9/18/2023 0 Comments Quadcopter drone maker![]() ![]() Russian forces, in particular separatist units, are also receiving consumer drones for tactical reconnaissance – again from donations rather than the usual military acquisition process. (Even DJI drones can drop small grenades, and Ukrainian volunteers have posted at least one video claiming to show this approach). Ukrainian Aerorozvidka reportedly use consumer quadcopters with thermal imagers to find Russian forces at night, before bombing them with anti-tank grenades from larger, locally-made R18 octocopters or calling in artillery fire with Starlink satellite communications. Vast numbers of drone videos show Ukrainian artillery carrying out highly accurate strikes on Russian forces. Although Ukraine has some military-grade spotter drones, including locally made Fury, Spectator and Stork models, there are not enough to go around, but there are thousands of DJI and other quadcopters. Ukrainian military drone operator Oleh Sobchenko, interviewed by Euromaidan Press, confirms that volunteer drone operators with consumer drones are doing much of the target location and fire direction for Ukrainian artillery. This control means that mortars can even destroy tanks with direct hits, rare in previous conflicts. The mortar, a simple, low-tech device for lobbing bombs in the general direction of enemy positions becomes vastly more lethal when the drone operator can find the enemy, then direct mortar fire on to their location, reporting on the fall of every shot so it can be adjusted on the target. One video shows a Ukrainian mortar team equipped with a quadcopter. ![]() ![]() Aerial reconnaissance was previously confined to higher levels of command and only gradually filtered down the chain now every squad leader can have a folding Mavic Mini 2 small enough to fit into a cargo pocket but able to send back HD video from three miles away for half an hour. At its simplest, a small drone is an eye in the sky, giving what every commander has wanted for centuries: a view of what is happening on the other side of the hill, or in the middle of the forest, or just down the next street, without having to send troops. ![]()
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