What does war, Ukraine-style look like? The recent Eurosatory defence and security show in Paris, provided a rare glimpse into the innovative armaments — first-person view and quadcopter drones fitted with aerial bombs and anti-tank mines  — being developed by Ukrainian engineers to help the country’s armed forces gain a strategic advantage on the battlefield.

Buried amongst the many stands promoting conventional weapon systems — armoured vehicles, remote weapon stations, self-propelled howitzers, missiles — that typically carry a hefty price tag was a stand manned by representatives from SpetsTechnoExport, based in Kyiv, which is the second-largest Ukrainian state-owned foreign trade enterprise.

SpetsTechnoExport makes conventional weapon systems including tanks, missiles and howitzers. But since the war in Ukraine began, the company has also turned its hand to developing innovative and cutting-edge weapon systems based on quadcopter and first-person view or FPV drones, fitted with an array of explosive devices (grenades, anti-tank mines, mortars) designed to destroy light and medium-armoured vehicles and test the mettle and morale of Russian soldiers. It also manufactures the unmanned surface vehicle or "kamikaze boat", the Magura V5, which is thought to be responsible for the sinking of the Russian Navy's Tarantul-III class missile corvette Ivanovets in the Black Sea near Lake Donuzlav in Crimea. Several MAGURA V5 USVs were used to attack and sink the large Russian landing ship Tsezar Kunikov in Russian-occupied Crimea.

SpetsTechnoExport’s director of manufacturing, Volodymyr Tomchuk, who conversed with me via Google Translate on his mobile phone, told me that FPV drones, which hail from the civilian drone racing world, are “a cheap replacement” for high-precision weapon systems. However, he said they are meant to complement rather than replace bigger ticket items such as artillery or anti-tank missiles.  

"War will never be the same" 

FPV drones are said to be a “game changer” for modern warfare. They are cheap to buy and transmit live images directly to a headset worn by the operator for accurate, high-speed flights.

Active or FPV drones have a range of 10 km and with repeaters, up to 20 km, says Tomchuk. They can carry payloads (grenades, mortar, anti-tank mines, explosives) up to 3 kg in weight and are operated by a three-person crew, including an engineer, navigator, and drone operator.

Between 40-45 drones a day are used on the frontline by Ukrainian operators against Russian armoured vehicles. “You can stop a tank with one drone,”  one Ukrainian volunteer droneoperator claims.  “One person or team of people can destroy armoured personnel.”

Tomchuk says two to four drones are enough to destroy a tank. However, two to three times more drones may be needed if the tank is fitted with counter-drone measures.

One drawback of FPV drones is that they require a lot of skill from pilots who must undergo extensive training, which can take months. Tomchuk says FPV drone pilots often work with scouts who guide them to their target. “Flight schools have been created in Ukraine to give pilots initial training,” he says. “They study on their own or in combat conditions to get their initial skills.”

As well as flying the drones, personnel also need to be trained how to repair, maintain, and assemble the drones. They also need to be insructed in the best kind of explosives or ordnance to use, depending on the target. 

In addition to FPV drones, Ukrainian drone operators also use fixed-wing drones, which can fly for three hours, for long-range reconnaissance. Quadcopters are used to destroy targets at a range of 5 km and can carry 15 kg of explosives or two anti-tank mines.

Baltic armed forces to use FPV drones

Inspired by the use of FPV drones in Ukraine, countries in the Baltics, which neighbour Russia, are  setting up FPV training schools for their armed forces. Lithuania's armed forces have started training instructors to operate FPV drones.

“Without a drone, it is not possible to fight,” said one Lithuanian soldier speaking at Eurosatory. “A general thinks the most important thing on the battlefield is a tank, but they need to rethink the future battlefield so they don’t spend huge amounts of money on fancy equipment. We need lots of cheap things to create a multiplier [effect] for the enemy. War will never be the same.”

 In Latvia, a Drone Army is being developed. In addition to supplying drones to Ukraine, Latvia will invest €20 million in developing infrastructure and purchasing drones. According to Latvian media, a drone testing site will start operating at the new “Selija” military base and ranges and drone pilot training will be provided within the framework of national defence training.

Given the proliferation of drones in the war in Ukraine, and their widespread use on the battlefield, some estimates suggest that 40 million drones a year may be needed to meet demand in Ukraine.

But this presents significant challenges for traditional defence acquisition cycles which are typically long. “Sometimes it can take half a year to get drones,” said one Lithuanian soldier speaking at Eurosatory.