This would really count as Darwin awards worthy

By STEPHEN BRYENMAY 31, 2023

''One of the most important targets for the Russians was the 7th Tactical Air Brigade, which is based at a military airfield near Starokonstantinov in the Khmelnitsky area. The location in western Ukraine included Su-24M and Su-24 MR fighter-bomber jets that had been modified by the UK to carry Storm Shadow cruise missiles.

The Storm Shadow was developed by the UK and France and is a low-observable, long-range, air-launched cruise missile. It was designed by  Matra BAe Dynamics. That company was formed in August 1996 by merger of half the missile business of Matra Defense of France and BAe Dynamics (a division of British Aerospace) of the UK  Today Stormshadow is manufactured by MBDA Missile Systems. Stormshadow carries a 990 lb. (450 kg) conventional warhead.  The cost per missile is $2.7 million.

Own goal? Darwin Award candidate?

A story going around says that Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and his UK counterpart, Ben Wallace, the UK secretary of state for defense, published a celebratory postcard showing a picture of an Su-24 sporting the Storm Shadow cruise missile. A problem arose, however, because the postcard also showed, in the upper right-hand corner, the insignia of the 7th Tactical Air Brigade, thus enabling the Russians to know which aircraft had the Storm Shadow and where they were based.

On May 29 the Russians attacked the 7th Tactical Air Brigade in Starokonstantinov.  Five Su-24s were damaged or destroyed, and storage facilities for Storm Shadow missiles were hit in the Russian attack.  It isn’t clear if this is the only Storm Shadow-equipped unit but, in any event, the loss of the aircraft and missiles is a significant blow to Ukraine.''

Stormshadow Postcard Signed by Ben Wallace, UK secretary of state for defense. Photo: Twitter

Mr. T (MrT4) said:

This would really count as Darwin awards worthy...

It was certainly a really dumb thing for the Ukrainian Defense Minister to do, but no, it does not qualify for the Darwin awards.

"The Darwin Awards...recognize individuals who have supposedly contributed to human evolution by selecting themselves out of the gene pool by dying or becoming sterilized via their own actions."

Yes you are right 

But it explains why after initiall one or two storm shadow launches there have been no more to be seen anywhere

Malloy Aeronautics ?150 is a new drone seen in Russian border regions so far nearly all drones used to attack inside Russia are either Chinese Mugin or a number of Ukrainian products

T150 at a presentation on RN carrier

Downed T150 was carrying mortar grenades

Sometimes kamikaze drones are shot down by infantry fire , note one of the soldiers switches to firing a shotgun 

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Alas it did not look like the shotgun bagged the drone, much as I want that to happen.

"The Most Dangerous Sporting Clays".

Given the short practical range of a shot gun buckshot , it most likely did not hit the drone.

Yes, there would really need to be a dedicated anti drone load to have any chance.

Something like the federal 'flite control' wad that holds on the pellets tightly together as a near slug for the first 15-25 yards before falling away, and loaded with tungsten shot made with proper spherical shot. 

Even then it would be pretty meh given the speed and difficulty seeing a drone. 

American 180 loaded with tracers would be better:

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"Laser Beams" Full Drum of .22 tracer through an American 180

Title says it all. American 180 packed full of piney mountain .22 tracer. Only thing missing is the storm trooper outfit. Thanks to TacticalNooB42 for recor...