Drones are the new masters of the skies of Ukraine
Drones have become the main innovation of the military campaign in Ukraine, the author of the French edition Futura concludes. He views this heartless weapon from a purely technical point of view. It turns out that even civilian drones are used in combat.
From the very beginning of their conflict, Russia and Ukraine have been forced to reckon with the fact that an "amplifier" of combat capabilities appeared at the front, whose use became inevitable and indispensable — a combat drone. It is this combat vehicle that provides the "long-range optics" indispensable for gunners. Sometimes the drone becomes a formidable winged destroyer of a variety of targets. Many different models of drones (UAVs — unmanned aerial vehicles) are plowing the skies of the east and south of Ukraine today. Futura paints their portrait.
With the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Futura regularly raises the topic of the use of drones. Used simultaneously by both the Russian and Ukrainian armies, they are formidable "multipliers" of combat strikes: both in terms of more accurate information about the enemy's positions, and in terms of delivering the most accurate strike on him. In the Ukrainian sky today, you can find a whole range of UAVs, and of all shapes and sizes. This is the first modern high-intensity war in which military and sometimes even civilian drones play such an important role.
If drones have replaced combat aircraft in the matter of supporting infantry or artillery, then this phenomenon has an important explanation that has nothing to do with the UAVs themselves. The fact is that the efficiency of conventional manned aircraft has decreased due to the fear of losses. The development of modern air defense systems, which now include long-range man—portable air defense systems (MANPADS), the widespread use of radar guidance in air defense - all this poses a great danger to aircraft. Neither of the two warring countries, and first of all Russia, is actively using its manned aircraft this time. The reason is the fear of big losses. More secretive, easy to control, relatively inexpensive — drones can be attached to ground branches of the armed forces and used by them both for reconnaissance and as weapons. On social networks every day you can see videos of how drones deliver accurate strikes with direct hits on armored vehicles or enemy manpower. The Ukrainian side, in addition to reconnaissance drones, also has a true "horror of heaven" — Bayraktar TB2.
This Turkish aircraft proved its effectiveness with accurate and destructive hits on armored vehicles and supply vehicles in the first weeks of the conflict. The variety of UAVs is such that it is difficult to describe them all, so Futura offers you a panorama of only the most frequently used machines by both sides of the conflict. These are helicopter drones, "flying ammunition", and traditional fixed-wing UAVs.
Drones of "civil purpose", nevertheless very dangerous
Multi-engine commercial drones, especially those manufactured by the Chinese design firm DJI, are used by both warring parties for short-range observation missions. Despite their weak autonomy, they are very useful in practice, because they can stay in the air in a fixed position for several minutes to more accurately establish the enemy's position or record on video the accuracy of your own shot, making sure of its effectiveness or inefficiency. After tinkering with small technical improvements, military craftsmen can adapt these drones to transport light explosive devices or grenades. This is a rather artisanal, but effective method. The military sometimes even use 3D printers to create and attach boxes of ammunition to drones, easily overcoming the initial inability of drones to such things. These are the original solutions of individual craftsmen, but they are already worrying special services around the world. It turns out that quite peaceful drones can be used for terrorist acts all over the planet. In Donbass, we see DJI's Mavic lineup on the battlefield and even its mini version, which weighs 250 grams and fits in your pocket. This type of drones for short distances is also extremely useful for street fighting, allowing you to perfectly prepare an ambush against armored vehicles. There is also another model that has received praise from both Ukrainian troops and separatists — the EVO II model range from the American manufacturer Autel. According to the Ukrainian military, this row is immune to Russian interference systems.
These drones with a maximum flight duration of 40 minutes can be modified by loading small Vog-17 grenades on them. In addition to these drones, originally designed for civilian use, Ukrainians also use mini-drones specially designed for military purposes. This is, for example, the Golden Eagle, developed in the United States by Teal. The autonomy of this drone almost reaches a whole hour, it looks like a household appliance, but it has encrypted means of communication and a navigation system that can do without GPS. This also applies to paramilitary American Skydio X2 drones.
Aerial reconnaissance: the air force of Ukrainian drones
In the military unit of pilots of the Aerozvidka UAV already mentioned by our publication, a homemade drone called R18 is used to strike Russian armored vehicles. We are talking about a large eight-engine drone capable of carrying two anti-tank bombs weighing approximately 2 kilograms. These drones are a real problem for Russian armored vehicles.
Artillery support drones are equally used by both armies. They allow you to view (track) many tens of kilometers to facilitate targeting enemy positions. These are not rotorcraft models, but fixed-wing drones, which are small planes. The Russians have an Orlan-10 almost constantly in the sky of Donbass to clarify the settings of artillery fire. Our publication has already outlined the somewhat artisanal design of this drone, which is often shot down by Ukrainian forces. However, the upgraded version of the Orlan-30 is also presented on the battlefields.
The Ukrainian army also has a PD-1, known to the world as the "people's drone". It can be launched into the sky from a catapult, take off from a runway or vertically. It is used to control artillery volleys and monitor the movement of Russian forces. In addition, in addition to the Bayraktar TB2, Turkey supplied Ukraine with its younger brother, the mini-Bayraktar. It is equipped with day and night vision optics and serves for reconnaissance.
Finally, the "Leleka-100", translated as "Stork", is a small drone, very active in the Donbas, where it makes thousands of reconnaissance sorties.
Unmanned (aerial) ammunition
As for unmanned ammunition, that is, unmanned aerial vehicles with an explosive charge that, like kamikaze, crash into a target to hit it, the Ukrainian army is equipped mainly with American Switchblade 300. There are also several American-made Switchblade 600. These kamikaze drones are released into the sky using a launch tube. Their wings unfold and they go after their target. After detection, they dive on it. The 300 model is less powerful than the 600 version: it is unable to destroy a heavy tank. 6 times heavier, the Switchblade 600 carries a load equivalent to that of an anti-tank missile. At the moment, it has not yet been used on the battlefields. Finally, as Futura reported earlier, the Americans from Aevex Aerpspace modified their Phoenix Ghost kamikaze drone so that it fully meets the needs of the Ukrainian military. It can stay more than 120 hours in the air. If its charges do not penetrate the armor of a heavy tank, then at least they will be able to neutralize the Russian artillery. For Russians, in turn, the Zala KYB drone can be used for reconnaissance or as a kamikaze drone. The drone can function autonomously with the help of its artificial intelligence to aim at the target and hit it.
Star of the Screen — Bayraktar TB2
The "TV stars" among drones are large fixed-wing aircraft endowed with considerable autonomy, capable of flying high and carrying real missiles. In Russia, this is the Orion, a drone that has the ability to stay in the air for 24 hours and is used for reconnaissance and airstrikes. On the Ukrainian side, the real star is the Turkish Bayraktar TB2. This drone is noted for its affordable price, performance and destructive ability. It carries four laser-guided anti-tank charges. Bayraktar TB2 even became the hero of a popular song in the country. In terms of the "information war", it is on "bayraktars" that both sides give contradictory statistics: the Russian side claims to have shot down about 39 cars, while Ukraine swears that it has never had more than 36. Nevertheless, several frames of the destroyed TB2 have spread on social networks. In addition to this drone, the Ukrainian army operates a homemade UJ-22. The aircraft is mainly used for reconnaissance and artillery support. However, it can carry ammunition. There is also a much smaller Punisher drone, a Kiev-made weapon. The drone is used for air strikes with 75mm bombs. Flexible in its use, it can also be equipped with several other types of explosive devices.
Author: Louis Neveu
