Technology

"Hunters for orcs": The Armed Forces veteran told how FPVs keep Russians in tension

Drones cannot fully replace the artillery, but compensate for the shortage of shells. The advantage in battle is the one who has the advantage in the sky. UAVs are playing an increasing role in the actions of the Russian-Ukrainian war. FPV drones are radically changing the situation on the battlefield and received in the information space almost the status of super-weapons.

Twenty -five -year -old fighter Ivan Guleychuk with a call sign "Electronik" voluntarily joined the Armed Forces at the beginning of the Russian invasion. As a part of the 108 separate battalion of the 10th separate mountain-assault brigade "Edelweiss" he is in the post of pilot of various UAVs and told in an interview with the edition "Western Courier" about the FPV-punks. FPV-Dron is a regular quadcopter worth 12-15 thousand hryvnias.

To turn it into a powerful but disposable weapon, you need a ammunition, ready or homemade, as well as a 3-5 thousand battery. Ordinary drones are usually capable of carrying 1-1. 5 kg of load. It also requires flights, glasses, remotes, displays, antennas, repeaters, etc. - it is also more expensive, but it is used for a long time. Ivan's unit uses 20-30 drones for a day if the appropriate goals are found.

The fighters affect armored vehicles, mortars, evacuation machines, ammunition, fortifications, control points and observation. For intelligence use Mavic, which finds goals and landmarks for FPV pilots. During the assault of the enemy, the target is personnel. Usually, pilots are hunting for the accumulation of the enemy and technology, but when the reflection of hostile attacks continues, a single opponent can be the purpose.

From Ivan's personal experience, the largest distance at which the FPV-Dron flew is 15 km, but experienced operators managed to make departures for 25 km. The maximum distance depends on the terrain and the ability to navigate it: for example, it is harder to do in the forest. The main factor that determines the range is the balance between the weight of the projectile and the distance that the drone needs to be overcome. The more distance, the lower the load should be.

"More or less working distance for" Kamikadze "is up to ten kilometers. We are striking everything we can get. Recently struck the hostile control point for drones," the military said. Now FPV-airs-a kind of super-weapon. But according to the fighter, it may not last long, due to the mass use of the RBs on cars. When the drone is lost 50-100 meters to the rob, the drone controls are lost and it falls. The fighter states a much smaller number of such mobile Reb for the Defense Forces of Ukraine.

First of all, they are needed for cars that deliver important loads. Some say that FPV drones are now more effective than artillery. According to the fighter, no kind of weapon can replace another. It is correct to say that FPV drones successfully compensate for the shortage of ammunition to artillery and high-precision weapons, but they are able to dramatically change the fighting theater. The advantage in the battle is the one who has the advantage in the sky.

An experienced pilot, on a properly tuned drone that uses the right frequencies and which is not drowned - is a 100 % goal damage. Some pilots fly hostile tanks into hatches or small holes where the enemy hides. "The artillerymen say that it is the gods of war, the infantrymen - the driving force of the front. How would you say about the pilots of drones?" "Hunters for orcs. These are those who keep the enemy in constant tension," he replied with laughter.

Both sides have already begun to use drones-Kamikadze, which they see in dusk. Some drones can work at night, they only need a monthly light. There are also drones with thermal imaging chambers, but they are much more expensive. The use of thermal imagers is advisable for drones with heavy combat load, otherwise it is too expensive. Ivan described the situation when the same thing happened: "Opponents were just preparing for the storm. To our positions came" Motoliga "(MT-LB, ed.