Russian drones spotted using screwed-on magnetic compasses as navigation aids — the on-board camera can occasionally tilt down to check bearings if satellite comms are lost ⁠84%

By Jowi Morales⁠76%

7/19/2026, 12:05:34 PM

BS Summary: This article contains 26 faulty reasoning types, including Biased Writer Voice, Post Hoc (False Cause), and Overconfidence Bias, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 35.9% saturation with 162 hits. Analysis detected 1,395 faulty-reasoning hits from 451 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 75% and a BS Rank of ⁠84% (3,682 of 21,886 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 83.20% of the article peer group.

Ukraine, which is fighting a years-long war of attrition against Russian aggression, has seen a lot of combat innovations, especially in drone warfare. 
But even as modern technologies like Starlink-powered long-range drones and jam-proof fiber optic drones enter the battlefield, troops on both sides are also relying on their own ingenuity and deploying “field upgrades” on their equipment. 
Just like during the Second World War, when some American tankers welded thick metal plates to increase the armor on their vehicles to counter the feared German Panzers, the Defence Blog reports that Russians are crudely installing $2 magnetic compasses on some Molniya drones to combat electronic warfare. 
Система навигации российского беспилотника. 
Саморезами прикрутили компас, на который смотрит камера, чтобы сверяться с курсом. 
Аналогов нет. 
Уверен, в документах пишут: Навигационное оборудование, основанное на принципах магнетизма Земли. pic.twitter.com/DncTH3ff1z July 17, 2026 
The Molniya is a cheap, medium-range drone that relies on the open-source ExpressLRS radio control system, which lets operators control it from a potential maximum range of up to 62 miles (100 kilometers). 
Some versions also used Starlink connections to combat the jamming efforts of Ukrainian electronic warfare units, but Ukraine’s requirement to register Starlink units in the country before they can be used has supposedly made this strategy unviable. 
The drone can also be equipped with a fiber optic cable , which renders it impervious to any sort of electronic interference. 
Although this limits the potential range of the Molniya to just 18 miles (30 kilometers), it allows the drone to be more effective as it reduces the chances that the operator will lose control of the unit. 
GPS jamming is also a common occurrence in Ukrainian airspace. 
This means that drone operators could potentially get lost on their way to their targets. 
Because of this, many frontline Russian units have started crudely installing magnetic compasses on their drones. 
This navigation tool is typically installed just below the FPV camera, allowing the operator to glance down to confirm their bearings. 
When combined with other telemetry data, the drone pilot could locate their relative location even without GPS. 
One leaked image shows that the compass is just attached to the panel near the FPV camera with five Philips screws, suggesting that this isn’t a factory modification. 
Some people are mocking the development of this “add-on,” saying that it’s a step backward for the supposedly “advanced” Russian arsenal. 
But no matter how rough and primitive it looks, the fact that it helps the Russians achieve their missions means that it’s still a cheap, effective, and rather deadly modification. 
Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 20.4%Jowi Morales: 4.5%Tom's Hardware: 3.8%Confirmation Bias20.4%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 2.5%Tom's Hardware: 2.3%Anchoring Bias0.0%This article: 9.5%Jowi Morales: 4.9%Tom's Hardware: 3.5%Availability Heuristic9.5%This article: 10.6%Jowi Morales: 1.5%Tom's Hardware: 1.1%Representativeness Heuristic10.6%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.7%Tom's Hardware: 0.5%Hindsight Bias0.0%This article: 20.6%Jowi Morales: 3.4%Tom's Hardware: 3.5%Overconfidence Bias20.6%This article: 13.5%Jowi Morales: 12.9%Tom's Hardware: 9.2%Framing Effect13.5%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 2.6%Tom's Hardware: 0.9%Loss Aversion0.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 1.0%Tom's Hardware: 0.7%Status Quo Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.1%Tom's Hardware: 0.3%Sunk Cost Effect0.0%This article: 12.0%Jowi Morales: 6.9%Tom's Hardware: 6.0%Optimism Bias12.0%This article: 3.3%Jowi Morales: 2.5%Tom's Hardware: 2.0%Pessimism Bias3.3%This article: 35.9%Jowi Morales: 13.7%Tom's Hardware: 6.5%Negativity Bias35.9%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 1.3%Tom's Hardware: 1.3%Self-Serving Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.8%Tom's Hardware: 0.6%Fundamental Attribution Error0.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.6%Tom's Hardware: 0.2%Actor-Observer Bias0.0%This article: 5.1%Jowi Morales: 1.4%Tom's Hardware: 0.6%In-Group Bias5.1%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.3%Tom's Hardware: 0.3%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias0.0%This article: 6.7%Jowi Morales: 2.6%Tom's Hardware: 2.8%Halo Effect6.7%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.0%Tom's Hardware: 0.0%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.0%Tom's Hardware: 0.0%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 1.7%Tom's Hardware: 2.0%Recency Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.8%Tom's Hardware: 0.6%Primacy Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.1%Tom's Hardware: 0.1%Blind-Spot Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.3%Tom's Hardware: 0.2%Ad Hominem0.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.5%Tom's Hardware: 0.2%Straw Man0.0%This article: 14.0%Jowi Morales: 6.7%Tom's Hardware: 5.4%Appeal to Authority14.0%This article: 7.8%Jowi Morales: 4.0%Tom's Hardware: 2.0%False Dilemma7.8%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 1.4%Tom's Hardware: 1.0%Slippery Slope0.0%This article: 6.7%Jowi Morales: 0.2%Tom's Hardware: 0.1%Circular Reasoning6.7%This article: 12.0%Jowi Morales: 8.8%Tom's Hardware: 6.1%Hasty Generalization12.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.3%Tom's Hardware: 0.3%Red Herring0.0%This article: 4.7%Jowi Morales: 1.2%Tom's Hardware: 1.1%Bandwagon4.7%This article: 6.7%Jowi Morales: 7.1%Tom's Hardware: 3.0%Appeal to Emotion6.7%This article: 3.3%Jowi Morales: 1.0%Tom's Hardware: 0.8%Begging the Question3.3%This article: 27.1%Jowi Morales: 6.3%Tom's Hardware: 3.5%Post Hoc (False Cause)27.1%This article: 6.7%Jowi Morales: 0.2%Tom's Hardware: 0.1%Tu Quoque6.7%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 1.6%Tom's Hardware: 0.8%Burden of Proof0.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.4%Tom's Hardware: 0.3%Appeal to Nature0.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.8%Tom's Hardware: 0.6%Composition/Division0.0%This article: 16.9%Jowi Morales: 3.5%Tom's Hardware: 1.6%Anecdotal16.9%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.0%Tom's Hardware: 0.0%No True Scotsman0.0%This article: 10.0%Jowi Morales: 3.5%Tom's Hardware: 3.4%Ambiguity (Equivocation)10.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.0%Tom's Hardware: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.1%Tom's Hardware: 0.2%Middle Ground0.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.0%Tom's Hardware: 0.0%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.5%Tom's Hardware: 0.2%Special Pleading0.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.2%Tom's Hardware: 0.1%Genetic Fallacy0.0%This article: 9.5%Jowi Morales: 3.3%Tom's Hardware: 2.4%Unattributed Quote9.5%This article: 5.8%Jowi Morales: 2.5%Tom's Hardware: 0.9%Quote-first Misdirection5.8%This article: 29.0%Jowi Morales: 8.9%Tom's Hardware: 7.1%Biased Writer Voice29.0%This article: 6.7%Jowi Morales: 2.2%Tom's Hardware: 1.3%Indoctrination6.7%This article: 5.1%Jowi Morales: 0.5%Tom's Hardware: 0.1%Politically Left Leaning Bias5.1%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 0.0%Tom's Hardware: 0.0%Politically Right Leaning Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Jowi Morales: 6.8%Tom's Hardware: 3.3%Attempt to Sell a Product or S…0.0%

451 words analyzed.

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