Ukraine Builds High-Tech Drone Army From $12 Mustaches and 2005 Soviet Scrap

KEY POINTS

•In 2005, Sgt. Troy Smothers and 100 US Marines trained Ukrainian troops in NATO infantry tactics in Odesa.
•Smothers now leads American Made Freedom, supplying fiber-optic spools to help Ukrainians make advanced unjammable drones.
•Ukrainians creatively repaired Soviet-era gear and converted hobby drones with $12 mustache triggers, surpassing expensive US equipment.

In 2005, Sgt. Troy Smothers deployed with 100 US Marines to Odesa, Ukraine, to teach infantry leap-and-bound tactics since Russians still played human meatwave defense. Ukrainians just rolled with Soviet-era gear prone to hydraulic fluid leaks gifting their copters indoor pooling. Fast forward to 2022, Troy’s nonprofit American Made Freedom fuels Ukraine’s drone revolution with fiber-optic spools, turning hobby drones into jammable military beasts. The secret weapon? A $12-15 "mustache"—two copper wires acting as a trace-triggered detonation switch with a cautionary 3D-printed pin! Meanwhile, American drones emit Price-Is-Right sound: $400 parts replacement vs. Ukrainians happily soldering phones and explosives alike amid salary shortages. Who knew broken phones made better soldiers?

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Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

Turns out turning Chinese hobby drones into battlefield killing machines with $15 copper mustaches beats the US approach: waiting weeks for a $500 replacement part. Innovation powered by soldering irons and Soviet-era duct tape basically.

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