Leonidas: The End of the Drone Warfare Revolution?

[@user-ol2mr4bx7c]

Simon has never seen 300 confirmed

[@KillroyWasHere86]

Spartans! prepare for glory!

[@JS-bv2tp]

I kept on thinking he's saying Leonidas weird. At least that's what Hollywood has taught me 😂 Maybe he's right!?

[@empirestudioz]

Confirmed

[@reinoldgaming9780]

No he is not

[@themightypotato83]

Just googled it. Apparently there is more than one correct pronunciation, so both the film and Simon are right technically

[@part_time_adventurer]

Drones: "Our brothers will block out the sun" Leonidas: "Then we will fight in the shade"

[@chappy4756]

you spelt Dienekes wrong

[@MouseDestruction]

"I brought a light with me" *Laser beam powers up*

[@AnthonyAckme321]

I was in the quad copters back in 08 with the dragon FX the predecessor to the 16 that was no longer consumer grade. still have four of them they were impossible to fly. There was zero stabilization you needed an actual pilot. It took weeks to learn how to just hover the thing.🍀 they sold the platforms so you could learn how to hover fly land without it crashing specifically. because it was such a nightmare to keep the things stable. It was OK in the air. Once you got a hang of it, but getting the hang of it was impossible without ripping the thing apart, the drones fly themselves the last decade through stabilization. multiple forms of stabilization like crosswind GPS lock for situational awareness of the drone itself not to mention just hovering, which is basically ambrosia.

[@MrChickennugget360]

"Among the Spartans it was said, the bravest was Dienekes, for when the Persians said "our arrows will blot out the sun" he was said to have stated, "good, then we will fight our battle in the shade"

[@scotthollars1555]

Kills me every time he says leonidas omg

[@flashkraft]

Leonidas and his 300 EMP projectors stood against a never ending horde of barbarian attack drones.

[@veganbutcherhackepeter]

Comparing the Persians to barbarians is hardly historically accurate.

[@flashkraft]

@@veganbutcherhackepeter The word Barbarian was originally an ancient Greek word for describing Egyptians, Persians, Medes and Phoenicians

[@veganbutcherhackepeter]

@flashkraft Yes, within this context you are absolutely right.

[@jdot5974]

​@@veganbutcherhackepeter "Within this context" it looks like you tried to be a know it all and it backfired, and instead of just taking the L and admitting you were plain wrong you give a weaselly "in this context" response lmao 😅

[@veganbutcherhackepeter]

@jdot5974 Not really. I didn't think that you were talking about the historical origins of the word, but more of the way it has been used since then. Or do you not agree that it's a generalization used to refer to people who are culturally backwards and uncivilized?

[@CadaverCo]

At 1:15 I realized he was going to call it Lee-on-a-diss the entire video…

[@Fish-please]

It is driving me crazy....I had to come to the comments to see if anyone else is bothered by this :D

[@n0bodyc8res]

Very distracting.

[@622c490402]

That's the proper way. It's not an English name BTW.

[@winterclimber7520]

there's exactly one way to pronounce leonidas for English speakers, and lee-on-a-diss isn't it

[@Antesyd]

It's pronounced [leɔːnídɛːs]

[@mar71n32n0v1lLL0]

"...it can be crammed into the back of a pickup truck." Well, here comes the Toyota War 2: Electric Boogaloo, now featuring the Drone-killer Technical... I just love the fact that humans have as strong a drive to put *anything* in the backs of pickups, as the drive we have to *pet* any animal, regardless of the danger it poses.

[@MrKnaives]

I mean, the truck bed is what's it's for.

[@npm911]

Toyota Hilux saying “gimme”😂

[@joestalin2375]

O.K. carry yours on your back ????? You don't get out much?

[@mar71n32n0v1lLL0]

@@joestalin2375 You're either an amateur stand-up comedian trying to improvise *bad* jokes out of thin air, or you don't read much and need to develop that skill before diving into any form of written media... Either way, both are achievable and improvable, so keep at it, champ!

[@joestalin2375]

@@mar71n32n0v1lLL0 Wrong again peewee ! You suck as a personality whisperer!

[@fencserx9423]

To paraphrase the Ozzie powerpointer himself, “It isn’t about being invincible to drones. It’s about forcing cost and complexity in development. Yes a drone can be made with stealth, you can make shielded components against EMP, and you can have sophisticated data encryption to prevent hijacking. All of these things can be countered. but when the prerequisite for ANY drone to operate is to have shielding AND stealth, AND encryption… and NOT having it means the drone is useless… the cost disparity begins to narrow rapidly.”

[@m.lhenderson5885]

He's English.

[@Robert-yc9ql]

It's always about the money...

[@Ineluki_Myonrashi]

@@m.lhenderson5885 He's quoting Perun, and Perun is definitely an Aussie.

[@adamdunsire9379]

And no finer youtuber, is there.

[@mjk9388]

Always look forward to PowerPoint Sundays.

[@alarsonious2071]

I think we all know where this is going. That's right, mutated sea bass with frigging lasers attached to their heads.

[@OriginalMicycle]

Are they ill-tempered?

[@UmmmmmmmWhat]

Well, they've already proposed trained dolphins to swim up to ships that have a pressure sensitive single shot gun on their snoot. They were supposed to trigger when they nosed into enemy ships.

[@sdonthefly]

​@@OriginalMicycle extremely!

[@kentroglobalinvestmentllc8921]

@@OriginalMicycleno but their extremely territorial

[@thisdayage7997]

No Mommy’s Way

[@jsinope2786]

I thought I was watching MegaProjects until Simon said the prototypes came in on time and on budget! 😂

[@WasabiSniffer]

to my knowledge he hasn't done the B21 Raider yet either, which came in early and under budget

[@jsinope2786]

@@WasabiSniffer The F-18 came in on time and under budget but he did warn us that this megaproject was a bean counter’s dream! Lol.

[@krisshnapeswanipeswani3190]

​@@jsinope2786the b21 and the leonidas is the reason I believe we actually have chance against china

[@jsinope2786]

@@krisshnapeswanipeswani3190 the equipment is fun to follow but when it comes down to it, combat experience, strategy and training is the only thing that matters. In the past 10 years China has only deployed their troops in active combat overseas once to Sudan in 2016… and it was a disaster!

[@daviddavidson1417]

The NEW American MIC version two has a lot of exciting companies in it. Developing capacity before Uncle Sam asks for it, and under budget!

[@fakshen1973]

They incorporate this into a layered system: You'll have Leonidas to swat the consumer level stuff paired with something like a Rheinmetal 30mm system firing programmable airburst rounds for anything that's not responding (hardened) against Leonidas. As you make drones tougher, their size and mass go up dramatically. Then you end up chasing the dragon when it comes to range, maneuvering, and payload, and cost.

[@aaxa101]

You can -easily- harden the drones against EMP. Even more like they do in Ukr. they dont buy a dji, the buy the parts and assemble themselves. You just have to harden somo of the parts of the assembly.

[@gezalesko3813]

haha... rheinmetal can destroy a 400 euro drone with a short burst of 700 euro bullets 50x... thank you rheinmetal

[@macmcleod1188]

@@gezalesko3813 So in the logistics war, you only lose 300 euro per engagement.

[@petergerdes1094]

@@gezalesko3813Thats not a bad trade off at all especially if you have more than 2x the budget of your enemies. The problem is that it doesn't do much against high altitude drone swarms (drones can do the WW2 dive bomb strategy... except they can fall straight down en mass).

[@gezalesko3813]

@@petergerdes1094 you are right for as long as your resources are depleted to fight off pennies...

[@markhorton8578]

Protection against microwaves is not difficult or particularly costly. However the extra weight will force larger drones, which in turn will be more easily detected and shot down by other methods.

[@elmateo77]

Thin wire mesh isn't particularly heavy though.

[@_Aemse]

@@elmateo77 yeah some wires and a battery, maybe two for longer mission duration.

[@marcohandmann4843]

It may have some use cases, but the thing has a 5km effective radius, not sure how high above the horizon it can work but it's not hard to fly a drone at just 10-20m height, Lidar sensors are really cheap. There's now glas fiber FPVs that work at that distance, so at the time you detect a drone you have maybe 3 seconds left, so deploying it at a hot frontline is definitely wasteful.

[@uydagcusdgfughfgsfggsifg753]

Isn’t it “Leon-i-das”? Like the Spartan from Thermopylae

[@shiftymcgee9359]

Simon has some odd pronunciations his accent doesn’t always justify. Is what it is.

[@kiwanozukai1180]

yh bit of posturing in that pronunciation, it'd be like saying 'new york' with a queens accent every time you utter it

[@talscorner3696]

No, it is not. But it really boils down to what accent you're using xD I.e. linguistics can be quite silly, at times

[@Cheattoe]

I’m sure there’s a Greek pronunciation going on or maybe I’m just a redneck from Mississippi

[@SuperRayCooney]

It's an either or pronunciation depending on where in the world you are, Even different Greek historians will say it differently

[@kaguscon]

I did 4 tours. So fucking glad drones wasn't a thing haha. I was in the turret exposed!

[@zenster1097]

Lol. Yeah Imagine you just chilling in that turret rig and that bas***rd comes right at you.

[@CorbittosCasa]

Ya shits wack now

[@spurezurko]

And all you hear is that menacing buzzing sound.... Dystopian af. ​@@zenster1097

[@ifv2089]

Yeah but every nato veichle has ecm... Ukraine maybe a few of em.

[@nolga3569]

@@ifv2089 ohhh god not another game changer weapon from nato. Their leopards have been getting hit by everything so their ECM is hot garbage. besides they are using wire drones now so the ecm will do nothing.

[@demonorb8634]

Microwave drone defence, after it's done, it goes Ding!

[@ifv2089]

Used to have this system on front of vehicles in Iraq as early as 2005 called Macorba was used to mitigate pir-initiated devices

[@arthurwintersight7868]

Unfortunately, I suspect that standard electromagnetic shielding would defeat this system...and by standard electromagnetic shielding, I mean literally just wrapping aluminum foil around whatever you're trying to protect.

[@DieFlabbergast]

Ding? He just lost the World Chess Championship.

[@DarkRendition]

Chasing a soldier with a drone like that is so fucked up. Most weapons you don’t see coming, that’s their mercy.

[@willlinke2849]

Terrifying agreed

[@CombatMedic1O]

War is always fucked up. Every war has its shit, ww1 trenches and gas, ww2 flamethrowers, Afghanistan IEDs, vietnam napalm, 2000 years ago axes and swords. It all sucks

[@phanlee4621]

The scientist agree and write down the note: make drone smaller, faster, more silent, carry more weapon and automate to make victim die faster @@. What we've done is only find way to killing more effective. In this video I'm happy that they developed some thing Military not for killing at least.

[@whisperingpinup3585]

The same was said of the Long Bow, then the rifle and later putting machine guns on bi-planes and sneaking up on your target from behind where they could not see you... real war is always about getting your enemy in a defenseless posture/position.

[@macalacalan1175]

Well said. We're a sick species that didn't get to the top of the food chain, with an ultimate self destructive destiny, by being nice to each other and the planet that sustains us.

[@InWithBothFeet]

I like how in the beginning minutes he shows footage of drones then shows an atacms cluster munition hit.

[@tackytrooper]

This channel has 999k subscribers. What are the odds even half of those people know what weapon systems he's showing videos of?

[@KaloyanKasabov]

We can finally learn what Leona-does

[@gagewambeke6230]

If he purposely mispronounced the name to get comments and interactions then bravo 😂

[@zenster1097]

@@gagewambeke6230 I'm sure that's it.

[@misledpoet]

If you Google "Leonidas pronunciation" you'll get both British (Simon's) and American (the 300 movie) pronunciations given to you

[@kyledabearsfan]

​@@misledpoetI'll cave on the British pronunciation of aluminum but Leonidas and "maths" is too much. 😂

[@ironboy3245]

She praises the sun LIGHT BLESS THE SOLARI

[@kurtwicklund8901]

Go to roughly the six minute mark to get the gist of the system without the word salad time filler.

[@JuanMendoza-qd5lm]

You might need to look up the definition of the term your using.... This is called a "Back-History" and it's at least relevant to the topic.

[@stewiepid4385]

Thank you! The talking penis with a beard was reminding me of a DEI professor in a Portland College.

[@philippealexis]

Thank you. Word salad time filler is spot on.

[@kurtwicklund8901]

Your fascinating lecture on new knowledge is my repetitive word wall explaining water is wet.

[@stewiepid4385]

@@kurtwicklund8901 Water is wet due to a synthesesia of stimuli upon the dermis neuro resceptors being interpreted by the brain via the sympathetic nervous system.

[@sshender3773]

You forgot the "This video is brought to you by Epirus" part.

[@Qadi90]

Waiting for them to go public so I can buy and dump

[@marktaylor2645]

He did a great job reading this press release. They fail to mention this will be easy to triangulate and an RPG won’t have any trouble with it.

[@alexbarry8826]

@@marktaylor2645this can apply to almost any weapon ever

[@Rukh_3547]

​@@alexbarry8826 yes that's why the star wars weapons don't make it to the battlefield.

[@soliniv1411]

​@@Qadi90aah the good old pump n dump

[@pdalea9256]

Content aside, Mr. Whistler, I am in awe of your clear rapid vocal delivery & range of subtle inflection that make your podcasts engaging. Like any craftspersenship, no doubt, hours of practice to hone a natural ability. Thank you for your time & energy.

[@douglashanson7489]

• Enemy sends Drones • We counter with EMP • Enemy makes shielded drones • Right Back where we started

[@RRLVT]

I don’t think you’re pronouncing Leo-nidas correctly…

[@joebrown8873]

Who cares?

[@alrxandersmiths242]

@@joebrown8873me my name is Alex so Alex cares lol

[@perturabo7825]

He’s pronouncing it like it’s a Spanish name instead of a Greek one.

[@Xynth25]

Quick Google check, he's saying it right and we're all just saying it the dumb American way.

[@Brassblitz]

Simon has always had ~interesting~ pronunciations. I even went down a rabbit hole once trying to figure out where he was actually from. It used to bug me, now it's more of a charming quirk, but I do laugh out loud at his choices sometimes.

[@FoxWolfWorld]

2:46 Maduro has zero survival instincts 😂

[@Baddy187]

Lol that's what I thought. I have seen that look in the eyes of people who were told to "take a seat" by Chris Hansen.

[@lc1138]

That was an appropriate reaction, tho. I mean, for someone who has a security service and needs to publicly appear confident. Remember how, in her days, Elizabeth II quietly walked her horse through an assassination attempt. That's why you hire bodyguards.

[@WORLDCRUSHER9000]

He doesn't want to show weakness, def a hidden code-brown downstairs

[@blooperman1997]

@@WORLDCRUSHER9000 That look on his face doesn't seem like he's trying to act unconcerned, more like he has no clue what the hell is going on.

[@akibismarck8230]

Like trump hahahaha

[@Royce16727]

"Unintentional submarine". 🤣 gets me every time

[@scottparker1741]

How many times

[@Royce16727]

@@scottparker1741 lol, at least twice now. Variations on the same theme.

[@darklordlightgod9348]

@@Royce16727 its from the meme with the russian cruiser moskava saying "moskava, promoted to submarine" that circulated the internet last year.

[@gerrydrummond3287]

Has Simon just swallowed the Leonidas brochure?

[@hebestreitfan6973]

he just reads out whatever he is given, so the channel might have.

[@starvalkyrie]

This is why it's so important to maintain gerbil guided weapons in your arsenal.

[@CruelandCold]

The Surface to air missile, is it the end of anything that flies? Short answer, No.

[@brianmulholland2467]

I'm very optimistic that this will be a strong counter in the short term. I'm much less confident that it will be so for a long time. I think this system will just increase the cost of the drones by, as Simon mentioned, forcing drones to be hardened against microwaves or be made to counter the IFF in some way. But being a strong short term counter is good enough for now, and this program needs to be put on fast forward. It's needed yesterday.

[@UnfollowYourDreams]

All it takes is a faraday cage.

[@DmytroMasliei]

Consumer drones will be off the table immediately. And drones no longer will be so cheap.

[@DanielDracohun]

if you can force your enemy to spend 5 times more for the same capability that's already win, a small one but still a win...

[@UnfollowYourDreams]

@@DmytroMasliei dude, your microwave oven is microwave hardened in order to protect you. It's not that hard, it's just physics

[@dianapennepacker6854]

Yeah it just stops cheap consumer drones is all. Gives shielded ones less range. Thought the whole point of lasers was due to the fact we know how to shield electronics. Not that microwaves have never been helpful. Drones are just going to have to be shielded from both types making them more expensive, and need to weigh more. We already have autonomous drones that will still work when jammed. Cool tech none the less. Suprised I never heard of it till now honestly.

[@EdrickBluebeard]

It's such a joy to see people learn that things aren't pronounced the same in every nation.

[@dontall71]

Aluminum - Aluminium

[@donaldgeorge3717]

Fortunately the Standard American Pronunciation is the preferred and dare I say standard pronunciation.

[@MonoBrawI]

Hearing it pronounced incorrectly 54 times is rather cringe-worthy though.

[@vorlich]

@@donaldgeorge3717 In U.S. Everywhere else, Universally Different Standard Pronounciation applies.

[@MJHdesproj]

Oh my - you’re so cultured, so edgy, what a mic drop - the whole class is clapping 🙄

[@ghostmantagshome-er6pb]

2:41 Its even brought back the Roman defence of " testeudo".

[@mormatus]

"our drones will blot out the sun" I think the drone mothership, once developed, must be called Xerxes

[@anonymizedhandle]

0:31 that's a cluster bomb homie

[@zacharyhernandez1483]

How was the video taken....😂

[@anonymizedhandle]

@@zacharyhernandez1483 directly out of my rear end

[@anasyn]

A drone took the video homie, and a drone is what dripped the bomb

[@anonymizedhandle]

@@anasyn cluster bombs like the one in the video aren't dropped from drones, they're usually delivered by artillery

[@Juho-uf8si]

thats ukrainians using himars to destroy russian pontoon bridges in kursk

[@Mike-lc2tq]

This strikes me as something the military is going to buy on a far smaller scale than needed and when they are needed will be overwhelmed, or more likely, selectively placed leaving many troops to fend for themselves.

[@tackytrooper]

Exactly, they are going to produce it as a snail's pace, like 5 units a year or something, when in reality an actual war would require hundreds of them, RIGHT NOW. The same fate as every other system currently being sent to Ukraine. Too little, too late.

[@erasmus_locke]

The CEO of the company pronounces it like they do in the movie 300

[@Hathur]

It's his company so he can pronounce it how he wants.. but the word is a Greek name / word and the Greeks pronounce it the way Simon is saying it... so if there's a "proper" way to say it, it's how Simon is saying it, since the Greeks invented the name. That said, it's not remotely relevant either.

[@casperthelegend1458]

🤓

[@NICHOLAS-h1p]

In the time it takes to type this, you’ve been called a nerd 3.14 times. I type slow.

[@Serpiente21]

​@@Hathurgood point

[@GaganSagar-jd9qi]

😂😂😂

[@aka3eka]

Scroll right to 5:33 to "How it works"

[@MR_THINQ]

Basically it’s a drone jammer or an EMP emitter. This tech has been around for years already - airports use drone jammers around the runways.

[@Morgan_Sandoval]

18:17 It's the 2020s. Drone warfare is evolving like aircraft did 100 years ago, like how battleships did before that and how firearms were in that overall period. Ergo regardless of future-proofing attempts, there's a very real and significant chance that it will still only last years. Only the folks who write the history books can know for sure.

[@HowWeTriumph]

Yours is the truest comment here, I'm sure.

[@elmateo77]

Nah this system will go down the drain soon. Current civilian drones aren't hardened against emp, but the military ones nearly every major country is developing and will soon be mass producing almost certainly will be.

[@scottwillis5434]

If it can kill outboard motors, I wonder whether a simplified version would be helpful on cargo vessels against pirates.

[@laulaja-7186]

Kill outboard gas motors that are not electronic devices, with directed electromagnetic energy? Seems unlikely.

[@rfjohnson69]

​@@laulaja-7186don't most modern outboards have SOME electronics, if only the ignition switches. Older ones might be fine though

[@MrSplodez]

To everyone saying it's pronounced wrong, he is using the Hellenic pronunciation of the name, "Hercules" is another name which isn't pronounced like in the Disney movies. That being said, let's be real, no one is calling this weapon system Leo-Knee-dus

[@dearthditch]

I expect that whatever the US military decides is the pronunciation is the correct pronunciation. It’s their weapon system, not a person

[@scgamesonline7771]

Greek here, he still emphasizes it very weirdly, wouldn't say his pronunciation is correct for the Greeks either

[@STSWB5SG1FAN]

It sounds to me this system would only prove effective against non-hardened off the shelf commercial drones, not against any military drones hardened to withstand E.M.P.

[@elmateo77]

Or until they start wrapping their drones in $5 of wire mesh for a cheap Faraday cage...

[@soliniv1411]

Did he mentioned the range of that system? I stopped watching half way

[@deanjohnson8233]

@@elmateo77 if they did that, the drone wouldn’t have a connection to the operator or navigational info sources (GPS).

[@raymondbunkofske4702]

@@deanjohnson8233Not really, the antenna needed for control/ gps is very small and doesn’t compromise the shielding.

[@deanjohnson8233]

@ the antenna for control and GPS is small, but I believe a faraday cage would attenuate the signal too much. The drone could maybe still send a signal since outgoing signals are less attenuated, but GPS in particular is such a weak signal that I doubt it would get through the cage.

[@Wvdoctorz68965]

Simon, you deserve your own show on Netflix.

[@TM2TL]

I swear, they intentionally tell Simon to say things wrong so they get more comments.

[@icanreadthebible7561]

That's "ko-mantz".

[@kenlutter2065]

Probably English pronunciation.

[@lpmnewcro]

Leo Nidas is the English pronunciation... He's gotta be on a wind up....

[@TheElectronicDilettante]

With a few inexpensive modifications to a drone’s design, such as adding Faraday cage shielding around critical electronics or using surge protectors on power lines, the threat posed by a directed EMP can be largely mitigated, ensuring continued reliable operation. However, protecting against laser-based neutralization systems is more challenging. Solutions like reflective coatings or heat-resistant materials can help, but more advanced defenses are still required to fully counter this type of threat.

[@falrus]

Tend to agree. Off the shelf drones, like Middle East insurgencies use, will be neutralized. At the same time the $500 purpose build devices, used in Russia-Ukraine conflict, will be immune within weeks.

[@Debbiebabe69]

How is your drone going to recieve a signal from the pilot if it is in a Faraday cage? Remember these drones operate at the VERY limit of their signal.....

[@andrehennig5702]

the real answer, I dont get the fuzz of this video

[@MR_THINQ]

The uk army is testing personal drone jammers as part of soldiers standard kit, it’s light and the size of cigarette packet.

[@shanerorko8076]

You could make a pre programed drone resistant to this device. Having a remote controlled drone is near impossible as the antenna need to be sensitive, which is how the EMP will hit the electronics.

[@alexevanspoppsychedelicren4158]

Seems like more of an ad than news. Not one of your best, but thank you for the effort 🙏

[@Uterr]

For what effort?

[@danielsass1826]

I thought It was Leonidas from spartan because he stopped the Persian invasion with their enormous slave army, some would say they are basically drones with no autonomy and this weapons system ideally stops the "invasion of enormous armies of drones". Oh wow I hadn't listened long enough to hear Simon make this comparison too.

[@fredthefish581]

300 didn't try to be very historical. The Persian army was not a slave a army.

[@ricardosalazarrey2424]

@@fredthefish581check out dan Carlin king of kings episodes. Totally worth it.

[@J3FF4SON]

Gotta read the history books, not watch Blockbuster movies. Spartan society was based on the fact that they were slave owners. The Persians were the culture of “free men”.

[@marw9541]

@@J3FF4SON The Achaemenids absolutely had slaves

[@fredthefish581]

@@J3FF4SON The Persians had slaves they just didnt have them in the same numbers as other ancient societies

[@williamtell5365]

The offense v defense of a new type of weapon is always fascinating. Whether it's combatting aircraft in WW1, submarines in WW2, or missiles in the Cold war, the general lesson seems to be that a sort of equilibrium will be reached where these weapons systems are never decisively effective but, at the same time, can never be fully stopped. What I'm simply guessing, as a layperson, is that drone swarms (e.g., drones as insects -- mass attack) will be very hard to combat. But I'm no expert of course

[@Mix1mum]

I like the idea of countering drones with blimps floating giant nets. Old tech v new tech. Its got a lot of that 'get off my lawn' swagger to it

[@williamtell5365]

@@Mix1mum not a bad idea, id think

[@ifv2089]

This system was being used as early as 2005 in Iraq

[@theflashhobbyist]

Holy shit ANOTHER channel! I clicked this video with no idea it was Simon. 😂

[@charliebrumfield9200]

Simon's editors got him good on this one. Lee-on-a-dis 😂

[@Farron6]

Leo-nye-das = American pronunciation (300 popularised) Leon-idas = Hellenic pronunciation

[@mj.ray0898]

I know it's a game, but in AC: Odyssey it was Leo-nee-das (like in 300, but a long E instead of a long I) so now I've heard 3 different pronunciations and don't know what to think anymore 🤷🏼‍♂️ Have you heard the long E version before? Any idea where that comes from? Genuinely curious.

[@Boogieeeeeeee]

@@mj.ray0898that’s the accurate pronunciation. funnily enough, last time when AC was accurate about anything 😅

[@Yiannis2112]

Λεωνίδας is written Leonidas in English. It is pronounced Leo-ni-thas, but there are three howevers, here. First of all, as you see, intonation goes to the "νι-ni" syllable. Now lets take it syllable by syllable. "Λεω" is pronounced as in the word-name "Leonardo". Watch this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXaXpZx3YrpmeNk Its pronounced like the second pronounciation in the video. The "νι" syllable, is pronounced as the ni, in the word nickel, Nick, nickname. Not like the "ni" in Nigeria or night. The "th" of the "thas" syllable, is pronounced exactly as in the word "thus". Its not pronounced as a "d". If it was like Leo-nye-das, the first syllable of the Greek word, wouldn't be with a "Λεω", but with a "Λιω". If it was a "nye", it would be with a "νιε" instead of the correct "νι". If it was a "das", it would be "ντας", instead of the correct "δας". You would end up with "Λιω-νίε-ντας" instead of "Λεωνίδας". Both Simon's and the 300 movie or most British or American documentaries pronounciaciations, are anglisized versions/ways of pronouncing the name. It's not how Greeks do.

[@dearthditch]

I expect that whatever the US military decides is the pronunciation is the correct pronunciation. It’s their weapon system, not a person

[@SystemsMedicine]

⁠​⁠@@Yiannis2112No one knows how the name was originally pronounced… not even vaguely…

[@CombatSport777]

This is more of a countermove rather than a checkmate as there are several strategies that I could think of off the top of my head that could possibly be affective against a system like this: Flying higher Using stealthy drones as a lead Emp shielding Developing first strike drones that attack these outside their range

[@not_enough_data_]

Imagine the signature this thing would give off for anti-radar type systems. Just send 1 dummy drone to make it reveal itself

[@V3RTIGO222]

Emp shielding requires increasing thickness/complexity to prevent increasingly powerful directed microwaves from penetraring them... this adds bulk, weight and cost, and civillian drones would he unlikely to raise costs just to manufacture them to function in non-civillian roles. It's an economic deterrent, most of all. Stealth significantly effects cost, and increased height (meaning larger, more powerful engines) is easily countered by more powerful beam on the ground that can sustain significantly more weight for emitter and power gen.

[@andreww3016]

So you’re quickly back to conventional aircraft and artillery, which you don’t want targeting anything, which is why you have conventional SAMs and artillery. This systems negates the advantage of low cost FPV and grenade-droppers.

[@paulbutkovich6103]

Flying higher is decent for surveillance and missile armed drones, but it makes munition dropping and suicide drones all but worthless. Stealthy drones as a lead only works if they can locate and destroy the microwave emitter without being detected. Not impossible, but the emitter will likely only activate if it detects a swarm of drones and might be difficult to detect at range unless its emitting. EMP shielding adds to the cost and weight of the drone.

[@alpi57]

Leonidas, meet Emperor Kinzhal. Any questions?

[@teorloges315]

CnC Generals microwave tank is real!

[@Baddy187]

A few more years or even months and we might have the Paladin tank from that game but with a better laser.

[@danielpope6498]

Thats exactly this, yeah.

[@StephenMcGregor1986]

I'm waiting for Styro Pyro to make RA style motion detecting automated pop up Tesla coils

[@YateyTileEditor]

It's been around for a while, possibly since about the time of CnC Generals. I have a memory it was called the Pain Ray or something similar back then. Now it's just called the Active Denial System. And you don't want one pointed at you.

[@dimitardobrev3296]

What a game

[@Hammersplat-the1]

So interestingly enough this popped up in my feed today. If this is in currently in use, the drones in NJ are ours and the military is running exercises on home turf above populated areas which is weird, or they aren't using Leonidas against drones owned and operated by foreign entities, or it doesn't work. All of these are not good.

[@michaelgautreaux3168]

Like armor against anti missiles, radar vs stealth. Drones are upping and ante in what is coming down to SEAD in reverse.

[@PlumSack-f7p]

I foresee the development of drones flying about in a Faraday cage.

[@DarpaProperty]

Exactly.

[@OakleyMoodie]

clever!

[@ONETEE.HENDRIX]

What the hell is even that

[@mechanicaldavid4827]

​@ONETEE.HENDRIX have you no Google?!

[@PlumSack-f7p]

@@ONETEE.HENDRIX an autonomous drone with a spherical mesh of conducting material completely covering it. Faraday cage completely shields from microwave radiation.

[@coltonmccuan7518]

Couldn't they stop the microwaves with a Faraday cage? Like the door of a microwave, but made for this situation. I could just see a wire mesh fitting around the underside of the drone body and maybe the motors. Unless they can modulate the frequency of the microwaves to penetrate it, but you could run into a lot of problems there.

[@V3RTIGO222]

Runs up the costs of drones, average civillian drones are cheap because they don't need to be hardened for military purposes... if your drone goes from a whole fleet to an air patrol simply due to cost, deterrence has done its job.

[@Metapharsical]

if the cage is not grounded, it does nothing except add weight

[@WatersmithTV]

​@@MetapharsicalFaraday cages don't need to be grounded to work, only to discharge.

[@Metapharsical]

@@WatersmithTV yes, I suppose you're right on that, but then won't the cage absorb the radiation and heat up? and that is the intended effect of the weapon

[@TheBlackbrrd]

​@@Metapharsicalheating metal takes a lot of energy...

[@Fecal_Eruptions]

4:33 LeONidas

[@randallsanchez3161]

The problem with using an EMP is that we know how to harden against the stuff and it isn't even that hard. You can wrap the body of the drone in chicken wire or even tin foil. Internally you can add capacitors in arrays to minimize any damage or coat the microprocessors in metallic paints to prevent the effects from hitting them. All of these are inexpensive. Right now, jamming seems to be the best defense against these things. Targeted lasers also seem to be showing really good results. There is a guy who just put together a 8 laser array that was melting the bodies of drones within a few seconds. A single second hit on the camera would disable it just as easily. Target detection is the hard part since many are using non-metallic materials making it difficult for radar to pick up.

[@JamesOKeefe-US]

I didn't know this was a Simon channel. Glad I was suggested it!

[@snafu6548]

Considering we have had HARMs (High speed Anti Radiation Missile (IE Radar seeking)) since the mid '60s, this system would not be difficult for a modern military to simply eliminate once it is turned on. Not only could we pinpoint its broadcast location quickly, but the device will also require some form of radar to spot incoming threats, which also stands out like a sore thumb.

[@MrChickennugget360]

because that is why Russia has no radars left. o wait.

[@tackytrooper]

@@MrChickennugget360 Wild Weasel drones. They are coming.

[@davesunhammer4218]

Yep. 101 responses to any new system.

[@ryancasey9763]

at 6:00 when I realise he is LEO-KNIGHT-TUS. (but probably of a more accurate and correct pronunciation)

[@VladimirKelman]

He pronounces the word in Russian pronunciation ;)

[@mm650]

Just because there's a way to defeat a battlefield system, does not mean that the system is useless or obsolete. Examples prove the point: 1. Since Tanks were invented cheap easy to use personal and crew served anti-tank weapons that work have existed. The Javelin missile is HARDLY the first example of this. Indeed most tanks are killed by anti-vehicular mines and artillery shells that have hardly changed in basic principle since WWI. The weapons killing these tanks cost orders of magnitude less than the tank. This has not made Tanks obsolete. 2. Since shortly after combat airplanes first existed a WIDE variety of systems to shoot them down have existed. Anti-aircraft guns, missiles in fixed or mobile launch systems, even personal shoulder launched missiles. These air defense systems shoot down enemy aircraft costing massively more than the shot. This has not made combat aircraft obsolete. 3. The infantry man is himself a battlefield weapon system. Each infantry man costs tens of thousands of dollars in training and equipment and medical care, and yet can be killed with a bullet costing less than a dollar. And there's nothing special about that bullet... in ages gone by, it was an arrow, or a sword, or a sling stone. And yet infantry are not obsolete. There are plenty of other examples, but I think you get the point. Why does an imbalanced economic cost of destroying a weapon system with the cost of the system being destroyed not matter? It's simple: a weapon system is procured and fielded not for what it can withstand, but for what it can inflict. Let's use the examples above shall we? A tank is a direct fire light artillery system... it exists for the sake of its GUN not the sake of its armor. An combat airplane serves many missions: reconnaissance, ground attack, air supremacy, air defense, etc... you will still need these missions served regardless of how vulnerable the airplane is to ground fire. An infantry man can do something that no other military unit can do... take and hold territory. (There's an old saying: you can bomb an ares, you can burn it, you can sterilize it to beaded glass... but you don't OWN IT until you stand a 18 year old kid with a rifle atop it). Wills systems like Leonidas alter the drone warfare landscape? Probably. Eliminate it? Almost certainly not... because we'll still want to do the things that only drones can do.

[@3nealweber3]

The company is named the weapon after the Epirus Bow which could fire unlimited repeating bolts of energy. Hence the bow and arrows in the logo Not named after the city. The inspiration for the name was taken from the movie Immortals.

[@UltraRex030609]

If you would like to get trashed, take a drink every time Simon says Leonidas wrong. You’ll only make it halfway. 😂😂😂

[@petersaunders5808]

17:18 so a faraday cage?

[@Pizzonia295]

Drones still need sensors outside the cage.

[@danshabash]

Ah yes, a “cheap” $ 10,000,000 system to counter $500 drones with a massive antenna which totally won’t become disabled the second there’s artillery impacts within 500 yards. Heck, drones themselves could just drop mortar rounds on it and take it out, the range is likely very limited

[@Slav4o911]

They would just use a rocket or a bomb for that expensive anti drone system. That is... if wire guided drones can't reach it. But the problem is, it looks expensive and drones are very cheap and easily and cheaply modifiable. Drones are cheap because they are used for everything, not just war. A drone is like a knife, you can use it for many things outside of military, which makes it cheap.

[@MrChickennugget360]

once it enters production its not going to be 10,000,000 dollars per unit. If integrated into an ADA system which has missiles, gun and a microwave panel you have a multi-use system.

[@danshabash]

​@@MrChickennugget360 1) Of course, when it enters production it's going to be half a decade too late and billions over predicted cost, just like the rest of military hardware 2) The whole future wars integration idea only works when styling on Palestinians and the like. Fancy shit breaks down against a near-peer opponent that employs decent jammers

[@EEE2431.-]

@@MrChickennugget360 random drone with a decent camera can stay outside of its range and just tell the local artilerry "kill that thing"

[@endlessstrata6988]

@@EEE2431.- This implies only one side will be using drones. It is, of course, not true.

[@acb9896]

Concentrated, aimable EMP weapon based on focused energy. Your welcome.

[@JaxaansePizza]

Ty!

[@johntowers1213]

inverse square law...oh no!

[@rastus666]

Good against drones maybe. How about incoming missiles?

[@JaxaansePizza]

@@rastus666 but this is for drones specifically. you would need another system to deal with missiles.

[@4u2nvinmtl]

So an analog/mechanical drone will still be an issue? So many ways to control and propel a drone other than electrical.

[@derrickrr5516]

Poe tay toe, Poe tah toe You say Lee Onadis, Americans say Leo Nidas.

[@sbsstorytelling]

If getting it to a place is its biggest hurdle, the future looks bright for this system.

[@bodaciouschad]

This seems like it only works in a defense in layers. Drone swarm staggers it's waves, wave 1 defeated by leonidas but gains line of sight to thw leonidas system in order for it to take them down, artillery fire on Leonidas's position, wave 2...

[@braydennturner]

Advantage of this system is its mobility. First wave spots the location of it on the back of a truck, send in artillery, truck has already moved. Checkmate.

[@johntowers1213]

@@braydennturner or a drone just launches its own missile at it outside its effective range? this looks really expensive... and looks about as fragile as most other mobile air defense systems currently in play...

[@MrChickennugget360]

@@johntowers1213 honestly why a microwave emitter is automatically going to be expensive? its technology similar to a common radar.

[@johntowers1213]

@@MrChickennugget360 the four IFPC-HPM systems sent to the army for testing in 2023 cost 66.1million..

[@hughmungus2760]

@@MrChickennugget360 high energy systems like these need big power sources, which means lugging around a big generator and fuel, which means a even bigger platform to mount it on. Thus raising the profile and cost of the system and making it more tempting for the enemy to focus fire on it. Its a vicious cycle.

[@BravoCheesecake]

At a recent conference on the future of US hypersonic capabilites and defense, former admiral James Winnefeld jr said, And I quote "There's a lot of potential there for what I call Ultra-high powered microwaves. Not the kinds of things that are shooting down little drones or anything like that. It's been proven, and I can say this at an unclassified level, at some significant ranges you can do some significant damage".

[@elmateo77]

Presumably at some point after that he talked to an electrical engineer and found out that hardening systems against emp is fairly easy and not that expensive, and has been around since the 60s...

[@flagmichael]

Too late. Ukraine already has fielded drones that would be suitable for destroying a system as large and identifiable as this. Leonidas's nemesis is small, ground crawling drones that can carry high explosives or napalm charges or PIAT rockets, or almost anything imaginable and can move slowly enough to avoid detection. Some of those have already performed area denial services in Ukraine; AFAIK those have not even been serious about camouflage or EMP shielding... yet. (I know something about radio issues; I have been licensed to maintain and operate any civilian transmitter in the US and her territories since 1970. The best New Year's Eve of my life was in 1999, when I was part of a team monitoring the operation of the communication system for Y2K issues in the Fortune 100 electric company I worked for.)

[@ImmortalismReligionForAI]

This could force military equipment in general to be required to have hardening against EMP attacks, which commercial equipment should not normally have.

[@ClassicRiki]

7:38 Well…let’s immediately take a look at how easy it is to shield from microwave radiation shall we? It’s not hard.

[@stephenwilkinson1254]

^ THIS ( and the current Leonidas? a multi million dollar system that cannot be carried on anything less than a pickup truck, and, as part of its operation, emits radiation spotlighting its position )

[@robdeskrd]

you could tape some popcorn bags on them and call it an ablative armor system

[@justinpenn9250]

So how do you shield the rotating blades? Why would the blades not act as antennas to the drone and carry RF to inside the body?

[@channelview8854]

If it is remotely piloted or is transmitting video or telemetry, there will be one or more antennas. If you shield an antenna it ceases being an antenna. I believe for this reason that high power microwave energy will be difficult to defend against.

[@stephenwilkinson1254]

@@channelview8854 SOMEWHAT TRUE - but directional antennae is basically an antenna shielded and oriented to only receive and transmit in one direction You could also have 100% faraday cage shielding, opening only briefly to transmit data and close it all back finally: Fiber optic cables to an out of range "mother drone" or ground operator would be an effective counter

[@PseudoEmpathy]

Counter: Single layer of aluminum foil covering drone. Prevents penetration by microwaves, the worst that could happen is the foil heating up but you'd boil humans nearby before managing to pull that off.

[@justinpenn9250]

So how does the drone fly when surrounded by foil? How does it sense direction and location inside a faraday cage?

[@patrickhenigin4805]

Optical and AI

[@flagmichael]

@@justinpenn9250 Foil does not affect compasses or balance. GPS antenna has to be exposed, though.

[@baronvonsnipeyou]

Not if its guided by fiber optic wire, which is rapidly becoming common place for both sides in Ukraine... thus this system is rapidly becoming obsolete before ever being deployed...

[@wmffmw]

Not true. At sufficient power and the right frequency, aluminum foil essentially be comes an amplifier concentrating and multiplying the strength of incoming microwaves helping to fry the drone. Your Faraday cage needs to be grounded to work.

[@Christian_Prepper]

*GREAT INFOMERCIAL!* *(For the military industrial complex)* 🧐

[@67legendaries]

Cool report.❤

[@LordHolley]

Reaper drones have been around since 2007. I think one would have to be very naive to think the US government hasn't continued to invest heavily in drone tech along with anti-drone tech.

[@RedneckMage]

they will simply harden the drones against emps...Not to mention they could also use gyroscopes and basic pathing/tracking.....so when the drones lose radio, they auto target and go for specific objects. They will always be behind in warfare when they are reacting, instead of innovating!

[@kameronjones7139]

It isn't an emp like he said but a microwave weapon which is functional very difficult to harden small drones against

[@JeffBilkins]

the drones would be a lot more complex and expensive and radio waves only need a tiny gap

[@GYI5U]

At that point you just have a regular ol' missile. The whole point of drones is that they're cheap.

[@TheKeirsunishi]

They will simply make anti drone equipment work against drones hardened against EMPs

[@Blinkerd00d]

The Russians have been using drones without wireless transmission.... they use very thin fiberoptic wire on a spool, and are one-way drones.

[@dgsean9775]

I bet this thing as an effective range of around 100 meters. And I bet it doesn't work against hardened systems. For every vice my child there is always an anti-vice.

[@elmateo77]

Nah the effective range will probably be a few km, several other countries are developing similar systems and the ranges seem to be around 2-4km for vehicle mounted systems and 5-8km for the heavier ones mounted on ships.

[@dgsean9775]

@@elmateo77 That would be unheard of by any similar techonlogy. Extrodinary claims require extrodinary evidence. And so far all we got is some dude saying he thinks so.

[@youtube_premium]

this sounds like an advertisement

[@TheDarkDogmaticDragonArisen]

Adverts tend to pronounce the product name correctly

[@injectormajor]

Looks like bs to me. A gopro camera successfully went through high energy particle irradiator and stayed intact. Where is the energy source of that piu-piu gamechanger, specifically aerial one? What about flanking these irradiators? What is its capability against low altitude drones? What is the radius of effectiveness and cone of effect, i think mediocre at best - you need to focus energy, your enemy is a 1/r^2. It will be swarmed and left in a dust😢

[@Shardus_Blunder]

This would be perfect for solving the air drone issues that are appearing randomly over large cities.

[@kylek29]

For those saying he pronounced it wrong, British English (you might consider it the O.G.) pronounces their vowels different than American English. British: lee·o·nuh·duhs American: lee·uh·nai·duhs

[@winchester208]

Perhaps the British should learn English!

[@brandonguffey5959]

As someone who has English parents but grew up in America, nah, you're making things up. And that doesn't account for him pronouncing the first half like Leon instead of Leo. He isn't even dividing the word up into the proper syllables. I have heard English people pronounce Leonidas properly, I.E my dad and I cle while watching the movie.

[@stevehill2479]

What would happen if a drone was constructed incorporating a faraday cage

[@robertvondarth1730]

Then it couldn’t receive GPS or WiFi commands

[@ploed]

@@robertvondarth1730 Automated Areal Following Faraday Cage protected Drones going to be a thing in the future :D

[@b89976]

​@@ploed how are these going to be controlled ? If they are covered by that faraday cage ?

[@OscarGarcia0G]

@@ploedthose sound much more expensive than current drones. Which would go against the very advantage of being able to build and field tons of cheap drones to overwhelm

[@ploed]

@@b89976 TERCOM - currently used for Missiles. Not sure how expensive the system is.

[@richbattaglia5350]

“Wired drones.”

[@JeffBilkins]

there are wired guides missiles, but for drones it works against regular sigal jamming, not these emp attacks.

[@pauld.b7129]

Don't think it would work. One, a mile of wire is pretty heavy. Two, sounds like this system would still fry the flight controller and other chips it needs to run

[@buddy1155]

Russia has recently introduced wired drones @Jeff you are correct @paul Russia uses a single fibre optic cable

[@urgaynknowit]

You mean a towed missile 😂

[@johntowers1213]

@@pauld.b7129 wire guided drones are already a thing a 10 kilometer fiber optic cable weighs hardly anything

[@quantumbyte-studios]

Leonidas and his 300 EMPs 😂

[@kcollier2192]

Sounds like a fantastic bit of tech, which makes me wonder how long it is before it's targeted by hackers or hostile foreign tech thieves.

[@dianapennepacker6854]

The world knows how to make high powered microwaves, no? What this will stop is cheap drones. I am pretty sure you can shield from EMPs. Well I don't know about microwaves, but aren't things shielded from nukes. Cool tech if it works as intended.

[@ifv2089]

It's been used against pir-initiated devices since 2005 in Iraq

[@dyeace]

I literally got cancer from how you mispronounced 'Leonidas'

[@Limpn00dle19kilo]

Leon-ī-das I’m pretty sure…

[@TheKeirsunishi]

He is pronouncing in the Greek way, google it

[@Fizbini1]

Radio frequency jammers can be small and cheap and portable…. The next step could be light instead or radio though which needs line of sight.. could be possible though. Also they could make drones in groups repeating and amplifying the radio signal at high enough frequency radio jammer attenuation could be an issue…. I’m am wifi expert and I can tell you there are tons of radio frequency unintentionally messing up your wifi, ie Bluetooth sound bars with wireless subwoofers. Most cause wifi issues and are visible on radio spectrometers. I’ve even seen faulty isp gateways cause wifi noise and issues for everyone’s wifi in the neighbourhood…

[@Another4o4]

My family being from that Greek province made it hard to hear the names pronounced like that 😅 All ribbing aside, stellar presentation as always! Thank you for your robust research and communication abilities!!

[@dilian245]

Can the Leonidas system go trough a faraday cage? Im also going to guess that this big, bulky thing can't disable artileriy shells flying at it.

[@AaronSchwarz42]

Even cheap fiber lasers with collimating optics for narrow beam emissions can blind the CMOS & FLIR sensors of a drone, blinding it, so it can't perform its missions, Q-switch DPSS also can emit hugely powerful laser pulse able to flash burn CMOS & FLIR sensors to blind drones

[@635574]

I'm no strategist but I have played at least 2 strategy games. This just leads to drones having rockets to take out the device and then the lighter drone waves come in.

[@Baphomet23]

Well presented, Simon. We have taken extensive notes here in Moscow.

[@ryanhampson673]

Another fact of the high energy microwave energy is that it can prematurely detonate any payload the drone could be carrying. The microwave energy is so strong it can create an arc inside the weapons detonator setting off the main charge.

[@RaymondBCrisp]

I mean, I'm not a a member of a think tank or anything, so I don't know if this is a bonehead idea or not. However, it seems it would be rather easy to defeat a system such as this by creating a drone that actively seeks powerful jamming sources, sort of like how we can already lock certain classes of missiles onto enemy radar signals and use those to track the targets we seek to neutralize, such as the radar from an enemy SAM position. Send a wave of the drone zapper killers in first, using the enemy's own jamming signals to pinpoint them, then your main wave of POV guided drones after the enemy drone zappers have been taken out.

[@RussellFineArt]

Future wars will be robots and drones fighting against robots and drones, until humanity figures out how ridiculous it is.