Feels like a game, but it’s real killing people. FPV drones flood the front

This is because the controls of these types of drones are almost identical to the controls of vehicles in games. Though of course more difficult. Virtual reality goggles are put on the eyes, displaying the image from the camera at the front of the drone. The controller (commonly known as a pad) is held in the hands, with two joysticks and buttons. And that’s it. The operator looks like he is playing or playing with a civilian fast racing drone. Meanwhile, his goal is to destroy and kill. How surreal it can look is shown, for example, in the video below with the Ukrainian cameraman in the lead role.

From the world of virtual entertainment to the battlefield

Such scenes are now commonplace across the front. And on both sides of it. Recordings of FPV (first person view) drone attacks appear in abundance. Their targets are anything they can catch within range. Often they are even single soldiers in the trenches, or small groups of them. There are also regular attempts to fly into the entrances to the dugouts in order to reach people taking shelter inside after noticing an aerial threat. Ordinary cars used to move people and supplies in the close quarters of the front line are also standard targets. Even military armored vehicles, including the best tanks on both sides of the conflict, are not safe. The Ukrainians have already shown successful attacks on Russian T-90Ms, and the Russians – Ukrainian Leopard 2s. Lighter armored personnel carriers are a daily loot. Sometimes it is even possible to catch even more valuable anti-aircraft defense systems or electronic warfare, or artillery.

The tactics are usually similar. First, the goal must be found in a different way. FPV drones have poor-quality cameras and due to the unfavorable ratio of weight to battery capacity, they are not able to stay in the air for long. Usually up to several dozen minutes, although a lot depends on speed and maneuvers. Therefore, they are not suitable for reconnaissance. FPV drone pilots usually operate in mixed teams with operators of regular reconnaissance drones that are controlled without the aid of virtual reality glasses. After detecting the target, a small kamikaze is launched and an attempt is made to attack as quickly as possible. Their effectiveness is not high. In conversations with operators, there are suggestions that maybe about half of FPV drones do the desired damage. The others do not reach their destination, or they do not hit, or when they do, it is not very effective.

Reaching the target with a rapidly moving drone is not easy and requires good skills. In the reports of operators from both sides of the conflict and those responsible for organizing their training, the topic of players is often mentioned. Their experience in virtual gameplay is to be very useful on the battlefield. The control system is very intuitive for them. Of course, the best candidates are people who have previously had contact with civilian FPV drones, usually used for racing or just recreational flying at high speeds and performing acrobatics. However, the “drone” communities of this kind were not particularly large in either Russia or Ukraine before the war. It was Ukrainian lovers of this kind of entertainment that started the trend of using their drones for combat, but there are not enough of them to fully meet the frontline’s demand for operators. Therefore, they rather deal with training for new fry.

A creative approach to killing the enemy

Training is usually organized from the bottom up, without cooperation with the military and authorities. The entire sphere related to combat FPV drones is dominated by private initiative. Both in Ukraine and in Russia. This is a stereotypical example of greater innovation, flexibility and the ability to implement new solutions by the private sphere. State institutions must try to catch up with civilians. It is supposed to work out better in Ukraine, where cooperation with the army and the government is easier. And even if they don’t help, they don’t hinder. In Russia, for many months, the military and institutions were meant to do more harm than good. Recently, however, the situation has started to change and there are information about the organization of training or production in cooperation with the state.

Due to the high dynamics and far-reaching decentralization of the whole phenomenon, it is impossible to give specific numbers when it comes to the scale of FPV drone production, the number of trained operators or formed combat teams. On both sides incidentally there are some claims on these topics, but it is impossible to verify them. It can be speculated that the current level of production is at the level of several thousand units per month in Russia and Ukraine. This is almost exclusively the responsibility of manufactories organized by volunteers, sometimes with the financial support of the state. Critical components such as motors, batteries, cameras and electronics are imported from China. These are elements previously commonly used in FPV drones for racing. The structure itself is created on site using 3D printers.

Although the Ukrainians started earlier and for a long time led the way in the production and use of FPV drones, now the Russians are catching up with them. This is the responsibility of a network of volunteers who, often against the army and the authorities, pushed for months to increase the scale of production and training. As a result, Russian military bloggers even claim that, for example, in the areas of the most intense fighting in Zaporozhye, their website has an advantage in using FPV drones. Regardless of who has the advantage, there is no doubt that these types of devices have rapidly gained in importance and have become a serious threat, not a curiosity.

There is no miracle, but there is an element of revolution

However, FPV drones are not something that in themselves will revolutionize the battlefield. Their main advantage is the cost-effect relationship, not some unique opportunities. Most manufacturers of this type of drones list their price at several hundred dollars per unit. Mostly in the 500-800 region. For something that, with a lot of skill and luck, can destroy a tank or radar worth tens of millions of dollars, this is a really great deal. Low price and low complexity mean that it can be produced in simple factories. All this translates into potentially high availability of FPV drones, which is an advantage in itself.

However, the combat capabilities of these devices are not special, although they are often spectacular due to their high maneuverability and speed. Small and simple drones are sensitive to weather conditions. Stronger wind, rain or snow significantly hinder their use, or even make it impossible. Additionally, the simple cameras mean you can only use them when there is good lighting during the day. It is not without reason that the vast majority of recordings of successful FPV drone strikes come from nice sunny days.

Another limitation is the short range, usually up to about five kilometers (although there are attacks at much greater distances of several kilometers). On the one hand, this is the effect of the limited capacity of the batteries, which are quickly consumed by powerful motors that provide the drone with high speed (up to 60 km/h and more), high maneuverability, and with an explosive charge of 1-3 kilograms attached (although they are and larger up to 5 kg). However, this means that it is necessary to efficiently fly to the target area and perform the attack, because the energy reserve for searches and replays is very limited. On the other hand, it is the result of a standard problem of all drone operators, i.e. communication range. In the case of FPV drones, this is even more important, because for a good effect, they must be controlled until the last moments before the impact, i.e. at a low altitude of a few to several dozen meters. Many attack videos show the operator losing sight of the second before impact when his device flies over trees and other terrain obstacles. If he’s positioned the drone well beforehand, he’ll hit it with momentum. If not, it’s a box. Additional antennas connected to control devices are commonly used. Long cables allow them to be placed higher and in open places, which improves communication range. The most valuable element of the entire system, i.e. the pilot itself, can then sit hidden in a trench or building.

Stealth is increasingly important for operators because as the frequency of drone attacks increases, the importance of hunting down those who direct them increases accordingly. Teams of pilots and their assistants are one of the priority targets at the front, if they can be located. This shows how important simple drones are in this war. These FPVs are not revolutionary in themselves, but in general the use of simple UAVs for surveillance and strike missions, and their rapid evolution, is. The effect this has had can be seen, for example, in the United States. The Pentagon on Monday announced that it is significantly accelerating the procurement and implementation of simple drones. Regulations and rules are to be changed so as to buy 10,000 such machines in two years. At the same time, this value is ridiculously low for the richest power. The Ukrainians themselves lose and use several thousand different types of drones a month.