Today’s D Brief: Russia bombs Russia; Ukraine’s tank training; Billionaires’ rockets; Drone opera; And a bit more.

Russia’s air force accidentally dropped a bunker-busting bomb on its own city of Belgorod, which is just across the border from Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv. The bomb left a 20-meter crater in the road, but fortunately did not kill anyone; however, at least two people were injured—and the explosion dramatically lifted the ground above the bomb, as well as an automobile driving close by as it detonated. Video of the incident was captured on closed circuit TV and posted online Thursday evening, including by Moscow’s state-run media TASS. 

“Witnesses reported a low hissing sound followed by a blast that made nearby apartment buildings tremble and shattered their windows,” the Associated Press reported from Moscow. 

Russia’s Defense Ministry: On “April 20, 2023, at about 22:15 Moscow time, during the flight of the Su-34 aircraft of the Aerospace Forces over the city of Belgorod, an abnormal descent of aviation ammunition occurred.” 

According to Russia-watcher Rob Lee, the aircraft’s “wings didn’t initiate for some reason so the bomb just fell.” Citing a source on Russian social media site VK, “the [bomb’s] fuze was set on delay, and detonated as it should (for targeting an underground target).”

New: U.S. forces will soon begin training Ukrainian troops how to use M1 Abrams tanks at a facility in Germany; and those tanks are now expected to begin arriving in Ukraine by the fall—and not next calendar year, as initially thought, defense officials told the New York Times on Friday. U.S. officials also “said it meant that Abrams tanks could get to Ukraine in time to play a part in the counteroffensive that Ukraine is expected to launch soon.” If true, that would suggest the counteroffensive, widely expected to begin in mere weeks, could last for nearly four months or more. 

The Pentagon-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group met Friday in Germany, where Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told participants from nearly 50 or so allied nations, “[T]his Contact Group started from a place of moral clarity: We see Putin’s war for what it is—and that is an unprovoked and indefensible war of aggression against a peaceful, sovereign, and democratic neighbor.” 

Big picture: Altogether, the contact group members “have provided more than $55 billion in security assistance for Ukraine,” which is “a tenfold increase since we first met” almost exactly a year ago, said Austin. That includes “training to support an additional nine armored brigades for Ukraine,” as well as “Patriot [air defense] systems from the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands, SAMP/T from Italy and France, and NASAMS [air defense systems] from Canada and Norway,” he said.

Battlefield latest: “Soft ground” and “severe mud” conditions are plaguing troop movements across rural and occupied Ukraine this week, according to the British military’s latest daily assessment. “However, Russian online outlets are likely exaggerating the overall impact of mud on Ukrainian forces as part of an information operation aimed at raising Russian morale, and undermining Ukraine’s supporters, in light of an anticipated Ukrainian counter offensive,” the Brits said Friday on Twitter. 

Forecast: “Surface conditions can be expected to improve in the coming weeks,” they added, and emphasized, “The threat from mines probably continues to be a more important factor in limiting the combatants’ off-road maneuver.”

Counter-drone system, on the cheap: Ukrainian forces have been spotted using fishing nets to protect a radar from Russian Lancet drones, according to Rob Lee. He shared three images of the defensive system, along with a picture of an alleged drone thwarted by the nets, here. 

For your ears only: Defense One’s Patrick Tucker and Sam Skove helped explain where Russia’s Ukraine invasion stands today, and what might unfold over the coming weeks and months in our newest Defense One Radio podcast episode. Find us on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

From Defense One

US Can Handle China, Ukraine Missions Simultaneously, Top Pacific Admiral Says // Patrick Tucker: But do send more money, the leader of Indo-Pacific Command told lawmakers.

The Pentagon Is Increasingly Relying on Billionaires’ Rockets. And It’s OK with That.  // Audrey Decker: Space Force leaders say carefully written contracts can prevent things like SpaceX’s about-face on Ukrainian satcomms.

Pentagon UFO Chief: ‘No Credible Evidence’ of Aliens, Yet // Frank Konkel: Sean Kirkpatrick, who heads the Defense Department’s All-Domain Anomaly Office, briefed the Senate Wednesday.

Space Symposium Conference Wire 3: Threat Warnings // Marcus Weisgerber: Day 3 of the conference brought warnings about China and Russia—and of a “subtle complacency” at home.

Welcome to this Friday edition of The D Brief, brought to you by Ben Watson with Bradley Peniston. On this day in 1898: President McKinley ordered the blockade of Cuba ports. The Spanish-American War was declared four days later, and backdated to April 21.

Emerging-tech news round up: France just authorized the use of drones for border security and crowd control. “The decree allows police, customs or military to use drones to prevent attacks on people or property, ensure the security of gatherings in public places as well as maintain or restore public order when these gatherings are likely to severely disrupt public order,” Reuters reported in a shorty Friday from Paris, which is hosting next year’s summer Olympic games. 
And here stateside, the Department of Homeland Security says it’s creating an artificial intelligence task force in part to try and minimize “the malicious use of this transformational technology,” Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Friday.
Possible tasks for AI systems at DHS include “screening cargo,” somehow helping “secure electric grids and water supply systems,” Reuters reported from Washington Friday.
Also: a so-called “smart gun” that uses facial recognition is now being sold by the company Biofire Tech, based in Colorado. The 9mm pistol is selling for about $1,500 each, and can be “enabled by a fingerprint reader, one of several smart gun features designed to avoid accidental shootings by children, reduce suicides, protect police from gun grabs, or render lost and stolen guns useless,” Reuters reported separately Friday from northwest Denver. The company’s demonstration for Reuters, however, experienced a slight hiccup; read more for details.
Don’t miss “Seven Critical Technologies for Winning the Next War,” a new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The list includes secure comms, quantum tech, bioengineering, space-based tech, better batteries, AI/machine learning, and robotics.
And check out a new survey of American attitudes about AI and the workplace, released Thursday by the Pew Research Center. Among the findings: 

• “47% think AI would do better than humans at evaluating all job applicants in the same way, while a much smaller share – 15% – believe AI would be worse than humans in doing that,” according to Pew. (This sort of applicant screening is already happening, as comedian John Oliver pointed out on the recent episode of his weekly HBO news program.)
• And perhaps unsurprisingly, respondents said they’re “more likely to oppose than support employers using AI to track workers’ movements while they work, keep track of when office workers are at their desks, and record exactly what people are doing on their work computers.” Dive into the full results, here. 

Lastly this week: An opera about a drone pilot is coming to Washington. It’s called “Grounded,” and it’s sponsored by defense contractor General Dynamics for its run at DC’s Kennedy Center beginning in late October.
From the promo blurb: “In a first for opera stages, massive LED-screen technology will immerse audiences in the psychological and social implications of war-by-proxy. What comes at the cost of technological advancement? What’s lost when technology distances us from the horror of war? And what price is inflicted upon the operator of a lone drone in a blue sky?” You can find ticket information here.
For what it’s worth, your D Brief-er is friends with a real-life Air Force drone pilot who has 12-plus years of experience under his belt. The man, who is still serving in this active duty role, says he is deeply aware of exactly how many people he has killed in his job, and claims he can no longer drink a can of Coca-Cola because he took a sip once after pulling the trigger and the underappreciated, mundane reality of it all was simply too much to bear. We find this perspective worth pointing out in the context of 21st century drone warfare. Feel free to share your thoughts on the matter by sending us an email over the weekend, or when you find the time. 

Be safe out there, everyone! And we’ll be back again on Monday.

Defense One

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