Cheap weapons in the expensive war: in Ukraine drones are destroying equipment for millions of dollars - NYT

According to journalists, with the help of drones, the Ukrainian military was able to move further in search of artillery positions and multimillion -dollar air defense systems. At the same time, they risk only inexpensive drones that cost several thousand dollars per unit. The publication writes that the Russian army even had to take its howitzers beyond the reach of Ukrainian guns in the south.

Thus, UAV operators of the Armed Forces were able to learn to bypass the electronic suppression systems of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The material states that Ukraine's defense forces can send their drones far beyond the front line to the rear of the enemy. UAVs drift over fields and villages, looking for Russian artillery tools, tanks and other goals.

It is reported that there are so many drones flying on one of the areas of the front that Ukrainian operators have to coordinate all flights with the dispatcher. It looks like airport management at the airport. "If the Russians come close, we will see them," said Lieutenant Ashot Harutunyan, commander of unmanned intelligence. Ukrainian scouts said that they use plastic drones, and therefore it is difficult to find them on the radar. Ukraine buys them from commercial suppliers.

Many drones are disassembled and then collected again, but with other spare parts. This is done to find the best combination that will help to overcome the electronic suppression of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In addition, it is reported that Ukrainian operators switch between frequencies and fly close to the ground, and therefore it is more difficult to track them. UAVs fly without GPS navigation.

This is at the same time an advantage and a disadvantage, because without it operators have to rely on landmarks on Earth. The military said that they prefer to perform several tasks using inexpensive drones, knowing that some of them will be lost. We will remind that on September 20 it was reported that the Armed Forces began to use drones "with a surprise".