Ignoring the ban on sales, the Ukrainian military spent 3 billion to purchase 20,000 DJI unmanned Ukrainian Ministry of Defense launched an advanced electronic bidding system for the first time, launching an unprecedented large-scale drone purchase operation. It is reported that the Ukrainian side plans to spend up to 3 billion hryvnia, which is equivalent to 5 million yuan in ** yuan600 million yuan, used to purchase a full 20,000 drones, in order to build an intelligent eagle eye network in the sky.
In this unprecedented feast of drone tenders, the Ukrainian army clearly laid out a list of their technical needs, like a carefully depicted picture of the future battlefield slowly unfolding.
Among them, half of the country is 150,000 DJI M**IC3 models, and 5,000 custom-built MacViC3Thermal models, they are like night hunters, equipped with a modified version of the infrared thermal imaging system, which can see all the best targets in the dark and fog.
The two selected UAVs belong to the M**IC3 series family with excellent performance, and the 5,000 thermal versions have been upgraded with special technology, like a pair of eyes that see through the night, so that the reconnaissance capabilities of the Ukrainian army can be significantly improved in various complex environments. This procurement operation, which deeply integrates science and technology and tactics, indicates that the Ukrainian army will further strengthen its combat effectiveness in the field of intelligence and informatization.
While Ukraine's official blueprint for arms purchases has been unveiled in a high-profile manner, the move is a blatant challenge to a ban on Chinese drone manufacturers' sales to the region, and even if a deal goes through, it will become a covert circulation that distorts the rules at the national level.
Since the flames of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict were ignited, drones that were originally soaring under the blue sky for civilian scenes such as surveying and mapping, film and television shooting, have now been reshaped into "** warriors" hovering over the war zone, and have turned into a deadly "reconnaissance and fighting" weapon to deliver precision strikes on ground targets.
DJI, a global leader in the drone industry, has attracted attention for the large-scale military application of its products on the front lines of conflict, which prompted its resolute decision to suspend all drone sales in Russia and Ukraine in April 2022 in response to international concerns and adhere to the bottom line of business ethics.
Despite DJI's best efforts, it is still difficult to curb the sneaky flow of drones into the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield through covert smuggling channels. On the land of Ukraine, some ingenious craftsmen are quietly carrying out a revolutionary creation - they specially design and manufacture a "kit" that can be used to mount drones.
Two years is enough time to witness the birth of a miracle.
These drone** kits have been "iterated" and improved countless times and are now incredibly mature. They are capable of adapting to a wide range of UAVs and are equipped with a wide variety of shells.
Imagine, on the battlefield where the war is raging, each attack of these drones equipped with ** brings shocking destructive power, which undoubtedly adds a winning weight to the Ukrainian army.
In fact, in Europe and the United States, there are also many civilian drone companies, however, it is quite surprising that these drone brands from Europe and the United States are rare on the battlefield of Russia and Ukraine.
Although these European-made drones are more convenient in terms of access channels, Russia and Ukraine do not seem to be too interested in them. Why? The answer is simple - DJI drones, with their excellent performance, have shown incomparable advantages on the battlefield.
Its efficient flight capability, precise control system, and stable signal transmission make the DJI drone like a fish in water on the battlefield, far surpassing other models, and has naturally become the first choice for both Russia and Ukraine.
Ten years ago, Parrot was able to keep pace with DJI, but now its products are no match for DJI's excellence in terms of design innovation and performance.
Although Parrot has also occasionally appeared in the smoke of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the deployment of its drones has not yet become a large-scale application.
The main market support that this European company relies on comes from the United States and its allies on the other side of the Atlantic, such as the elite units of the US military, the British Iron Cavalry, and even the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), * Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other intelligence agencies, due to the United States** procurement ban on DJI products, once became an important purchaser of Parrot drones.
However, under the real needs behind the national policy, many local police departments in the United States, and even grassroots combat units of the US military, have an irresistible enthusiasm for DJI drones.
The core competitiveness of drones lies not only in the wings of hard power, but also in the intelligent brain that controls its soaring - that is, the powerful algorithm support behind it.
In this regard, DJI, with its unique global R&D advantages, has already built a technical barrier that is difficult for other competitors to overcome.
In the field of global security and law enforcement, civilian drones are highly sought after by overseas military and police forces because of their excellent performance and affordable labels.
Behind this boom is actually a rational trade-off between the speed of technological innovation and economic benefits: although military drones are outstanding with their top performance, the high cost has become a natural barrier; On the contrary, civil UAVs benefit from the huge output brought about by large-scale industrial production, and their unit costs can be effectively compressed, thus highlighting the incomparable cost-effective advantages. Although military drones are slightly superior in some cutting-edge features, that slight advantage is no longer so conspicuous in the face of huge expenses.
In addition, the functional diversity and flexibility of civilian UAVs are also remarkable, they are not limited to basic aerial photography tasks, but also widely penetrate into many practical application scenarios such as low-altitude delivery of materials, line inspection, fire fighting, pesticide spraying, etc. In order to adapt to the needs of different scenarios, drone manufacturers continue to innovate and upgrade, and launch many adaptable and improved versions.
For example, a drone that was originally tasked with fighting fires can be equipped with a special launcher that instantly transforms into an air warrior who delivers fire extinguishing agents accurately, and once this type of launch system is slightly adjusted, it may be transformed into a first-class platform with attack capabilities.
When the finger of blame is pointed at the drone itself, we must be soberly aware that it is not the cold mechanical shell that really defines the purpose and moral attributes of the drone, but the human operators who master the joystick and determine the direction and goal of its action.
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