Drones of the frontline: Strategic and civilian drones in action
Advantages and disadvantages of 'birds' for the Ukrainian military
Unmanned aerial vehicles are in increasing demand on today's battlefield. Drones strike at enemy positions and help intelligence officers and fire adjusters. Thus, during the war, not only specialised military drones became widespread, but also civilian quadcopters. Ukraine has now launched its own mass production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The government supported this initiative with Resolution No. 256 of 24 March 2023. It simplifies all procedures for establishing the relevant manufacturing. However, while the production does not cover all the needs of the military, volunteers buy most of these devices abroad. They are not always able to quickly overcome bureaucratic procedures, and batches of drones are delayed at the border. However, despite all the difficulties, volunteers deliver a wide range of these 'birds' to Ukraine. Military expert Mykhailo Zhyrokhov told Mind what kind of drones are used at the front and what are their advantages.
Ukrainian military uses several types of UAVs
Today, there are several types of drones on the battlefield. First and foremost, these are operational and strategic UAVs that conduct in-depth reconnaissance, as they operate hundreds of kilometres behind enemy lines. Their task is to find strategic objects, positions of enemy air defence or missile forces. In our Armed Forces, this niche is occupied by the well-known Turkish Bayraktar TB2.
The second level is operational and tactical drones, which are used primarily to adjust artillery at the battalion/brigade level. These are primarily domestic Leleka-100, Furia and Valkyrie.
And finally, tactical drones, which are usually not specialised vehicles but commercial quadcopters, such as the Chinese DJI (or simply Mavic) and Autel. And, as it turned out, a lot of them are needed in the war with russia. The effective communication range for such a device is up to 5-6 km, while the declared range is 10 km. Due to the limited time of hovering and flying, they are released in 'carousels' – one after the other.
The primary task of such a drone is reconnaissance and surveillance (a kind of flying binoculars). The second task is to adjust the fire of artillery, especially mortars.
In Ukraine, several types of Mavic are used, the most common being the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 ZOOM, which are considered to be equipment for professionals, as their modules shoot 4K video with a very high level of resolution and a maximum bitrate (data stream without delay) of up to 100 Mbps. The Mavic 2 Pro costs $1650, while the Mavic 2 ZOOM costs about $1300.
Another series of amateur-level quadcopters that have gained popularity in the army due to their low cost, ease of use, and ease of operation are the DJI Phantom series. The most advanced model is the Phantom 4 Pro V2, which records high-resolution Cinema 4K video at 60 frames per second and 100 Mbps. The flight time is 30 minutes. The drone can travel at 72 km/h and transmit a video signal up to 8 km in real time. The estimated cost of the DJI Phantom is approximately $3000.
Besides, commercial drones of the Autel series are also used. The Autel EVO II 640T Dual with InfiRay thermal imager is a very interesting model. Its flight range is already 25 km, flight time is up to 39 minutes, speed is up to 72 km/h, and the range of communication with the operator is 9 km.
The compact, sophisticated device has a high-quality 8K camera with a resolution of 48 MP. The drone combines 640×512 thermal sensors, 8K vision sensors, and a FLIR core in a single module, making it one of the best thermal imaging systems on the market in the low price category. The drone can send infrared images from a distance of up to 100 m or record them. However, its price is also steep – a drone with a thermal imager will cost $9200.
Matrice multicopters are much more powerful among civilian models. Given their rather high price ($10,000), they are primarily purchased by large charitable foundations and even the government as part of the Army of Drones project. The basic equipment of the Matrice 300 RTK commercial drone does not include sensors, batteries, or a charger. This quadcopter has a waterproof body, so it can operate in the rain and at temperatures from -20 °C to +50 °C.
The maximum flight time is 55 minutes, but with a maximum load of 2.7 kg, it is reduced to 31 minutes, and the speed is up to 82 km/h. The drone shoots with a 145° FPV camera and transmits video in 1080p resolution at a distance of up to 15 km. DJI AirSense technology informs the operator about the surrounding conditions, such as temperature and wind speed, and the presence of aircraft and UAVs within a 20 km radius.
UAVs on the frontline
In addition to fire adjustment and reconnaissance missions, civilian drones are used in two other ways: as munitions carriers and as barrage munitions (kamikaze drones, or more commonly called FPV drones).
Typically, drones are used to throw grenades, VOG rounds or improvised plastiс explosive devices with secondary explosive elements because of two factors.
The first is the impotence of artillery (whether due to lack of ammunition, barrel wear, or unpreparedness of personnel), and the second is the desire of the drone operator to personally participate in the battle.
The most commonly used bombardment is the 30 mm VOG-17 round from the Soviet AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher. The radius of total destruction is about seven metres; when it hits the ground, the legs are most often affected. Small fragments of the VOG-17 cause deep penetrating wounds and are difficult to remove, so the wounded person is disabled for a long time or permanently. In case of a close explosion, a person suffers concussion or is killed by a shock wave. To launch a grenade round from a quadcopter, it needs to be modified.
The advantage of the VOG-17 as a drone-dropped bomb is its light weight, which is very important for civilian vehicles. More powerful ammunition is also being used at the frontline, such as the American M430A1 40 mm grenade launcher, RPG-7 rocket launcher rounds and even 82 mm mortar shells. The copters hit not only manpower, but also armoured vehicles. There are videos in which the operator manages to set fire to an infantry fighting vehicle or tank if a grenade hits an open hatch.
The second innovation on the frontline in recent months is FPV drones. FPV is an abbreviation for "First Person View". The pilot of an FPV quadcopter is able to watch the real-time video stream from the copter's camera through special glasses.
Thus, a person can experience the so-called bird's eye view. A huge advantage of these very specific devices is their maximum controllability – the pilot can describe all the features of the space as accurately as possible.
With their help, if the pilot has the appropriate training, it is possible to 'climb the stairs', so to speak, to follow the terrain, and to fly into windows and dugouts.
All of this allows FPV drone operators to use the device as a kamikaze or drop grenades with greater efficiency, as a conventional drone drops ammunition directly from above to below. They can also fly deep into enemy-controlled territory, even when the enemy has already taken cover after, for example, an attack by an aerial vehicle from a conventional drone. FPV drones are also very effective against lightly armoured vehicles, as they can reach them and hit them in the forehead with a kamikaze strike (usually an RPG-7 rocket). Another feature of FPV drones is their low cost (the price starts at $40).
Advantages and disadvantages
A civilian drone is ineffective in windy conditions – its flight becomes unstable, and the munition it drops deviates greatly from the target. Moreover, a cheap quadcopter does not have secure communication channels and can be easily intercepted by modern electronic warfare equipment – the so-called 'drone fighters'. However, that is if there is only one device.
At the same time, modern electronic warfare systems (and the means to protect them) are needed to counter massive attacks by grenade launchers. And given the length of the russian-Ukrainian front, it is virtually impossible to cover all of its sections. On the other hand, the one who attacks with a drone risks only the drone itself. Whereas the enemy, when such Mavic drones attack their position, risks losing personnel and equipment. And they can carry out more than one raid.
Moreover, the mere presence of a large number of such devices by the enemy makes it extremely dangerous not only for personnel and equipment to move, but even for them to stay in open space near the front line.
And even on the front line, if there are enough drones and trained operators, russian soldiers can either wait for a 'gift' from the sky at any time or sit in 'holes'. A trench against a drone with a grenade is no longer a panacea.
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