25–30% and names the Kalashnikov Concern as key to mass adoption source.

Carriers: ground robots and EW

update UGV "Kurier" — add-on conveyor-belt protection withstands 4–6 FPV hits

The UGV (unmanned ground robotic system) received field screening made of conveyor belt and old tracks. A 40–45 cm air gap disperses the FPV drone's shaped-charge jet. According to a sapper-operator, this allows it to withstand 4–6 direct attacks without damage to components source. For logistics robots, which have become a mass target, this is a notable gain in survivability.

AUNAV LINK — ground robot as a mobile counter-drone EW platform

EM&E Group fielded a UGV with drone control-link jamming equipment at the ATLAS 26 exercise (October 19–23, Spain). Vehicles with remote weapon stations worked alongside it. The manufacturer stated it successfully countered several drones source. The idea is that drone protection moves with the unit with no crew on board.

Military AI and autonomy

Autonomous pursuit of a person in a forest without GPS — Purdue research demo and hobbyist analogue

The IDEAS Lab at Purdue University (USA) showed a quadcopter that follows a running person between trees without satellite navigation or an external computer source. It is based on a Livox Mid-360 lidar and the open-source SUPER and FAST-LIO algorithms from the University of Hong Kong source. Speed up to 11 km/h, distance 5–10 m, altitude about 2 m. When the target disappears behind a trunk, the algorithm predicts its trajectory.

Russian UAVDEV is skeptical: in its assessment, the map was built in advance source. It also shows an FPV "vibe-coded" with Claude Opus 5.5 that follows a person — also with a pre-built map source.

What matters is the channel's conclusion itself: the forest is ceasing to be cover. UAVDEV estimates the window until mass-scale "launch into an area and specify a target class" at 5–10 years, and considers production of onboard AI chips decisive source.

Satellite communications on the LBS (line of contact)

update Starlink/Starshield — mechanics of the October outage analyzed: 72 and 160 km/h limits and terminals' own navigation errors

[TECH] A Ukrainian analysis explains why the October 14 restrictions hit drones chaotically source:

After Starlink was installed on Russian drones, SpaceX introduced a global speed limit — first 72 km/h, then 160 km/h. The "whitelist" permits terminal operation but does not lift the limit. This was sufficient for UGVs and bombers, but not for middle-strike drones.

Since mid-2023, Ukraine has used not Starshield infrastructure but its service plan. The subscription removed technical and legal restrictions from terminals.

The first two days of the crisis coincided with an untested firmware update.

Terminals would shut down at 110 km/h at times, and work at 200 km/h at others. The cause is errors in Starlink's built-in PNT navigation (Positioning, Navigation, Timing — an alternative to GNSS) at high speeds.

Alternatives will appear no earlier than 2029–2030: Amazon LEO, Ukrainian projects. OneWeb lacks sufficient capacity. The author notes that the Starlink cutoff for the Russian side accelerated its transition to MESH networks, and expects the same effect for Ukraine.

Stimson Center analyst Dan Grazier draws the lesson for the Pentagon: the network "kill switch" is held by the provider, and unlike jamming, there are no backup channels against it source.

Cyber

Russian channel claims to have hacked the computers of the 13th "Khartiya" Brigade via a "honey trap"

According to "Voenny Obozrevatel", a brigade officer on the Kupiansk axis clicked a malicious link. After that, access to the unit's database was allegedly obtained, and communications and EW operations were disrupted source. There is no confirmation; the claim should be treated as unverified.

Middle East, Turkey, US and other theaters

ŞİMŞEK-K on ANKA — Turkish MALE drone becomes a carrier of loitering munitions

Two ŞİMŞEK-K, converted high-speed target drones, have been spotted on ANKA's hardpoints source. Mass 83 kg, warhead 18 kg, range over 500 km, link with the operator up to 120 km. For MALE (medium-altitude long-endurance drones), this is a way to strike radars and supply nodes without entering the zone of short-range air defense.

update AGM-188A Rusty Dagger — Zone 5 has made a ground-launched Block 40 variant with a launch booster

The American low-cost cruise missile has received a solid-fuel booster for launch from mobile platforms source. Warhead from 45 to 113 kg. The US is entering the same segment of mass-produced inexpensive missiles where Russia has the Geran-5 and Banderol.

update APKWS — Pentagon has planned production of up to 25 thousand kits per year plus 10 thousand for export

The framework agreement with BAE Systems has been concluded for a term of up to seven years source. A rocket with APKWS costs about 35 thousand dollars versus roughly 500 thousand for the AIM-9X and about 1 million for the AIM-120. It has become one of the main means used by American aviation against the drones of Iran and the groups it backs. The kits are also integrated into the ground-based BRAWLR and VAMPIRE. Specific deliveries depend on separate contracts and Congressional decisions.

India has ordered radars to detect mini- and micro-drones

The contract with Bharat Electronics was signed on October 21 for 81 million dollars source.

Priority 2. Military innovation

New US Army field manual FM 2-0 for the first time requires staffs to assess UAV swarms and to fight without satellites

Practical details of the new US Army intelligence manual source.

For the first time, staff duties include assessing swarm use of UAVs and coordinating their own HAPS (High-Altitude Platform Stations, stratospheric platforms).

Commanders are explicitly prohibited from relying on uninterrupted satellite communications and navigation.

A change in the operating pattern of the rear is named as the main indicator of impending operations.

An information advantage officer position has been introduced.

StarForge — a Canadian drone factory in a shipping container

Sentinel Advanced Military Solutions (a subsidiary of CMP, Quebec) has packed Pantheon Design 3D printers, components, control equipment, secure communications and a power unit into a container source. One container yields 300–400 drones, for example about 100 quadcopters and 50 long-range surveillance platforms, plus a stock of spares for weeks of repairs.

The system was tested by the US Marine Corps: service members printed, assembled and launched drones during exercises. Lockheed Martin invested 10 million dollars as offsets for the HIMARS procurement. There is no contract with the Canadian Department of National Defence yet, and the company was not invited to the demonstration at Suffield. Ukraine's experience is cited as the direct driver of the concept.

"Kozerog" — Russian man-portable launcher for 122-mm Grad rockets is displacing mortars

The invention, assembled "in a garage near the line of contact", has reached series production at the company BRT. More than 300 launchers are already in service with the troops source. The main argument is a range of up to 20 km versus 7 km for a mortar. The crew is positioned at the lines of towed D-30 howitzers, where it is harder to find with drones. The downside is accuracy lower than a mortar's; much depends on alignment and the gunner's skill. This is an illustrative adaptation of artillery to a drone-saturated front line.

Russian national UAS project: an average of 3.5 flight hours per year per state-ordered drone

At a strategic session of the cabinet, a figure was voiced that shows the gap between output and actual use. Each UAV produced under the state order averages 3.5 flight hours per year source. The Ministry of Industry and Trade asked to postpone requirements for SKZI (cryptographic information protection tools). Mishustin proposed establishing the institution of a General Designer for UAS, to whom the chief designers of enterprises would report. The number of UAS components in the registry grew by almost 80% over nine months. The Yaroslavl UAS Research and Production Center (engines, together with UEC) received 1.5 billion rubles, the most of all 30 such centers source.

ZALA tested drones with onboard neural-network processing under EW conditions

Pilot-industrial trials took place on northern infrastructure: multispectral, thermal and photo cameras, onboard analysis in flight, testing of navigation and communications under jamming source. Accuracy figures were not disclosed. The task is civilian, but the technology is dual-use.

Priority 3. The conflict around Ukraine: trends and signals

Strikes on Kyiv's logistics. Ballistic missiles struck the Southern Bridge: one impact was opposite the metro portal on the Vydubychi side. The Green line is severed, traffic on the bridge is closed source. Even Russian channels acknowledge that such damage is repaired quickly. A prolonged closure requires series of strikes over weeks source. Kyiv is responding with a plan for backup crossings over the Dnipro source and mobile bridges from partners with an installation time of 3–4 months. Signal: Russia is systematically striking Dnipro crossings, energy infrastructure and ships near Odesa.

Ukrainian strikes deep into Russia. Hits on workshops No. 24 and No. 25 of the 75th Arsenal in Serpukhov, where S-300V, Buk and Tunguska systems are repaired, have been confirmed source. The strike on Baltimor airfield hit an empty parking area — the aircraft had been moved out in time source. In Lipetsk, after a Flamingo attack at a range of 350 km, a fire was recorded at NLMK source.

Against the backdrop of the "energy truce", strikes on refineries stopped after October 16. Refining at Russian plants rose by 25%, to 5 million barrels per day source. Targets are shifting to the defense industry and chemicals.

Front. The main fighting is for Dobropillia and on the Lyman axis. On the Kupiansk axis, the Ukrainian operation "Veles" is using underground utility lines: an underground advance of 15 km and more than 30 prisoners are claimed source.

OSINT analyst Clément Molin notes a slowdown of the Russian offensive in 2026 after the pace of 2024–2025 source. A Ukrainian channel disputes the Russian Defense Ministry's claim of capturing the village of Obshchee, which, according to it, lies 21 km from Russian positions source.

Drones and losses. Ukraine's Defense Ministry has counted more than 302 thousand Russian military personnel killed or wounded by drones since the start of the year, about a thousand per day source. The 59th Assault Brigade, according to unconfirmed reports, is returning from the Unmanned Systems Forces to the Ground Forces source.

Mobilization and defense in depth. The decree on belts of engineering obstacles for all-round defense of rear cities has entered into force; the list of cities is classified. The deferment quota in the defense industry and energy sector has been reduced from 100% to 95% source.

Air defense shortage. Defense Minister Khmara is asking five European countries to hand over 10% of their interceptor stocks source. Italy has frozen a package with Aster 30, Japan refused Patriot. The request for AIM-9X for NASAMS points to a search for means against jet-powered Gerans source.

Negotiations. The call by Stubb and Støre to Putin was the first contact of European leaders with him since July 2025 source. A meeting in Abu Dhabi is tentatively scheduled for November 4. The ceasefire in Oleshky will last until 22:59 on November 1.

What to watch

Both sides are moving navigation away from GNSS. Russia's "Geran-5 K5-K" has received correlation optics, while Ukrainian long-range airframes have an eight-element digital CRPA. EW against long-range strike assets is losing weight; air defence remains kinetic and acoustic.
Air defence is being privatised. In Ukraine, about 100 companies are embedded in the air command loop. In Russia, the similar "Gagaringa" initiative is stalling in bureaucracy. France and Germany are following the Ukrainian path.
Fire Point is shifting its bet from missiles to cheap drones. A 12–15-fold difference in warhead delivery cost is the day's main argument in the "mass versus sophistication" debate.
Starlink as a point of failure confirmed technically. The global 160 km/h limit and failures of the terminals' own navigation are accelerating sovereign projects: OBRIA, ICEYE and Nokia.
Ukrainian strikes are shifting to solid-propellant chemistry — synthetic rubber plants — at a time of pause on oil refineries.

What's new in UAVs and counter-UAV

• [upd] "Geran-5 K5-K" (Russia) — DSMAC-class optical correction; engine in the tail; the airframe number points to a series of over 3000.

• CRPA "ASN-5717" (KB Tsentr LLC, on Fire Point drones) — 8 elements; Cyclone V FPGA; digital null steering of the antenna pattern.

• "Kolibri 10 Advance" with Aura (Ukraine) — automatic detection and terminal guidance; 1–4 kg; 15–40 km.

• Black Betty (Ukrspecsystems, Ukraine) — a new strike airframe of the RAM family.

• [upd] "Lancet" (Russia) — night strikes with the IRRA recognition system.

• [upd] Helsing CONTRA (Germany) — contract signed; container for 20 AD-1 or 40 AD-2; HX-2 integration.

• Talon (Auterion) — man-portable interceptor; tested by the Bundeswehr.

• "Lis-2" (Russia) — over 200 shot down over Bryansk Oblast in 2 months.

• 4 kW laser on a pickup (Russia, Rosgvardiya) — covering mobile fire groups.

• "Matryoshka" 5.45 mm — anti-drone cartridge for 300–500 roubles.

• LED pulsed emitter (patent, Russia) — up to 1000 W; blinding cameras.

• Acoustics: ZVOOK and FENEK (Ukraine), Discovair G2 (Norway), PAAD (France) — detection of radio-silent targets.

• [upd] "Kurier" UGV (Russia) — screen made of conveyor belt; 4–6 FPV hits.

• AUNAV LINK (Spain) — ground robot carrying EW.

• ŞİMŞEK-K on ANKA (Turkey) — 18 kg warhead; over 500 km.

• [upd] Rusty Dagger Block 40 (USA) — ground launch with booster.

• [upd] APKWS (USA) — up to 35 thousand kits per year; 35 thousand dollars per shot.

Military space and space-based data

Shenlong — DIA published an image of the Chinese orbital spaceplane. The US military intelligence report on Chinese military space contains a rare image of Shenlong in orbit taken by a Maxar satellite in 2024 source. The report itself is posted on the DIA website source.

The fourth flight has been under way since February 2026.

In June the vehicle released a small satellite and recaptured it three weeks later. The manoeuvres were repeated in August and September, with the objects separating by thousands of kilometres.

During the second flight Shenlong approached a satellite to within less than 100 m.

This is rehearsal of satellite inspection, capture and relocation, i.e. dual-use technology.

Astroscale "bodyguard" satellites. The Japanese company has proposed escort spacecraft that monitor dangerous close approaches. The trigger was the manoeuvre of the Russian inspector "Kosmos-2612" near the American radar satellite ICEYE-X36 source. The first spacecraft can be prepared in less than three years; the cost of protection is about 1% of the cost of a Skynet-level constellation. Joint European patrols in geostationary orbit are proposed, but there are no contracts.

US Space Force and cislunar space. Two requests for information are being prepared: off-the-shelf commercial hardware with launch by 2029, and fully autonomous onboard AI for spacecraft in cislunar orbits source.

[upd] Meadowlands. Russian analyst Aleksey Ramm claims that the Space Force's 1st EW squadron was formed on 14 August for the American L3Harris system for jamming satellite communications, including Starlink-like systems. According to him, the system was used in Operation "Epic Fury" source. There is no independent confirmation in the materials.

Ukraine's sovereign satellite communications.

The first experimental spacecraft OBRIA NANO (Himera and Denmark's GomSpace) was launched on 1 October on the Transporter-18 mission and is undergoing testing. Next, a constellation and localisation of terminals are planned source.

Separately, Ukraine's Ministry of Defence signed a memorandum of intent with ICEYE and Nokia on a low-orbit network with the first satellites in 2028 source.

Musk publicly named the risk of Russia destroying Starlink satellites as the reason to keep the system civilian source.

Data access and OSINT. Commercial imagery remains the main tool for verifying strikes in both directions:

KiberBoroshno uncovered the destruction of workshops at the arsenal in Serpukhov source. Exilenova+ imagery showed an empty parking area in Baltimore source.

A Russian channel counted, from imagery, more than 20 bermed shelters and about 40 garages for "Gerans" at Gvardeyskoye airfield in Crimea source.

Using ship-tracking data, GeoInsider and SONARROW tracked the loading of armoured vehicles onto four vessels in Baltiysk. One of them previously carried weapons to Libya source.

The flip side of openness: a Ukrainian channel reproaches its own side for circulating detailed photos of the Southern Bridge — effectively a ready-made damage assessment for the Russian side source.

No source closures were recorded over the past day.

Under the radar

• Teardown of the Ukrainian CRPA "ASN-5717". The full presumed chain from patches to the Cyclone V FPGA — a rare look inside the anti-jam navigation of long-range strike drones source.

• Engineering breakdown of CRPA limits. Three "tiers" of implementation — from pseudo-CRPA to a digital array. It explains why 64 elements do not yield 63 "nulls", and how the antenna takes a bearing on an EW station source.

• Black Betty from Ukrspecsystems. A new strike airframe of the RAM family which, according to a Russian channel, was used by the 15th "Chorny Lis" brigade as early as 2025 source.

• Acoustic networks as an answer to "radio silence". A comparison of the Ukrainian ZVOOK and FENEK with Western systems and their weak points source.

• IDDEA — an archive of military imagery for AI training. The Belgian company claims millions of images and more than 1500 equipment types in 20 categories. The channel soberly notes that volume does not equal the quality of variant labelling source.

• ACSC 2025–2026 report. Australian Cyber Security Centre: over 82 thousand reports, 154 confirmed incidents in critical infrastructure, a separate chapter on malicious use of AI source.

And what about our Chinese comrades?

• The PLA formulates a "civilian technology — combat power" pipeline. An article in "Jiefangjun Bao" calls for an end-to-end chain from requirement through testing to rapid adoption. The example given is connecting UAV targeting to artillery and command systems to shorten the "detection — engagement" cycle source.

• Information Support Force signallers train on a platform with combat jamming. The platform records actions with millisecond precision and builds individual competency maps. The training cycle for recruits has been shortened source.

• Chinese peacekeepers used C-UAS in Abyei. After an attack by unidentified drones on a market, the contingent deployed UAV detection and suppression equipment and reconnaissance drones source.

• Export controls on drones from 18 November. The tightening covers engines, autopilots and communications equipment. This is a direct risk to the supply chains of both sides of the war in Ukraine source.

• Preparing for a Taiwan scenario. The PLA is practising runway repair after a missile strike source and offloading heavy equipment from commercial deck vessels directly onto the beach as the second wave of a landing source.

External analysis

• Janes confirms the Starlink case as systemic. Ukraine and Finland's ICEYE and Nokia are pursuing a project for a fully national low-orbit network with satellites in 2028. This refines the picture from Ukrainian Telegram: there are no alternatives before 2029, but the decision on sovereignisation has been taken at the Ministry of Defence level source.

• Defence-UA places CONTRA in the niche between an anti-aircraft drone and a SAM system. An interceptor price below 100 thousand dollars is a bid to close the gap between cheap interceptors and Patriot or IRIS-T missiles that Russian channels write about source.

• Kyiv Independent: Russia is a technology donor for Chinese drones. Russian developments of missile-launched drones presumably influenced Chinese designs of 2025. Russian wind tunnels continued testing models from a Chinese manufacturer even after the invasion. This contradicts the scheme common on Telegram of "China supplies, Russia consumes" source.

• The US Navy tempers expectations for an uncrewed fleet. The Chief of Naval Operations considers concepts for employing uncrewed forces too fragile for a hybrid fleet in the near term source. At the same time, he allows for abandoning the carrier strike group model in favour of task-tailored forces source. This diverges from Russian theses about "drone-carrier aircraft carriers".

• British defence officials: the winner is the one who scales, not the one who invented. High-intensity war depletes stocks faster than production, and without common data standards coalition innovations do not add up source. This echoes Fire Point's conclusion on warhead delivery cost.

• Japan has closed off licence-built Patriots for Ukraine. The legal ban on supplies to countries in active conflict confirms that the interceptor shortage will be covered mainly by Europe and cheap means source.

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