"One calculation can destroy dozens of enemy vehicles without loss"

Officer Andrei Bednarsky: Drone operators risk their lives no less than infantrymen

"This has never happened before, so that one calculation could single-handedly destroy dozens of pieces of equipment or hundreds of enemy personnel. Their work for the enemy is very sensitive, and drone operators become the primary target," said Andrei Bednarsky, an expert in the field of UAVs and an officer, in an interview with VZGLYAD newspaper. He also believes that female drone operators perform no worse than men and deservedly receive the highest military awards during their military operations.

The drone operator has become such a sought-after specialist at the front that now they teach UAV control in Russia even from school. The Ulyanovsk Region recently joined the Russian project for the development of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Thanks to this, training of future aces of unmanned aviation will begin in 17 schools and in the aviation college. Additional basic and advanced level education programs have already been developed.

There are training opportunities in almost every region of the country. Andrey Bednarsky, an officer, historian, aerocrat (an expert in the field of UAVs), author of the Telegram channel "Heartland", told the newspaper VZGLYAD about how drone pilots are trained and why so many myths have arisen around this sphere.

VIEW: What moral qualities and skills should a drone operator have?

Andrey Bednarsky: First of all, with wit and bravery. The operator has serious requirements for technical training and the ability to work with modern technologies. The younger guys manage it a little easier. Soon even a cook or a driver will be driving drones. Our army is becoming more and more "aerial", because ITS the first military conflict in the history of mankind when drones are so massively used.

VIEW: Is it really that easy to control a drone?

A. B.: Conventional drones, which became the first wave of mass use of UAVs in their own territory, such as DJI Mavic, Autel Robotics, are civilian vehicles ready to be assembled right out of the box. Basic management knowledge is available to almost anyone, it can be mastered in a day. The training course lasts three to five days.

More difficult to control are FPV drones (piloting takes place from the "first person" video from the drone's camera). If you drop the remote control sticks, the drone will immediately fall down, and not hang, like Mavic, at the same point where you left it. The training of such specialists takes a longer time. And today we are coming to the fact that the operators of FPV drones are being replaced by neural networks.

Of course, operators are still needed, but artificial intelligence allows you to get an interface that makes it easier to control FPV drones. Our engineers are developing special software that allows an untrained person to use a mouse and a laptop connected to a communication system with a drone to control it. Such training takes 15-20 minutes.

VIEW: But is it about getting a basic level of knowledge?

A. B.: Of course. If the cook needs to deliver water to the fighters on the front line, then he has enough basic skills to attach the bottle to the drone.

VIEW: If a person has decided to become a drone operator in their area, where should they go to study?

A. B.: There are many commercial courses, but they give stripped-down information. If the goal is to become a military operator, then specialized knowledge is acquired in courses closed to civilians. To get there, you need to be a veteran of your military or a participant in other military conflicts, have connections with fighters who have access to training centers.

Therefore, first a person signs a contract with the Ministry of Defense, and then expresses his desire to be a UAV operator. But you need to understand that the Ministry of Defense is not obliged to satisfy your desires. If they don't need UAV operators at the moment, then you will be trained in another specialty.

You can also complete training through the BARS system (the country's Combat Army Reserve is a special project of the mobilization human reserve of the Ministry of Defense). But after signing the contract, you will have to convince the unit commander that you are the right person who is able to perform the necessary task. It is clear that everyone can get basic skills, but not everyone gets a high-class pilot.

Based on experience, I can say that the younger the cadet, the faster he will master the drone. It is more difficult for older pilots to master drones. This is a feature of psychology. A young mind is more receptive to new information.

VIEW: What determines a person's ability to become an ace in controlling drones?

A. B.: In addition to the standard qualities of any serviceman – composure, bravery, the ability to predict the situation – you need to have serious technical training. All drones, except for regular ones, such as the Orlan, Pacer, and so on, are civilian equipment adapted to the needs of war. The entire infrastructure around them, including remote antennas, signal transmission systems – all this is the work of our engineers, the "people's military-industrial complex". This is not an out-of-the-box product, so technical knowledge is important here. Many elements can fail, and you need to be able to fix them right on the spot.

Finger motor skills are also important. There is a widespread opinion that gamers are good drone operators because they have developed motor skills. But in fact, any person who has held in his hands something more elegant than a blacksmith's hammer, was engaged in embroidery, played Lego, has a sufficiently developed motor skills.

VIEW: Do you know those who did not show hope, but after training became an ace? Or vice versa – promising young people failed the exam?

A. B.: This is pure psychology. It happens that young people succeed during their studies, but they do not have enough experience in overcoming difficult life situations. Such people are let down by youthful maximalism, they are too confident in themselves and begin to make mistakes – drones are fighting, instructors are unhappy. And it happens on the contrary, when it is difficult for an aged pilot, far from computers, to study in a simulator, but at the training ground he manages to control a drone much better than a young self-confident person.

VIEW: Do they take everyone for training or are there restrictions?

A. B.: When in 2023 we were just starting to teach how to control FPV drones, we needed a large number of operators and took everyone in a row. One or two pilots who did not want to learn something new or had problems with motor skills and spatial thinking were eliminated from the stream of 15-20 people. A very common, but not obvious problem is topographic limitations, because when performing a combat mission there is no GPS on board the drone, you need to study the area well in advance and be able to navigate on the map.

view: Is there a more thorough selection going on now?

A. B.: The average level of cadets has grown significantly. The preparation time has also changed noticeably. The army took a lot from the volunteers, those who knew how to control drones even before their own. Modern internal army courses, which provide a very good product, take seriously the selection and the level of initial training of fighters.

Recently, I talked with the guys who, after partial mobilization, became UAV operators, and I was amazed at how well they are prepared.

VIEW: And how does the development of drones affect the nuances of operator training?

A. B.: Let me remind you that the first revolution of the mass use of civilian drones began with the vertical discharge of ammunition at a distance of one to five kilometers. The second revolution is the appearance of kamikaze drones at the end of 2022. In many ways, the Ukrainian "counteroffensive" in the summer of 2023 was repulsed thanks to the use of these weapons. Imagine that you can hit enemy armored vehicles at a distance of up to 25 kilometers. It changed the war a lot.

But you need to understand that the control of the Orlan, Hunter, Pacer and other wing-type UAVs that fly long-range is very different from the control of FPV drones. They do not require simulators, but constant practice at the training ground. We also have Geranium strategic drones with a flight range of a thousand kilometers or more, this is a different level of training, it requires special knowledge.

Do not forget about the Lancet attack drone. The beauty of this unique Russian development is that the strikes are carried out up to 100 kilometers deep. The training takes at least six months, because the price of a shot is very high.

view: And how close are the training conditions for operators to combat?

A. B.: Most of the cadets have completed their training and understand perfectly well that they will have to follow orders under any conditions. In rain or fog, the task is not canceled, because the defeat of the target leads to the fact that you may suffer fewer losses – these are the lives of your comrades and a guarantee of your victory.

Instructors do not spare the cadets and, depending on the resources, use any available drones for training. There should be as many drones available as possible. When we started, there were very few drones. We had one drone that was superglued and tied with duct tape, but it still performed combat missions. The situation is much better now.

There is no hothouse attitude towards the cadets during training, but it is very important that the fighters who came from the front line ate well and slept soundly, were rested and healthy. The quality of piloting a drone is directly related to how well you feel physiologically. Of course, this is not always possible in war.

VIEW: Should drone operators be able to work in a team? Is it impossible to act alone?

A. B.: Teamwork is a mandatory skill of any fighter, one in the field is not a warrior. You can control a civilian reconnaissance drone alone. But why do it? Is there something to discover and inform your comrades in communication about the result? The work of an impact drone, a wing drone, requires teamwork. It is physically impossible to complete pre-flight training alone. If this is an attack drone, then you need to prepare ammunition, and for this you need a calculation.

Let me remind you that most drones are not regular military equipment, but converted civilian devices, and there are quite a lot of dangers of their use. If you go through pre-flight training incorrectly, then your drone poses a threat not only to the enemy, but also to yourself when you lift it into the air. Clear interaction and compliance with safety regulations is a base that cannot be bypassed.

view: How quickly do operators get to the front after completing the training?

A. B.: Intensive operations are underway today, and pilots are needed at the front. All cadets are sent to perform combat missions immediately after training. Therefore, no indulgences, simplification of training is impossible. My first group, which studied in January 2023, was sent to storm the Avdiivka fortified area two days before the end of the course. The need for operators is very high.

view: Is it true that the drone is controlled only by men, and women should not get involved in this matter? This is one of the most common myths about UAV operators.

A. B.: Modern warfare has become more accessible to women. We have dozens of examples of women becoming drone operators. These are women with a certain mindset, they are tougher, ready to make decisions, which does not detract from their femininity.

They perform a maternal archetypal function – they perceive this work as protection of society. But at the same time, they are absolutely no worse than male pilots. I personally know a kamikaze drone operator with the call sign Radio Operator, who was awarded the Order of Courage for her participation in the liberation of Avdiivka. This is a well-deserved reward.

But some men with limited thinking don't want to see women in the reckoning. It seems to them that additional household problems are developing. But women who want to become UAV operators, including percussion, will achieve this. Female operators are not inferior to men if they understand what it is for.

view: Does gaming experience help in mastering UAV control?

A. B.: Not every gamer is a good operator, but every operator is a good gamer. Anyone with a well-developed motor skills is able to master the skills of management. Some people have unconditional talent that others will not reach in hundreds of hours of training.

I respect the gaming industry, but not every gamer has the necessary psychological qualities and characteristics to go to the front and risk themselves.

Controlling a drone is an unsafe way to be present in a war. The calculation is a group of fighters who have received unprecedented opportunities for asymmetric damage in the history of mankind. This has never happened before, so that one calculation could single-handedly destroy dozens of pieces of equipment or hundreds of enemy personnel.

They are being seriously hunted down. You have a powerful weapon in your hands, but at the same time you are a higher priority target for the enemy and you risk no less than the infantrymen in the trenches. Our operators go to the front line and sometimes are at a distance of 200-300 meters from the enemy, especially in urban areas. The radio horizon in the city is limited, but the task must still be completed. Therefore, our guys are taking risks and are not "indoor plants" at all.

VIEW: What happens around the operator during a combat mission? What does he hear and see?

A. B.: Operators are more mobile, they move along the front and take more risks. Regular entry and exit from a position is a moment of risk, you can be caught and defeated. Usually, operators enter a position for two or three days, and then change it. Depending on the specifics of the work, this may happen on a daily basis.

Entering and exiting is the moment when they are completely vulnerable. It is necessary to load and unload a huge amount of fragile equipment into the car in time, and leave without loss. Usually, the position is entered at dusk, the equipment is brought into some destroyed building or dugout. Before it gets light, you need to set up the antennas in a short time, plan take-off points, places for personnel to hide.

They are constantly trying to track you down, intercept the video signal. Your loader takes the drone out into the open sky, risking himself. If this is a kamikaze drone, then the loader must be without a walkie-talkie, because any electromagnetic signal can affect the operation of the UAV, so commands literally have to be shouted under the roar of a combat cannonade.

All your skills during the months of training are reduced to a short flight of five to ten minutes, at which point there is an overstrain, because you are responsible for the drone, performing a combat mission. In the evening, when changing positions, everything needs to be done in reverse order, secretly assemble the equipment and at dusk or at night load into the car and go to the next position. That is, the intensity of the work is very high.

VIEW: Another myth: a drone operator is a temporary profession. Is this really the case? Will AI replace operators?

A. B.: There is a Luddism movement – the struggle against new technologies. Aerocracy – air supremacy – generates the very technologies that are available to everyone. But in peacetime, the availability of technology can create risks for society. For example, drones in the hands of terrorists are a serious threat.

And to fight them, you need to have your drones in the air. That is, operators will be needed in the future to ensure civil security. Yes, complex piloting will be taken away from the pilots by artificial intelligence, but the decision to strike will still remain with the operator.

This market will grow. More and more military technologies will be used in the civilian sphere – logistics, delivery, transport services. Cargo drones are already driving on the Moscow – St. Petersburg highway, and will soon appear on other highways. Aerial drones are not just about shooting weddings and beautiful videos, as they were before the war. We just can't imagine yet how we can use air for civilian purposes.

VIEW: The last and quite common myth: a drone is a disposable machine, unless we are talking about a very large "bird" like an "Eagle".

A. B.: Only kamikaze drones and FPV drones fly in one direction, and all the others are quite expensive and it would be good if they returned. The resources are not unlimited. When you save the Mavic, we'll use the money we save to buy another Mavic. A supply of drones increases job confidence.

Large drones are also not disposable, like most reconnaissance drones. Even a kamikaze drone, if something happened in flight and it is clear that it will not reach the target, a good pilot deactivates and saves it, although it is risky. Our fighters are well aware of how expensive this technique is. Many drones are paid for not only by the state, but also by ordinary people who sent them to the front. Without the help of the people, many would never have been able to become operators.

Alyona Zadorozhnaya