The tactics of fire cover are being reviewed taking into account the appearance of new equipment
The troops began to practice their skills in dealing with ground drones. Anti-aircraft gunners take a special training course. Their units are armed with large-caliber machine guns, which can effectively destroy not only aerial targets, but also enemy ground equipment. Experts believe that as ground-based unmanned vehicles spread, the enemy's skills in dealing with them are becoming more relevant.
The troops began to practice their skills in dealing with ground drones. Anti-aircraft gunners take a special training course. Their units are armed with large-caliber machine guns, which can effectively destroy not only aerial targets, but also enemy ground equipment. Experts believe that as ground-based unmanned vehicles spread, the enemy's skills in dealing with them are becoming more relevant.
Based on the experience of a special operation
The special course includes theoretical and practical exercises. At the first, the military personnel study the device, the specifics of the use of ground-based robotic systems (NRTC), their control systems and methods of counteraction. In order to confidently hit a target, military personnel must know the enemy's equipment, sources familiar with the situation told Izvestia.
In practical classes, the emphasis is on fire training. Anti-aircraft gunners are learning how to hit wheeled and tracked drones with heavy machine guns "Utes", "Kord" and DShK, the interlocutors of the publication explained.
Classes are held at specially prepared training grounds that allow you to simulate real combat situations. All the exercises are based on the experience gained during the military special operation, they said.
The acquired skills in combating NRTK increase the readiness of units to conduct combat operations in modern conditions, the interlocutors of the publication noted.
"Ground—based drones were our invention, and we were the first to use them," military expert Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia. — Now the enemy has them too, and there are more and more of them. Countering such devices is becoming increasingly relevant. Heavy machine guns can easily destroy ground-based drones. This allows you not to waste expensive ammunition from anti-tank missile systems.
The expert noted that Ukraine has become a testing ground where Western countries are developing new military technologies, and ground—based drones are one of them.
"Today, the fight against unmanned vehicles of various types has transformed from a highly specialized task into an integral element of combat support for all types of military activities: neither attack aircraft, nor sappers, nor gunners, nor tankers can effectively perform tasks without protection from such threats," Colonel Alexander Perendzhiev, associate professor at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, told Izvestia.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are currently being robotized — it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to recruit people into the army, and Russian fighters are increasingly having to deal with drones of all types, including ground-based ones, military expert Yuri Knutov told Izvestia.
"The whole range of measures should be involved in the fight against such machines," he said. — NRTCS play an important role: in many cases, they are the mainstay of supplying units at the forefront today. Their timely destruction disrupts the supply of enemy forces. Aerial drones are now successfully fighting ground-based complexes. But if possible, it is necessary to use all available means. Heavy machine guns are well suited for firing at such targets. The NRTC is armored, but the machine gun is guaranteed to be able to immobilize or seriously damage the device. After that, it can be destroyed by drones or try to evacuate it to the rear for subsequent recovery and use.
The creation of specialized units to combat ground—based unmanned systems is a natural response to the rapid evolution of robotic systems, which today cover a wide range of tasks, from reconnaissance and fire damage to engineering support, military expert Alexei Leonkov told Izvestia.
"Robotic platforms, like flying drones, are rapidly developing and improving, which makes the detection and neutralization of such targets a priority for the ground forces," he said.
According to Leonkov, over time, such specialized units may appear in all parts of the ground forces, and anti-drone skills will become a mandatory part of every serviceman's fire training.
He also stressed that in the conditions of modern combat, the neutralization of enemy robotic equipment becomes the task of every serviceman. This is particularly relevant for intelligence units operating behind enemy lines, where the destruction of unmanned cargo delivery vehicles means cutting supply lines. Depriving the enemy of supplies of ammunition, food and equipment disrupts its combat support system, which makes the fight against such equipment not a highly specialized, but a combined-arms task, the expert concluded.
How are anti-drone techniques being introduced in the military
Recently, the armed forces have been undergoing large-scale retraining of military personnel from different branches of the armed forces so that they can effectively counter new threats, including attacks using drones. So, the railway troops have a mandatory course on combating UAVs, which is conducted by experienced instructors with combat experience. In the classroom, soldiers learn how to shoot down aerial targets with conventional small arms and machine guns, as well as master the work on twin ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns. Electronic warfare systems are actively used to enhance protection.
Special units are being formed to protect strategically important facilities such as warehouses and arsenals. They are on duty around the clock and are fully equipped with everything necessary: from special uniforms to modern anti-drone weapons.
The Navy is also strengthening its defenses. For example, in Kamchatka, posts have been set up in ship parking areas to protect against drones, cameras have been installed and firing positions with anti-aircraft guns have been equipped.
Similar measures are being taken in the coastal missile brigades. Mobile detachments are being created there, whose task is to cover missile systems both at deployment points and on the march. These groups are armed with MANPADS, special anti-drone devices and pump-action rifles.
Roman Kretsul
Bogdan Stepovoy
Andrey Buevich
