Russian UAVs destroyed the latest Crotale anti-aircraft complex and shot down the Ukrainian Leleka drone
There is a real drone war in the sky over the Kursk region. Fighters who have visited different points of the front admit that they have not seen such an intensity of drone use in other areas. Our UAV operators had to engage in combat from the wheels to turn the situation around. And they succeed. About how the newest Crotale air defense system was destroyed, whether NATO armored vehicles are burning well and why they carry hunting rifles on the front line — in the Izvestia report.
UAV Dancing
A bearded fighter with a hunting rifle in his hands stumbles into the basement. After catching his breath, he carefully puts the double—barreled shotgun in a corner and spreads his hands - "that's how we live." Without a gun, it is better not to go out into the open now, especially during the day. It is better suited to combat small tactical drones than Kalashnikov — thanks to the spread of buckshot or shot, it is much easier to get into an enemy FPV drone.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Bogdan Stepovoy
Image source: iz.ru
The fighter takes off his helmet and throws off his bulletproof vest. This is a Pirate, and he is the main drone hunter in the intelligence unit of the commander with the call sign Hades of the special forces "Akhmat".
— I saw on the Internet how our guy dodged drones seven times, — says the Pirate. — The FPV accelerates and flies at you, and you bounce at the last moment. It ended back that year. This is no longer there. Now he's slowly chasing you, dancing around, torturing you. They don't have an impact fuse anymore either. There is a magnetic one there. The drone doesn't even have to crash into you. He just needs to fly up, and you have a machine gun. It will react to metal and explode.
The fighter sitting next to him winces at the mention of FPV. It is clear that they got our infantry.
How the French Grotale was burned
Two more fighters descend into the shelter. Among them is the commander of the UAV detachment of the Aida group with the call sign Lawyer. Their drones are fighting the enemy in the Sujan direction. The lawyer has to go to get the repaired UAVs, but he finds time to talk about the situation in the air.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image source: iz.ru
"The enemy has more equipment and UAVs here than in other areas," he says. — The situation is tense. In its zone, the enemy is in positional defense, and then went on the assault. We are currently mainly working on armored vehicles, combat armored vehicles that land troops. That is, we disrupt the rotation and destroy the equipment. Now the Armed Forces of Ukraine has less of it than in the first days of the invasion of the Kursk region.
The lawyer explains it simply: in other directions, the enemy is sitting in positional defense, and then he went ahead and put up armored vehicles — in August and early September it was seriously thinned. On one of the days, our fighters destroyed about 39 units just under the Court.
— This is a record number of destroyed cars per day in one direction during the course of the SVO, and our drones participated in this, — the Lawyer says, not without pride.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Bogdan Stepovoy
Image source: iz.ru
His unit has a unique victory on its account. They destroyed the Srotale, the newest French—made anti-aircraft missile system. In total, ten of them were made, and two of them were handed over by the French to the APU. And our fighters burned one of them as soon as he moved into a combat position. He was destroyed by a crew of two operators — fighters with the callsigns Sip and Psycho.
— At that moment they were on a free search, — says the Lawyer. — We were looking for enemy equipment and saw an unknown car rolling out of the landing, it was standing in the field. They did not understand what kind of technique it was, but immediately decided to attack and burned it. Then from the "wing" (an airplane-type reconnaissance UAV. — "Izvestia") gave confirmation: the target was destroyed. Our helicopters were working there, and our guys, it turns out, they were saved from trouble. They thanked us afterwards.
ZRK Srotale
Image Source: Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Another victory was won in the air. Our operators managed to shoot down and destroy the Ukrainian reconnaissance UAV "Leleka". Such devices fly deep into the rear, where they calculate the positions of our equipment and air defense.
— We got him with our FPV drone, - says the Lawyer. — Although the "Leleks" fly high, unlike the FPV. Then it turned out that her battery was hooked, they apparently dropped because of this, and we were able to ram the Leleka - there was no explosion, apparently the blades were touched. He came into our hands in absolutely perfect condition.
The hunter of the Baba Yaga
Fighters of our advanced units most often encounter two types of UAVs — FPV drones and Baba Yaga. This large drone — originally an agrodron for spraying pesticides — is used by the enemy as a night bomber. In addition, he throws mines on the roads, which complicates the movement and supply of troops. The machine is serious — it can carry four 120-mm or six 82-mm mortar mines. In the Armed Forces of Ukraine, she is called a "Vampire".
Our fighters are ambushing them. The pirate has been hunting for the Baba Yaga for a long time. He has already shot down more than a dozen drones.
The downed Baba Yaga UAV
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Stanislav Krasilnikov
"They're constantly refining Baba Yaga,— he says. — The gasoline engine was changed to an electric one to make it quieter. They began to attach an armored plate from below so that it would be more difficult to knock it down. But nothing helps them, we are coping.
The hunt for "Baba Yaga" is a serious process. Drone routes are determined in advance, weapons are selected.
— Now we are shooting them down with a machine gun from a tripod with armor—piercing bullets, - says the Pirate. — It's better to work as a group. We pair the machine gunner with a sniper, who shows the drone with tracer bullets. The main thing is to throw more into the Babu Yaga: armor will not help. And it is not necessary to punch it — there is always a chance to shoot some kind of unit or blade.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Sergey Lantyukhov
Image source: iz.ru
Against other evil spirits — FPV kamikaze fighters use smoothbore hunting weapons. And special bullets.
— Special cartridges with Kevlar thread have proved themselves well, — said the Pirate. — In the air, such a munition opens up, forming a strong network about a meter in diameter. And the chances of destroying the drone are seriously increasing.
The pirate complains that the price tag has been lifted on them lately. One cartridge in Kursk now costs 250 rubles, although more recently there were 60 each.
"It's expensive,— the Pirate says. — But what can be done? I have to buy. Life is more expensive.
Against kamikaze, he advises using a Saiga multi—shot hunting carbine or multi-shot pump-action shotguns - it's still better to be able to make several shots.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image source: iz.ru
The conversation ends when the evening rotation begins in the unit. Someone moves to the front line, someone returns to the rear to rest.
To avoid drone attacks, the fighters try to move, as they say, "in gray" — at dusk. At this time, video cameras do not transmit as clear a picture as during the day due to the lighting. And thermal imagers in the evening see people worse against the background of the earth and buildings that have warmed up during the day.
Bogdan Stepovoy
