Jake Paul opens up about ‘Gotcha Hat’ incident: ‘I was in demon mode’
Jake Paul is renowned for accomplishing absurd things to heighten the intrigue of each battle
2023-07-23 13:49
Sam Bankman-Fried to stay in jail, appeals court rules
By Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) -A U.S. appeals court on Thursday upheld a judge's decision to jail former cryptocurrency
2023-09-22 05:27
Christie Made Millions After Leaving New Jersey Office, NYT Says
Chris Christie made millions of dollars in lobbying and consultancy fees in the past six years after leaving
2023-06-17 13:18
The ‘Vampire’ rocket system helping Ukraine shoot down Russia’s kamikaze drones
The massive drone attack across multiple regions of Russia into Wednesday marked Ukraine's largest attack on Russian soil since the start of Vladimir Putin's invasion 18 months ago. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said it is one of 25 such attacks on Russia during August as Kyiv increases its attempts to "bring the war home" to Russia and destroy equipment that would be used on the frontline in Ukraine. The MoD believes that Russian air defences are likely having difficulty detecting and destroying the drones, given the number of drones hitting their targets. For Ukraine, their own mission to down drones coming from Russia, a constant menace throughout the war, is being added by the US-made 'Vampire' rocket system. The Vampire consists of a laser-guided-missile launcher that houses four rockets and can quickly be installed in a military – or even civilian – truck with a flat bed. It can fire BAE Systems’ Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System rockets outfitted with fuses designed to detonate near a drone. The Vampire, which stands for Vehicle Agnostic Modular Palletised ISR Rocket Equipment, has one major aim. As the Pentagon's undersecretary of defense for policy Colin Kahl, put it, the launcher “uses small missiles, essentially, to shoot [drones] out of the sky.” The laser-guided element allows it to be very accurate, without being as hi-tech as other systems being sent by Western allies. There are other advantages to the system too. The cost per missile is about $27,000 (£21,000), which is expensive for a single munition but relatively cheap for guided missile. The fact that it can be added to most flatbed trucks is useful, with Ukraine's ground forces having proved resourceful in adapting a number of vehicles to house the weapons they need. Air defence systems like the Vampire give Ukrainian forces the option to swiftly – and relatively cheaply – combat Russia's kamikaze drones, offering them the ability to keep their most advanced anti-aircraft systems for areas where they are most important. With many air defence systems built to take down airplanes, helicopters and missiles, small drones can prove a costly problem. While there is scope for advanced technology drones to cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to produce, but smaller ones can cost thousands or even hundreds of pounds. Missiles used to shoot them down can also cost hundreds of thousands, making the four-barrel Vampire rocket launcher system a relative steal. The Pentagon has confirmed that the Vampire, which is also able to strike ground units, is now being used by Ukrainian forces. “Initial Vampire systems have been delivered and are in operation by Ukrainian Armed Forces,” the Pentagon’s Acquisition and Sustainment Office said in statement. The company that makes the counter-drone system, L3Harris Technologies Inc have said that four of the 14 systems that make up a $40m contract signed in January, arrived in Ukraine in the middle of the year. The contract calls for the other 10 to be delivered by the end of 2023. While the bulk of US military support to Ukraine comes from existing stock, the contact for the Vampires comes directly under the billions of dollars set forth as part of Washington's Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. It is the first time the system has been deployed in a combat zone – and it will prove extremely useful to Ukraine in a conflict where drones are playing an increasingly important role. Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
2023-08-31 22:56
Who was Amber Jackson? Kauai police to reopen case of woman murdered 13 years ago
Amber Jackson's body was found by a wild hog hunter, just nine days after she went missing in June 2010
2023-07-04 16:17
India train disaster: Signal failure the likely cause, minister says
Ashwini Vaishnaw later said the cause and people responsible had been identified but gave no details.
2023-06-04 17:48
Youth go to trial in a test of state's obligation to protect Montana residents from warming
Youth plaintiffs say warming temperatures are harming their health and threatening their futures as a closely-watched climate trial kicks in Montana
2023-06-13 03:26
Sweden Quran burning: Iran wont send ambassador to Stockholm over incident
Many Muslim countries have summoned Swedish ambassadors to express their condemnation for the act.
2023-07-02 21:28
An Illinois man fired his gun after dreaming a burglar was in his home, police say. He ended up shooting himself in real life
An Illinois man thought his home was being burglarized, grabbed his handgun and opened fire. But the Lake County Sheriff's Office says it all was a dream and the 62-year-old woke up to find while his home was fine, he'd shot himself in the leg.
2023-06-18 22:29
Scoreless for first time in the Lionel Messi era, Inter Miami ties Nashville 0-0
Inter Miami failed to score for the first time since Lionel Messi joined the team, playing a scoreless draw with Nashville on Wednesday night
2023-08-31 10:21
Young frogs may camouflage selves as animal poo: study
The young offspring of a frog native to Southeast Asia display an "unusual colour pattern", probably to camouflage themselves "as animal droppings" to escape...
2023-10-12 22:28
Thousands march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to protest Israeli government's judicial overhaul plan
A protest march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is growing as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to forge ahead on a controversial overhaul of Israel’s judiciary
2023-07-21 16:45
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