Ukrainian forces have units known as mobile fire groups, they specialize in hunting down russian unmanned aerial vehicles on the frontline and in the rear. One of these units had an interview with ArmyInform, soldiers sharing their experience and targets they took down.
Air defense operators of the Wild Duck group from the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade work in a team of three, use their M2 Browning 12.7mm machine gun mounted on an ordinary pickup truck to take down UAVs of various types.
Read more: Representative of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Disclosed Shahed-136 UAV’s Production Volume, Localization Deadline
A typical combat task starts with detection of a target, acoustically or visually. Once the drone approaches close enough, the gunner starts shooting. Targets are mostly Lancet suicide drones but they also used to take down some other reconnaissance drones of the Zala family. The Lancet is the easiest one to destroy, though, they note.
"They fly mostly at the altitude of 500–600 meters. When the target enters our zone of responsibility and is already in our crosshairs, we start shooting in bursts," says Andrii, one of the servicemen in this unit.
Here's an archive video of a Lancet shooting in August 2023, provided by the Wild Duck mobile fire group via the StratCom of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:
The most memorable was the episode when they neutralized five Lancets in a row. The UAVs were directed at one of Ukraine's artillery systems, earlier spotted by russians. The allied artillery was safe thanks to the timely air defense cover.
On a note from Defense Express, currently the russian invasion forces operate over 30 types of various aerial drones in the Ukrainian warzone, both unarmed spy aircraft and explosive attack UAVs. Among them are Eleron, Granat, Zala 421 (in variations), Orlan-10, Supercam, Forpost, Kub-BLA, and others.
If you want to learn more about how mobile fire groups, this unique invention of Ukrainian air defense forces, operate in Ukraine, read our articles about one of them that took down a russian Kh-101 cruise missile with a Stinger MANPADS, about paratroopers carrying French Martlets, maritime patrols on Gyurza-M armored boats, or the trainings on Czech-made custom MR-2 Viktor anti-aircraft vehicles.
.
Read more: FrankenSAM Jointly Produced by United States and Ukraine Used Against russian Shahed Drones
