In Russia’s war against Ukraine, both sides use thousands of military and civilian drones.
Thousands of unmanned aerial vehicles are used in the Ukraine war to detect enemy positions, launch missiles and direct artillery fire.
Both sides use off-the-shelf drones alongside purpose-built military drones.
What military drones do Ukraine and Russia have?
Ukraine’s main military drone is the Bayraktar TB2, made in Turkey. It’s the size of a small airplane, has built-in cameras, and can be armed with laser-guided bombs.
Jack Watling of the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) think tank says Ukraine started the war with a fleet of “less than 50” of them.
He says Russia mainly uses the “smaller and simpler” Orlan-10. “Russia started the war with a few thousand men and may only have a few hundred left.” These drones also have cameras and can fire missiles.
Image: BBC
How effective are military drones?
Drones on both sides were most effective when used to locate enemy targets and direct artillery fire on them.
“With an Orlan-10 drone detecting a target, Russian forces can direct their weapons at the enemy in just three to five minutes,” says Watling. Without them, an attack can take 20 to 30 minutes to complete, he says.
Martina Miron, a defense studies researcher at King’s College London, says drones have allowed Ukraine to expand its limited forces.
“In the past, if you wanted to search for enemy positions, you would have had to send special forces units to do so, and you might lose some troops,” he says. “The only thing you risk now is a drone.”
Image: EPA
In the first weeks of the war, Ukraine’s Bayraktar drones were praised.
“Attacking targets such as ammunition depots were shown and helped to sink Moscow. [navio de guerra]’, says Miron.
However, many Bayraktars were destroyed by Russia’s air defense systems.
“The big ones are relatively slow and only fly at medium altitude, which makes them easier to hit,” says Watling.
How are non-military drones used?
Military drones are expensive to replace – a single Bayraktar TB2 costs about $2 million.
So both parties – especially Ukraine – are turning to smaller commercial models like the DJI Mavic 3, which are equivalent to around R$11,000.
Image: BBC
A Ukrainian drone manufacturer estimates that the country’s forces have 6,000 drones, but it was not possible to confirm the information.
Commercial drones can be equipped with small bombs. However, they are mainly used to detect enemy troops.
“Ukraine doesn’t have as much ammunition as Russia,” Miron says. Having eyes ‘in the sky’ to detect targets and direct artillery fire means they can better use what they have.”
However, commercial drones are much less powerful than military ones.
The DJI Mavic has a range of only 30 km and can fly for only 46 minutes.
Cheaper and smaller drones fly faster and cover shorter distances.
How do both sides defend against drones?
Miron says Russia uses radar defenses against military drones and electronic devices against commercial drones.
“Russian forces have a Stupor rifle that fires electromagnetic pulses,” he says. This prevents commercial drones from navigating using GPS.
Russian forces have also used online systems such as the Aeroscope to detect and disrupt communications between commercial drones and their operators.
They can crash the drone or return to base and stop it from sending information.
According to a report by Rusi, the average Ukrainian drone has barely completed a week of operation.
Who supplies the drones?
According to the White House, Russia is now purchasing Shahid military drones from Iran. Houthi rebel forces in Yemen used these drones to attack targets in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The United States is supplying about 700 Switchblade “kamikaze” military drones to Ukraine.
They’re full of explosives. They hover in the air until they find their target.
Image: BBC
Elon Musk’s SpaceX company supplies the Starlink satellite communication system to Ukraine. This enables communication between commercial drones and operators.
DJI has stopped supplying drones to Russia or Ukraine.
How does Ukraine pay for drones?
Ukraine has launched a crowdfunding campaign to purchase 200 military drones.
“In addition to large drones like [Bayraktar] They’re looking for the TB2, a small fixed-wing reconnaissance aircraft,” says Watling.
The Ukrainian winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, the Kalush Orchestra, sold the trophy it donated to the campaign for $900,000. The money will buy three PD-2 aircraft made in Ukraine.
– Text originally published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-62291582
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source: Noticias
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