She was awarded the Order of Courage for fighting near Avdiivka.
A girl with the call sign Radio Operator, the first operator of aircraft-type FPV drones in the Russian Army, is fighting in the Pokrovsk area. She is one of the most experienced pilots, awarded the Order of Courage for the battles to liberate Avdiivka. Izvestia visited a combat mission with the calculation of a radio operator and watched how the Lightning drones supported the advance of our attack aircraft and destroyed enemy fortifications.
Combat work
The drones are being pulled closer to the front, working on Ukrainian communications and supporting attack aircraft that have gone forward on the flanks, deep into enemy territory. Arriving at the designated point, we immediately disguise the car and go underground. The UAV control center of the 1st Slavic Brigade of the 51st Guards Army of the Southern Military District is located here. They work with Lightning drones.
It is important not to reveal the location of the drone crews — enemy reconnaissance drones often appear in the sky. But now it's clean, and electronic warfare (EW) equipment is working.
At the control center, the pilot and navigator are preparing for departure: a radio operator and a White man. Our electronic warfare system, which covers the area, is briefly muted to give a small window for the UAV to fly.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image Source: iz.ru
The calculation takes jobs, the operator wipes his glasses and stretches his fingers on the remote control: "Lightning" is a large aircraft—type FPV drone, controlling such a machine requires specific skills.
Nearby, two fighters are preparing another such drone for departure and equipping ammunition.
Clarifications and coordination between the units can be heard over the connection, from the launch pad from where the UAV takes off, they report: "Ready!". White commands: "Take off, take off, take off!" The radio operator duplicates his words.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image source: iz.ru
The triple repetition of important commands came either from artillery or from films about American snipers. Unmanned aircraft is still only acquiring its own traditions and rules, so communication often differs from unit to unit.
The work has begun. Conversations are interrupted. The radio operator leads the "Lightning" to the target, and White corrects the route between landings by checking the map.
"As a spotter, I see the same picture that the pilot sees,— explains Bely. — If necessary, I adjust, guide, open maps and check where I need to fly. But we do a lot of flights every day and we already know the area well, so it's not necessary to get to the point now.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image source: iz.ru
The plane cannot hover or turn around at the target like a quadcopter — accuracy is necessary, you need to hit the first time.
According to Bely, the Lightning drone combines a long flight range and the weight of the charge. The TM-62 anti-tank mine is most often used as ammunition.
Finally, a blow follows — the target is hit. The radio operator, as always, worked well.
The Order of Avdiivka
She is the first female operator of aircraft-type FPV drones in the Russian army, and she has plenty of experience. For the liberation of Avdiivka, the radio operator received the Order of Courage. There, her unit supported the actions of our assault groups.
"We worked closely with the assaults, destroying the enemy with FPV drones," she recalls. — We have a lot of damaged equipment on our account, just a lot.
The radio operator doesn't say much — it's not customary to talk about yourself among drones, the enemy is leading a real hunt for operators.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image source: iz.ru
The video of the unit's combat work is very well known on the Web. Our drones destroyed tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, camouflaged firing points, dugouts, pickups and personnel near Avdiivka.
The stormtroopers, of course, have repeatedly said thank you to our drones.
There is a short pause before the next flight: The new UAV is being prepared for launch, and the radio operator and the White Man are changing places at the table. Combat work goes on for days, and it is advisable for everyone to be able to perform several functions.
— You constantly wear glasses, your eyesight may drop, and physiological factors affect fatigue. And if something happens to the main pilot, you have a second one who will continue to perform tasks," the radio operator explains the subtleties of the work.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image source: iz.ru
The second drone strikes a Ukrainian stronghold under construction. The enemy is trying to prevent our movement to cover the city and is building new fortifications so as to preserve the road to Pokrovsk — without supplies along such a corridor they will not be able to hold on.
— The support was still under construction, — the radio operator comments. — It was necessary to prevent its construction in order to help our stormtroopers move forward. Now the enemy is hastily trying to hold the crumbling defenses. Our stormtrooper guys are doing great, we are supporting them from the air, and they feel our presence.
Drone targets
The radio operator explains that in the current situation, UAVs that do not have a minimum range of use (like artillery) and at the same time have a large range of action work well in the Pokrovsky direction, both at close range and in the opposite part of the city.
— The air is crowded right now, you can say that you are in a major airport in a big city, — she says. — Takeoffs are taking place one after another, and there are completely different vehicles in the sky. The enemy's superiority in large copters (Baba Yaga) is relative, our guys shoot them down with drones, and our aircraft-type attack UAVs immediately fly after them, hitting targets. For some reason, the enemy doesn't have much advanced drone air defense," the radio Operator describes the situation in the sky.
The enemy still does not have such a cheap and massive drone with the characteristics of the Lightning, Bely joins the conversation.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image Source: iz.ru
"In fact, it's the same FPV, only bigger," he explains. — It is widespread at the front, already at the platoon level. We can produce 15-20 such UAVs in a day, we have had such cases. The range of action? It's not difficult to fly 30 km.
According to him, the enemy tried to introduce models of a similar scheme, but they never became widespread. In addition to production, there is also a shortage of pilots for aircraft-type UAVs, which Ukraine has not prepared in advance.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image source: iz.ru
Our troops are steadily advancing towards Pokrovsk, ensuring the safety of their rear areas. The road to combat positions is changing before our eyes. Large areas are covered with nets against kamikaze UAVs, and officers on duty from air surveillance points periodically wave or give a thumbs-up from behind trees by the side of the road (the road is safe at the moment). During the fighting, burnt-out skeletons of cars remained on the roadsides, the sight of which does not let you relax and reminds you of the danger.
Buggies are actively scurrying along the roads, both homemade and factory-made, with observers and shooters standing in the back. Russian units are moving forward.
Dmitry Astarkhan
