Videos of FPV drones hitting russian weapons or personnel appear in the media basically every day. Therefore, it would be reasonably to believe that these cheap but effective weapons could replace mortars or other armament.
But the fact that this opinion is actually wrong was confirmed by Mykola Volokhov, commander of Terra aerial reconnaissance unit of the 3rd Assault Brigade. In an interview with Defense Express, he said that FPV drones and mortars are different weapons, so FPV drones cannot completely replace other weapons on the battlefield.
Read more: Ukrainian FPV Drones At This Point Destroy Half of Artillery and One Third of Armored Vehicles of russian Army
"FPV drones are a highly effective but situational tool. After all, the mortar will fire during snow, rain, as well as fog. Of course, the precision will decrease in bad weather conditions, but it will fire," Volokhov said.
For instance, if the defense is based solely on the use of FPV drones, then the occupiers will only have to wait for a sufficiently dense fog to destroy the defense line, using armored vehicles.
"There is no panacea, and success is achieved through synergy between different service branches, different means, and, of course, having good tactics. So, any drones will not replace mortars," the commander concluded.
Now, the Armed Forces of Ukraine as well as the russian occupiers are constantly working to improve FPV drones. This winter should be a real test for defenders of Ukraine, as it will be the first time that the Ukrainian army will use a huge variety of UAVs in difficult weather conditions.
At the same time, the need of FPV drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine is really high. The minimum number of drones required for one brigade is one thousand units, while fireteam can use 10-15 FPV drones per day of work or operation.
Earlier Mykola Volokhov explained how many FPV drones does a brigade need per month as well as what could be the real effectiveness of a drone on the battlefield.
As Defense Express reported, Production, Supply of HE-FRAG Ammunition for FPV Drones Had Been Established In Ukraine.
Read more: Drone-Carrier Quadcopters Can Significantly Increase the Range of FPV Drones
