Drones for Rojava: Alliance raises money for armed drones for Rojava
An international alliance wants to support Kurdish units with donations for unmanned weapons systems
26.01.2025
The original interview by Matthias Monroy was published here: https://www.nd-aktuell.de/artikel/1187913.drones-for-rojava-buendnis-sammelt-geld-fuer-bewaffnete-drohnen-fuer-rojava.html (06.01.2025)
Under the name Drones For Rojava, you are collecting money to equip the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with drones. Do you also accept material donations?
We are currently only collecting donations in cryptocurrencies. We also welcome ideas and advice from experts on how to further develop the SDF’s drone combat capabilities. We have communication channels with their representatives to pass on recommendations.
Your campaign does not mention the price of a drone. How much would supporters have to donate for a device?
We want to buy drone components and not finished drones. The plan is to procure components from the DJI Mavic series from China as well as components for flight control, servo motors, GPS and telemetry devices, cameras, electronic speed controllers and the like. The drones are to be controlled using the FPV (first-person view) principle, i.e. with video goggles from the perspective of a camera on board.
What kind of weaponry did you have in mind?
We have no relationship with the SDF or other military forces. The drones that are built and the ammunition that is used are therefore not our concern. The SDF also decides which opponents are attacked. We are not involved in the conflict.
You have decided to support the SDF militarily instead of, for example, promoting a peaceful solution to the conflict. Why is that?
The SDF has not started a fight against anyone. But the only peaceful, democratic and inclusive system of government that has been established in Syria is under attack by Turkey and its jihadist militias. The SDF has two options: Resist or surrender. Helping them does not mean advocating war or that we are taking a pro-conflict approach. Of course we want a peaceful solution to the crisis in Syria, but if your country and your democracy are under attack, you must respond. The SDF expresses its willingness for dialog on a daily basis.
I ask this because the left criticizes Israel, the USA, Great Britain and Turkey for drone wars that violate international law. Now you also want to procure drones, albeit smaller ones. How does that go together?
FPV drones are precision weapons. They cannot be compared to large drones that hit targets from high altitude. They literally cannot cause collateral damage or injure civilians unless you do it on purpose. They are also the only legally available piece of hardware that can also be weaponized effectively.
Controlling so-called kamikaze drones is not trivial, especially in the face of enemy air defenses. How were the SDF forces trained?
We have no information of our own about this. However, open sources reveal that their drone units were established in 2015 and the SDF has since invested heavily in this affordable technology. Recent developments show that they have been successful in overcoming enemy air defenses.
Are you an engineer, software developer, aviation enthusiast, or hobbyist? Want to support Rojava?
— Drones For Rojava (@DronesForRojava) December 31, 2024
Reach out to us: [email protected] pic.twitter.com/5zDMktAl5G
To what extent are the Islamist militias currently attacking Rojava also using drones?
We are monitoring this closely, but so far the Islamist Syrian National Army (SNA), for example, has not used drones effectively, despite Turkish support. The Islamist militia alliance HTS, on the other hand, appears to have used unmanned aerial vehicles during its offensive against the Assad regime. However, they have focused on kamikaze drones with relatively heavy payloads. We have not identified any effective use of FPV drones in Syria by groups other than the SDF.
Your donation initiative is a reminder that Turkey is no longer on the offensive when it comes to drones. There are reports of large systems such as Anka or Bayraktar TB2 being shot down over Rojava.
We know that the SDF has developed some anti-drone systems that have proven effective against the deadly long-range drones. There are confirmed reports that at least one Turkish Aksungur (the newest and largest drone used by the Turkish military, ed.) and an American Reaper were accidentally shot down in the last month alone. We have no information about the type of weapons used, but we think it is some kind of autonomous loitering munition system that attacks drones at high altitudes.
What is meant by a loitering ammunition system?
Loitering munition is a term for air- or ground-based weapons that are controlled autonomously or by a ground station, usually via a video or GPS link. They perform target search and reconnaissance of enemy ground or air targets on the battlefield and carry a payload to hit this target. Well-known systems are the Iranian Shaheed or Saqhar and the Russian Lancet. However, we have no details on whether or how the SDF use these systems.
You only agreed to the interview if I didn’t ask anything about members of your group. But can you tell me which areas they come from?
We are a group of young people, mostly of Kurdish origin, and some internationalist volunteers, with no connections to any institution or financial support from anyone. We are not a big team. We have aerospace engineering students, software developers and people with different educational backgrounds. Some of us live in Europe, some in Rojava and some in the US. Most of us have never met in person. The only thing that unites us is our patriotism towards the Kurdish cause and our support for the SDF in the face of attacks by NATO’s second largest army and former Al-Qaeda and IS fighters. That is our only motivation.
Translated by the Riseup4Rojava network
26.01.2025
Drones for Rojava: Alliance raises money for armed drones for Rojava
An international alliance wants to support Kurdish units with donations for unmanned weapons systems
26.01.2025
The original interview by Matthias Monroy was published here: https://www.nd-aktuell.de/artikel/1187913.drones-for-rojava-buendnis-sammelt-geld-fuer-bewaffnete-drohnen-fuer-rojava.html (06.01.2025)
Under the name Drones For Rojava, you are collecting money to equip the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with drones. Do you also accept material donations?
We are currently only collecting donations in cryptocurrencies. We also welcome ideas and advice from experts on how to further develop the SDF’s drone combat capabilities. We have communication channels with their representatives to pass on recommendations.
Your campaign does not mention the price of a drone. How much would supporters have to donate for a device?
We want to buy drone components and not finished drones. The plan is to procure components from the DJI Mavic series from China as well as components for flight control, servo motors, GPS and telemetry devices, cameras, electronic speed controllers and the like. The drones are to be controlled using the FPV (first-person view) principle, i.e. with video goggles from the perspective of a camera on board.
What kind of weaponry did you have in mind?
We have no relationship with the SDF or other military forces. The drones that are built and the ammunition that is used are therefore not our concern. The SDF also decides which opponents are attacked. We are not involved in the conflict.
You have decided to support the SDF militarily instead of, for example, promoting a peaceful solution to the conflict. Why is that?
The SDF has not started a fight against anyone. But the only peaceful, democratic and inclusive system of government that has been established in Syria is under attack by Turkey and its jihadist militias. The SDF has two options: Resist or surrender. Helping them does not mean advocating war or that we are taking a pro-conflict approach. Of course we want a peaceful solution to the crisis in Syria, but if your country and your democracy are under attack, you must respond. The SDF expresses its willingness for dialog on a daily basis.
I ask this because the left criticizes Israel, the USA, Great Britain and Turkey for drone wars that violate international law. Now you also want to procure drones, albeit smaller ones. How does that go together?
FPV drones are precision weapons. They cannot be compared to large drones that hit targets from high altitude. They literally cannot cause collateral damage or injure civilians unless you do it on purpose. They are also the only legally available piece of hardware that can also be weaponized effectively.
Controlling so-called kamikaze drones is not trivial, especially in the face of enemy air defenses. How were the SDF forces trained?
We have no information of our own about this. However, open sources reveal that their drone units were established in 2015 and the SDF has since invested heavily in this affordable technology. Recent developments show that they have been successful in overcoming enemy air defenses.
Are you an engineer, software developer, aviation enthusiast, or hobbyist? Want to support Rojava?
— Drones For Rojava (@DronesForRojava) December 31, 2024
Reach out to us: [email protected] pic.twitter.com/5zDMktAl5G
To what extent are the Islamist militias currently attacking Rojava also using drones?
We are monitoring this closely, but so far the Islamist Syrian National Army (SNA), for example, has not used drones effectively, despite Turkish support. The Islamist militia alliance HTS, on the other hand, appears to have used unmanned aerial vehicles during its offensive against the Assad regime. However, they have focused on kamikaze drones with relatively heavy payloads. We have not identified any effective use of FPV drones in Syria by groups other than the SDF.
Your donation initiative is a reminder that Turkey is no longer on the offensive when it comes to drones. There are reports of large systems such as Anka or Bayraktar TB2 being shot down over Rojava.
We know that the SDF has developed some anti-drone systems that have proven effective against the deadly long-range drones. There are confirmed reports that at least one Turkish Aksungur (the newest and largest drone used by the Turkish military, ed.) and an American Reaper were accidentally shot down in the last month alone. We have no information about the type of weapons used, but we think it is some kind of autonomous loitering munition system that attacks drones at high altitudes.
What is meant by a loitering ammunition system?
Loitering munition is a term for air- or ground-based weapons that are controlled autonomously or by a ground station, usually via a video or GPS link. They perform target search and reconnaissance of enemy ground or air targets on the battlefield and carry a payload to hit this target. Well-known systems are the Iranian Shaheed or Saqhar and the Russian Lancet. However, we have no details on whether or how the SDF use these systems.
You only agreed to the interview if I didn’t ask anything about members of your group. But can you tell me which areas they come from?
We are a group of young people, mostly of Kurdish origin, and some internationalist volunteers, with no connections to any institution or financial support from anyone. We are not a big team. We have aerospace engineering students, software developers and people with different educational backgrounds. Some of us live in Europe, some in Rojava and some in the US. Most of us have never met in person. The only thing that unites us is our patriotism towards the Kurdish cause and our support for the SDF in the face of attacks by NATO’s second largest army and former Al-Qaeda and IS fighters. That is our only motivation.
Translated by the Riseup4Rojava network
26.01.2025
