FPV drones are ruthlessly suppressing electronic warfare on both sides of the front. Without AI, they may disappear completely, and with that their roles may become decisive.
The role of unmanned aerial vehicles in the Russia-Ukraine war is great and may increase or disappear further. Drone pilots of the 3rd detachment of special forces of the National Guard of Ukraine with call signs “Omega”, SL and “Sonic” told the broadcast “Intent” that besides this, daily drone consumption is also desirable. purpose, balance of power, and their own experiences.
What are the best drones?
Sonic said, “The most effective drones I’ve worked with are the Ukrainian drones. While they vary slightly in size and specific features, they have one purpose: to deliver munitions to the enemy.”
Important
He adds that in case of domestic production, the process is completely controlled and benefits the front and the economy. The country is completely independent in the use of weapons.
How many drones are consumed per day?
During active combat operations, a crew operates at least 15 FPV drones per day. But there are days when a drone can fly all day and nothing happens. During quiet times, 2-4 drones are consumed per day. As soon as the pilots see any target, the drones take action immediately.
What is the most desired goal?
According to pilots, the most desired target of kamikaze drones is helicopters. With an FPV drone, it is almost impossible to shoot it down, but there is a chance that the UAV will fly into the engine.
“No one has ever shot down a helicopter, but at my school where I trained as a pilot, the instructor promised the first one a box of whiskey,” says SL.
Fighter pilot or reconnaissance pilot
“On average a kamikaze pilot kills more people or destroys equipment in a day than any attack aircraft,” says SL.
But psychologically the job of a reconnaissance drone pilot is the most stressful and can become boring. Such a pilot is the “eye” of the headquarters, artillery or assault groups and therefore has great responsibility. That’s why it often “gets” when something goes wrong: electronic warfare systems are working, the drone is lost for other reasons, and so on.
hardest task
“When the attack began in the direction of Melitopol. The enemy equipment began to move, we were all ready, we saw it from afar. The sapper drone sets up, I launch it, it falls and my controls show zero. I don’t do it.” I understand what happened. I throw the second – the same thing. The enemy covered the entire area with electronic warfare from where I was flying. I was in a panic, but after half an hour everything worked. Panic arose because 3-4 units of equipment were moving along one road and you had a drone, of course you understand that there are still crews, infantry and artillery, but now you see 4 units 2 kilometers away from you and you want to do everything quickly.
Then it got dark, the fog rolled in, and Mavik could see almost nothing. The enemy infantry dismounted and it so happened that we had to stay awake at night and hold the line to prevent them from approaching the position because nothing was visible. “There was another attack in the afternoon and I barely slept and worked in these conditions for about 4 days,” he said.
The role of drones in warfare
SL says the role of drones is important. But the situation is determined by the sum of all equipment and conditions available at the front. Pilot believes that within six months, FPV drones will no longer operate effectively. These will be replaced by wing-type drones. SL believes these are the future and wants to learn to fly them. The main disadvantage of FPVs is that they are brutally hampered by electronic warfare systems.
Sonic believes that drones are slowly moving towards becoming the main weapon on the front line. He’s not just talking about FPV, but the entire spectrum of drones and automated vehicles. According to him, after the widespread use of artificial intelligence technologies, the fight against FPV using electronic warfare will come to nothing.
“No kidding, the only real countermeasure against AI in drones is laser,” Sonic says.
Drone Advantage
Combatants note the approximate equality between the parties in the saturation of drones. But Ukrainian fighters spend them much more efficiently. They also talk about the existence of large unmanned aerial vehicles “flying to Moscow”, but they exist in small quantities due to the lack of large-scale production. But there are more drones in 2024 than there were a year ago.
Recently, Ukrainian FPV drones have learned to shoot down larger drones belonging to Russian invaders. It was recently reported that two Ukrainian drones working together managed to shoot down a Russian aircraft-style kamikaze drone.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.