Ukrainian Officials Say Drone Improvements Key to War Effort
Officials say that Ukraine’s drones are essential to fighting Putin’s invasion.
Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, Ukraine has reportedly used drones to destroy 869 armored enemy vehicles, 627 tanks, and over 700 artillery units. During the war, Ukraine pioneered drones in combat, where pilots wear goggles like those for virtual reality games. These gadgets are called First-person-view (FPV) drones; operators can move them in real-time.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov stated that the country is “working around the clock” to scale up its drone technology. Fedorov told Ukrainian TV broadcasters they are increasing naval drone production for the war effort.
“New models [of drones] with surprises are being developed,” he said. “So, I think Russian ships will feel quite uncomfortable in the Black Sea. There’s a specific task to scale production, so more and more manufacturers are appearing, competition exists, new features are emerging,” Fedorov added.
Fedorov explained that they are also creating more Unarmed Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCVs). He stressed that producing fresh gadgetry would help Ukraine overcome Putin’s invasion, saying, “We are now working around the clock to move the war to a new technological phase, to continue destroying the enemy.”
Moves To Improve Drones
Fedorov’s announcement comes after Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Valery Zaluzhny, said on 1st November that Ukraine needs new technologies to escape the war’s stalemate. Zaluzhny added in an essay published by The Economist, “Ukraine needs to conduct massive strikes using decoy and attack drones to overload Russia’s air-defence systems.”
Zaluzhny added that Ukraine’s “much improved electronic warfare” will help stop the war from lengthening, which Ukraine would find hard to handle.
In an interview with The Economist, Ukrainian drone pilot “Major” said there are problems with Ukraine’s current drone technology. The 25-year-old fighting on the southern Zaporizhia province front line said the cameras aren’t excellent. He also noted that Russian drones had taken many casualties by pursuing soldiers.
Russian drones run at 150-160 kph, meaning operators have had to quickly run and hide from them. Major said, “If your cover is poor, then you are likely a dead man.” “God, not physics, decides if you survive,” added the operator, who has lost two close comrades to Russian pursuits.
A front-line commander told the news outlet, “A lot of people want to become drone pilots because they think the work is further back and safer. The reality is that it’s extremely dangerous to be flying battlefield drones.”
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