26xh.0717
2024-05-31 02:29:06 UTC
Ukraine has rapidly developed a domestic mil-drone
industry - and now uses distributed manufacturing
(home 'garage' industry) to construct them to dodge
Russian attacks.
Ukraine has used these drone to significant defensive
effect - they take out Russian troops, armor and
weapons caches in large numbers.
However ... the PARTS for making these drones, much
less buying them retail, winds up being quite expensive.
The electronics are rather banal and cheap these days,
there are dozens of $10 boards you can program for
drone use.
Alas the primary MOTOR(s) are NOT cheap. To hoist
a decent amount of weight, internal-combustion
motors are used. Most come from Poland and China.
They are very reliable, but you PAY for that.
Some small surveillance drones are pure electric,
but copper and batteries are expensive too.
The USA used to have the best mechanical innovators.
When the Britz invented the microwave radar magnetron
tube in the early 40s the things were laboriously
machined out of a solid block of copper or aluminum.
The internal configuration was complex. This made
them so expensive they were nearly worthless - no
decent radar for bombers/fighters/ships.
So - they brought their top-top-secret device to
the USA in search of advice on how to build them
faster and cheaper. One American engineer asked
to take the thing home for the weekend so he
could look at and think about the problem. For
SOME reason they agreed - he basically stuck
it into his coat pocket.
Come the next workweek, he came back with a
solution ... instead of trying to machine
complicated shapes inside a metal block he
said to just turn the block into thin "slices"
with the needed shapes stamped in. Then rivet
all the layers together into a 'block'. Same
functional effect for a tiny fraction of the
time/money. Suddenly the allies had a HUGE
advantage over the Axis.
How-to-think varies amongst cultures. For
some reason the Brits could IMAGINE the
magnetron, but not how to MAKE it easily.
Even today, the USA and Japan are rather
symbiotic, each has its strengths when it
comes to inventing/making. The USA came
up with microprocessor/memory chips, but
Japan figured out how to make them affordable
and in mass quantities. Otherwise your phone
would still be the size of a brick, cost as
much as a car - and come with a battery belt.
MIGHT do texts ... maybe ....
SO ... can the USA come up with an ultra-cheap
drone motor for Ukraine ? Something maybe a
tenth the price. Most of those drones go on
a short one-way trip and smash into a Russian
tank or whatever, so the service life only
needs to be maybe two or three HOURS. It will
be expected to make very good power/weight
however. Can American engineers MAKE something
like this ???
As many stamped/pressed-out components as
possible. One shot of high-temp lube in
the case. Crappy valves plated/coated
with some high-temp material. Simplest
possible ignition and carb systems. Runs
on commercial gasoline. Might be 2-stroke
but regular motor oil would have to be
what you add to the fuel. Sleeve bearings.
Remember, this only has to run for two or
three HOURS max. Indeed this is a safety
factor, meaning Russia can't collect
'duds' and send them back at Ukraine.
Can American engineers DO this - or is the
USA now too stupid ? China probably could,
but China is a Russian ally at this point.
Lower-tech Poland probably could, but maybe
not in the needed quantities. Can a design
simple enough so Ukraine could easily make
most of the parts at home be devised ?
A cheap drone bearing an anti-tank grenade
is as good as a $500,000 "smart" missile
in this particular theater. Ukraine has
proven this many times over. So, get 'em
what they NEED - quick.
Every Russian tank Ukraine blasts is a tank
NATO will not have to worry about tomorrow.
Every dollar invested in Ukraine is now
the best money we've ever invested in a
LONG time.
industry - and now uses distributed manufacturing
(home 'garage' industry) to construct them to dodge
Russian attacks.
Ukraine has used these drone to significant defensive
effect - they take out Russian troops, armor and
weapons caches in large numbers.
However ... the PARTS for making these drones, much
less buying them retail, winds up being quite expensive.
The electronics are rather banal and cheap these days,
there are dozens of $10 boards you can program for
drone use.
Alas the primary MOTOR(s) are NOT cheap. To hoist
a decent amount of weight, internal-combustion
motors are used. Most come from Poland and China.
They are very reliable, but you PAY for that.
Some small surveillance drones are pure electric,
but copper and batteries are expensive too.
The USA used to have the best mechanical innovators.
When the Britz invented the microwave radar magnetron
tube in the early 40s the things were laboriously
machined out of a solid block of copper or aluminum.
The internal configuration was complex. This made
them so expensive they were nearly worthless - no
decent radar for bombers/fighters/ships.
So - they brought their top-top-secret device to
the USA in search of advice on how to build them
faster and cheaper. One American engineer asked
to take the thing home for the weekend so he
could look at and think about the problem. For
SOME reason they agreed - he basically stuck
it into his coat pocket.
Come the next workweek, he came back with a
solution ... instead of trying to machine
complicated shapes inside a metal block he
said to just turn the block into thin "slices"
with the needed shapes stamped in. Then rivet
all the layers together into a 'block'. Same
functional effect for a tiny fraction of the
time/money. Suddenly the allies had a HUGE
advantage over the Axis.
How-to-think varies amongst cultures. For
some reason the Brits could IMAGINE the
magnetron, but not how to MAKE it easily.
Even today, the USA and Japan are rather
symbiotic, each has its strengths when it
comes to inventing/making. The USA came
up with microprocessor/memory chips, but
Japan figured out how to make them affordable
and in mass quantities. Otherwise your phone
would still be the size of a brick, cost as
much as a car - and come with a battery belt.
MIGHT do texts ... maybe ....
SO ... can the USA come up with an ultra-cheap
drone motor for Ukraine ? Something maybe a
tenth the price. Most of those drones go on
a short one-way trip and smash into a Russian
tank or whatever, so the service life only
needs to be maybe two or three HOURS. It will
be expected to make very good power/weight
however. Can American engineers MAKE something
like this ???
As many stamped/pressed-out components as
possible. One shot of high-temp lube in
the case. Crappy valves plated/coated
with some high-temp material. Simplest
possible ignition and carb systems. Runs
on commercial gasoline. Might be 2-stroke
but regular motor oil would have to be
what you add to the fuel. Sleeve bearings.
Remember, this only has to run for two or
three HOURS max. Indeed this is a safety
factor, meaning Russia can't collect
'duds' and send them back at Ukraine.
Can American engineers DO this - or is the
USA now too stupid ? China probably could,
but China is a Russian ally at this point.
Lower-tech Poland probably could, but maybe
not in the needed quantities. Can a design
simple enough so Ukraine could easily make
most of the parts at home be devised ?
A cheap drone bearing an anti-tank grenade
is as good as a $500,000 "smart" missile
in this particular theater. Ukraine has
proven this many times over. So, get 'em
what they NEED - quick.
Every Russian tank Ukraine blasts is a tank
NATO will not have to worry about tomorrow.
Every dollar invested in Ukraine is now
the best money we've ever invested in a
LONG time.