Ukrainian FPV Anti-Air Drones Reshaping The Battlefield
By some metrics mid-2024 saw Russian artillery became much more ineffective during the ongoing war in Ukraine. The offensive doctrine which relied on heavy fire support from various systems appears to suddenly have begun to falter. Russian advances in the Donbas region were nowhere near as effective as those made during the battle of Bakhmut. Staggering losses in infantry and vehicles began to substantially hamper on Russian initiative.
Despite the heavy consumption of artillery equipment, the Russian Army faced a new factor on the battlefield that kept undermining the effectiveness of its fire missions—the introduction of Ukrainian C-UAS FPV drone teams. In essence small drones hunting larger Russian reconnaissance drones. In an interview for Ukrainian Pravda members of the elite “Signum” drone team showcased how focusing on Russian observation drones has had a positive effect, making conducting combat operations easier. Call-sign Tourist said:
“We have completely blocked our direct contact with Russian reconnaissance drones: CABs stopped dropping bomblets, artillery stopped firing, FPVs flew less. And all the “illumination” of our positions is provided through reconnaissance drones. It got to the point where the “stench” didn’t reach us for two days,”
Signum is a special drone unit incorporated into the 53rd Mechanized Brigade. The unit members pioneered the use of FPV drones against Russian forces. However, in mid-2024 the unit began its anti-air operations. At first, the drones were equipped with 50-80g of plastic explosives with remote detonators – sufficient load to destroy any UAV that operates above Ukrainian fields. The first attempts were unsuccessful due to the inability to identify targets. But the development of radio-to-radio (RTR) surveillance techniques was the real game changer. Ukrainian drone operators managed to grasp the patterns of operations of their adversaries but also scan the channels in search of activity there.
In addition, it was established that Russian artillery shoots with correction from UAV observations. Thus if a specific grid was struck by artillery fire, FPV teams jumped into work in search of their enemies. Attack after attack the Russian drones have been successfully engaged crippling Russian unmanned aerial reconnaissance in given sectors, and as a result impeding artillery and also air strikes.
The work of “Signum” and many newly formed AA teams has proved to be successful in combatting Russian artillery domination and also degrading Russian real-time understanding of the battlespace. The Ukrainian Army has received some breathing space in some sectors in the face of repeated Russian attacks. Although the Russian push in Donbas slowly continues, it comes at a high price in men and equipment that the Russian Armed Forces cannot maintain indefinitely.