Skydio drone manufacturers — another example of whinily stupid US warmongers?

01 November 2024

It is okay when we do it . . .

. . . but not when you do?

Background

From Reuters:

China's foreign ministry on Thursday [10 October 2024] announced it had imposed sanctions on three U.S. military-linked firms and 10 senior excecutives over U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan.

The steps taken against the firms, including Edge Autonomy Operations LLC, Huntingdon Ingalls Industries Inc and Skydio Inc, became effective on Thursday and will freeze any property within China, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

DroneLife explained the economics of Skydio's situation this way:

In response to recently announced Chinese sanctions against them, U.S.-based drone manufacturer Skydio informed its customers of a plan to ration battery supplies temporarily.

The sanctions, which affect Skydio’s ability to source batteries, stem from the company’s sale of drones to Taiwan’s National Fire Agency. Skydio has affirmed its commitment to maintaining its current partnerships while adjusting supply chain operations to accommodate the disruption.

The issue highlights broader concerns over supply chain vulnerabilities in the drone industry.

Lawmakers in the U.S. and allied countries have increasingly urged drone users to seek alternatives to Chinese-made equipment, citing supply chain issues and cyber security as critical factors.

China’s dominance in drone production has led to concerns about reliance on foreign technology for essential operations.

These restrictions against Skydio underscore the importance of supply chain resilience.

Skydio's chief executive officer, Adam Bry, added the following comment:

If there was ever any doubt, this action makes clear that the Chinese government will use supply chains as a weapon to advance their interests over ours.

The drone market has historically been dominated by Chinese companies who are now rapidly losing market share to Skydio and our Western peers.

This is an attempt to eliminate the leading American drone company and deepen the world’s dependence on Chinese drone suppliers.

Now, let's parse some facts

Skydio's website flaunts the fact that its drones have hard-core military capabilities:

Out-detect the adversary.

Out-network the adversary.

Out-think the adversary.

Out-sustain the adversary.

Out-maneuver the adversary.

A Skydio sUAS program tilts today’s battlefield in your favor and keeps you ready for tomorrow’s conflicts with human-machine teaming.

Thus, China's sanctions represent an attempt to stop the United States and American manufacturers from supplying weapons to separatist types in Taiwan.

Skydio is — from China's perspective — one of the pillage-prone, warmongering Military Industrial Complex corporations that are so rabidly supported by our (literally fascist) American government and Deep State.

Both of which would like to attack the basis of China's globally recognized legal claim that Taiwan is an integral part of the People's Republic of China.

From the totality of the above circumstances, objectively minded people might reasonably conclude that this American-initiated adventure — in instigating violence between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland — is intended to serve as a profit-making, US weapons sales, venture.

The moral? — Strutting hypocrisy and rank stupidity?

The United States has been sanctioning governments and private entities world-wide, whenever one of them does something that our neocon-minded, plundering imperialists do not like.

However, when one of these same foreign jurisdictions initiates self-defensive sanctions, America's overly plentiful supply of self-righteously imperialist blowhards crybaby-whine.

Not to mention engaging in the anti-strategic stupidity that attacks another nation with American weapons that contain critically important parts manufactured by the victims-to-be.

In the China-Skydio sanctions vignette, we see the United States' insane viciousness succinctly described.

After decades of similar behavior all over the place, most of the planet's human population views the United States as a rabid menace to its peace and safety.

PeteFree.com

Skydio drone manufacturers — another example of whinily stupid US warmongers?