Remaining "in the shadows": who is preparing drones to destroy the occupiers

Today, the Internet is simply overflowing with footage of the destruction of Russian FPV equipment by Defense Forces drones. But behind each such “beautiful hit” is painstaking teamwork.

The work of not only drone pilots, but also the military, who improve and prepare the deadly “birds” for flight, is very important. About those who usually remain “in the shadows”, Channel 24 will tell in the program “Kordon.UA” in a report from the Vovchansk region, where our border guards hold positions.

The path of an FPV drone on the frontline

Each combat drone of the border guards adds at least one less occupier or one less unit of enemy equipment to tomorrow's statistics on Russian losses.

Our military receives the basis for the drone from the state or volunteers. Usually, drones arrive with poor components that do not allow them to perform tasks at long ranges under the influence of electronic warfare. Therefore, engineers amplify video signals, control signals, and custom frequencies.

Even if the components arrive are good, they do not fit our equipment and everything has to be changed, – noted the border engineer “Coyote”.

Accordingly, the border engineers need to reassemble the drone, upgrade it and reflash it. For convenience, they adjust all the settings for each group.

They (pilots – Channel 24) are used to having an explosion on this button, channels are switched on this one, power on this one, to standardize. Because if it comes differently every time, there will be chaos, there will be no work, – added “Coyote”.

Next, the sappers need to equip it with explosives, they tested it in the field, and the pilots – direct it to the target. The border guard sapper “Ronin” said that there are different options for equipping the drone.

“There is a cumulative on the menu, it goes against armored vehicles, lightly armored, heavily armored. We have a fragmentation one – this is against infantry and against conventional vehicles. There is also a landmine, this is if we need to “open” something, or open a door, knock, so to speak. There is a thermal bar, this is so that the Russians get burned in the literal sense,” – explained “Ronin”.

So, hitting a target with an FPV drone is a really huge, joint, painstaking work of many true professionals. In general, the drone can fly up to 10 – 13 kilometers and carry 3 kilograms of explosives. During testing, it was recorded that the FPV lifted 5 kilograms.

Yes, the RPG charge needs to be re-equipped, it's not difficult, we just disassemble it, equip it with explosives, make room for the detonator. Then we equip it for the FPV. The most powerful explosion we will have will be a landmine. If it flies well into the dugout – it can completely destroy it. Everything is very subtle, it all depends on the target and the task that is facing me and the pilot, – told the border guard.

A drone ready for combat work – which is not only upgraded, reflashed, but also already tested in the field – falls into the hands of pilots, who go with it as close as possible to the front line. They head to a specially equipped hideout, from where they lift it into the sky, launch it and control it to hit the enemy.

In general, not bad for a day: two 300 Russians, a dugout “opened”, some control point, Starlink destroyed, so plus or minus productive,– told the pilot of the FPV drone “Bes”.

Such, enchanting, but glorious is the completion of the life cycle of the kamikaze drone: bought with Ukrainian money, equipped and launched by border guards, it weakened our enemy a little more.

Natasha Kumar

By Natasha Kumar

Natasha Kumar has been a reporter on the news desk since 2018. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining The Times Hub, Natasha Kumar worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my natasha@thetimeshub.in 1-800-268-7116