The winter military campaign of late 2023 to early 2024 will be the first winter for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to deploy a variety of drones on the battlefield that were not widely used before.
In a comment to Defense Express, the commander of the Terra aerial reconnaissance unit in the Third Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykola Volokhov, with the call sign Abdula, shared this information.
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"For our Defense Forces, this will be the first winter when we use FPV kamikaze drones, night large drones, and, in general, a variety of drone types. The first challenges with this have begun. Despite initial obstacles, such as stormy winds affecting FPV drones, our forces are adapting. Some adjustments and reconfiguration will be needed, but somehow it will work," Volokhov shares about the peculiarities of operating drones under current weather conditions.
The Ukrainian military explains that they currently independently procure the majority of FPV drones based on their own decisions, while the state supplies a smaller portion. Moreover, a considerable amount of such weaponry is needed per month.
For instance, according to Mykola Volokhov, the average usage norm for FPV drones per month in a brigade is a thousand units. Launching up to 15 drones in a single day or operation is considered satisfactory, assuming the unit is well-equipped with an ample drone supply.
"This is a pretty good indicator," notes commander of the Terra aerial reconnaissance unit.
Despite being comparably effective to the russian Lancets, these FPV drones are more cost-effective. The FPV drone exhibits a one-in-three success rate in target destruction "some drones don't reach their destination due to the action of the enemy EW, while others may fail to reach it due to other factors, such as weather conditions, and so on," notes Volokhov.
Recall that earlier, Defense Express reported that the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade published data on how many targets were hit and destroyed within two months (September-October of this year) by two groups of FPV drones (Black Raven and Signu) operating as part of the brigade.
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