Seems to Ukranians are starting to send air defense trained soldiers from any unit already depleted to the frontlines as infantry
The War in the Ukraine
- Thread starter SampanViking
- Start date
The War Zone posted an interview with a Ukrainian Abrams tank commander and tank crews about the tank's advantages and vulnerabilities. A particular section mentions that American instructors do not understand the harsh realities of the modern battlefield st all, which affected the quality of the training of Ukrainian personnel.
Ukrainian T-80 struck by a Vandal drone in the Kursk front.
Russian airfields in the Rostov region under Ukrainian UAV attack. Plenty of ack ack fire. MoD reports 9 UAVs destroyed.
After a breakthrough of 5km2, Russians assaulting the center of Scherbinovka in the Niu York-Toretsk sector.
Russians assaulting Terny and has occupied it's center. Liman front.
British FV103 Spartan destroyed by drone strikes in Chasiv Yar.
Ukrainian positions in forest belts in the South Donetsk bombarded by the 200th Artillery Brigade.
FPV drone of the 40th Marine Brigade takes out a Matrice 300 quadcopter with a repeater array used to increase the range of FPV drones.
A Ukrainian Starlink array and UAV control point gets bombed by Russian drones.
Ukrainian winged drone shot down by volunteer unit BARS-2.
Shot down Baba Yagas from Buryatia tank crews.
Russian thermite drone burns down a Ukrainian Starlink system.
Baba Yaga shot down by small arms fire over Kherson. Intensity over the region has ramped up recently.
Ukrainian T-80 struck by a Vandal drone in the Kursk front.
Russian airfields in the Rostov region under Ukrainian UAV attack. Plenty of ack ack fire. MoD reports 9 UAVs destroyed.
After a breakthrough of 5km2, Russians assaulting the center of Scherbinovka in the Niu York-Toretsk sector.
Russians assaulting Terny and has occupied it's center. Liman front.
British FV103 Spartan destroyed by drone strikes in Chasiv Yar.
Ukrainian positions in forest belts in the South Donetsk bombarded by the 200th Artillery Brigade.
FPV drone of the 40th Marine Brigade takes out a Matrice 300 quadcopter with a repeater array used to increase the range of FPV drones.
A Ukrainian Starlink array and UAV control point gets bombed by Russian drones.
Ukrainian winged drone shot down by volunteer unit BARS-2.
Shot down Baba Yagas from Buryatia tank crews.
Russian thermite drone burns down a Ukrainian Starlink system.
Baba Yaga shot down by small arms fire over Kherson. Intensity over the region has ramped up recently.
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The price I quoted is based on the articles talking about the drones made in Ukrainian workshops. They are super cheap, using 3D printed parts knowing it doesn’t have to last for more than 5 minutes. All the electronic type parts (motors, remotes, RF receivers, cameras) are off the shelf consumer grade stuff from China on Alibaba. The only "military grade" item is the RPG round or mortar bomb attached.
I don't think anything actually tested and engineered to meet military standards will be below five figures just due to western labour costs and low scale of production. The Javelin seeker is actually a fairly advanced piece of equipment that is actually cooled with liquid nitrogen. The follow up questions become "are things overengineered?", and "is that a form of corruption?", but that would become a big discussion outside the scope of the thread.
If the drones cheapness are indeed inherent to design, then it raise the question, why is it not further adopted? China has much better manufacturing and much less MIC corruption. But we are not seeing mass drone adoption on all units. We still see ATGM as the primary equipment. I think drone carriers should be much much widely adopted. Every APC should have a data linked drone like Soviet with Malyutka, like US with M2 Browning.
An episode of intense point-blank firefight between a Ukrainian serviceman and Russian volunteers from the Sever Brigade. The footage from the war chronicle shows how intense the battles in Ukraine can sometimes be. It has not yet been possible to determine which Ukrainian unit participated in the battle and where the video was filmed. Judging by the video, both soldiers have bulletproof vests. Small arms and grenades were used in the battle, drones were not used. The video is shortened, only the general situation during the battle is shown.
A major development in drone-centric warfare appears to have occurred in recent days, as quoted by a Ukrainian military blogger:
It appears to be the first time in history that a assault was carried out without infantry, using only ground drones and air drones against a Russian position.
Ukrainian BMP-1 gets FPV'd near Pokrovsk. A good chance to view how the BMP-1 is modded.
Compilation of FPV attacks on various Ukrainian vehicles including T-80UV, Bradleys, Strykers, and M109.
Courier robot conducts a recon in force before getting FPV'd.
2S4 Tyulpan working on a Ukrainian position. Note how big the shells are.
80th Brigade Sparta hits a Ukrainian supply pickup with an FPV drone. As the previous Sparta Battalion, this unit from the DPR was one of the RF's original drone units. This unit is deployed with Group Center.
Ukrainian hideout gets drone scouted and hit with a strike (not clear if mortar, artillery or drone). By the 810rd Marines in Kursk.
Another Ukrainian hideout gets scouted and hit with an FPV strike from the Sudoplatov unit. This unit is attached with Group Center.
The Russian flag is planted on Storozhevoye. By Group Vostok. This settlement was recaptured from the Ukrainian counteroffensive of 2023.
Multiple advances along the Pokrovsk sector.
Compilation of strikes against Ukrainian vehicles along the Pokrovsk sector by a drone squad.
Strykers getting attacked by FPV drones in the Kharkhiv sector.
Maxxpro captured and gets inspected.
Deep State UA continues it's work in defiance of Syrsky, and publishes new maps, showing more Russian advances along the Kurakhovo and Pokrovsk sectors.
Republicans plan to scrutinize Ukraine's use of aid for corruption.
The US spent $4.8 million on Ukrainian influencers according to Republican Senator Rand Paul.
Failed Switchblade 600 which might have been shot out of the sky.
New Russian 122mm shells OF56IM-1 which look very similar to Chinese 122mm shells.
Russian Su-25 collided with a ZALA UAV resulting in damage on the Su-25.
Compilation of FPV attacks on various Ukrainian vehicles including T-80UV, Bradleys, Strykers, and M109.
Courier robot conducts a recon in force before getting FPV'd.
2S4 Tyulpan working on a Ukrainian position. Note how big the shells are.
80th Brigade Sparta hits a Ukrainian supply pickup with an FPV drone. As the previous Sparta Battalion, this unit from the DPR was one of the RF's original drone units. This unit is deployed with Group Center.
Ukrainian hideout gets drone scouted and hit with a strike (not clear if mortar, artillery or drone). By the 810rd Marines in Kursk.
Another Ukrainian hideout gets scouted and hit with an FPV strike from the Sudoplatov unit. This unit is attached with Group Center.
The Russian flag is planted on Storozhevoye. By Group Vostok. This settlement was recaptured from the Ukrainian counteroffensive of 2023.
Multiple advances along the Pokrovsk sector.
Compilation of strikes against Ukrainian vehicles along the Pokrovsk sector by a drone squad.
Strykers getting attacked by FPV drones in the Kharkhiv sector.
Maxxpro captured and gets inspected.
Deep State UA continues it's work in defiance of Syrsky, and publishes new maps, showing more Russian advances along the Kurakhovo and Pokrovsk sectors.
Republicans plan to scrutinize Ukraine's use of aid for corruption.
The US spent $4.8 million on Ukrainian influencers according to Republican Senator Rand Paul.
Failed Switchblade 600 which might have been shot out of the sky.
New Russian 122mm shells OF56IM-1 which look very similar to Chinese 122mm shells.
Russian Su-25 collided with a ZALA UAV resulting in damage on the Su-25.
Drones and warfare are evolving very quickly in this war. Tactics and counter-tactics are being developed, tested, and adopted every few weeks.
China would be served better to simply wait until the conflict is over to see whether FPV drones are worth adopting. The circumstances in the Ukraine War may not apply to China at all, and if they do, China has the technology and resources to engineer and deploy a much more elegant solution. Drone swarms with software that largely eliminates the need for an FPV pilot would drastically cut down on the manning requirements for an FPV drone battalion.
In Ukraine, drone companies take quite a bit of money and manpower to actually deploy, for both sides. It's not something you necessarily want to copy. Rather, China should think of how to achieve similar effects with fewer men, and more/better equipment.
That has more to do with the Ukranian crippling lack of man-power rather than an innovation on itself, though. This would be like trying to paint the Japanese Ohka's as some sort of revolutionary weapon and not a tool borne out of desperation.
Massive Russian drone and missile attack. Russian cruise missile flies overhead to it's target.
Slayvanskaya Thermal Power Plant burns are being hit by a Russian strike.
Russian strike arrival at TPP and cruise missile strike in Dnepropetrovsk.
Russian drone and missile strike in Kharkhiv with more than 10 explosions.
CHPP-3 in Kharkhiv, fire after arrival.
Same military facility in Ukraine hit by a Geran-2 drone.
Novy Trud, in the Pokrovsk sector, falls to the Russians.
Russians raise the flag at Lozova.
M113 and Kozak-7 burning and probably taken out by artillery fire from Russian SPG units of the 944th Artillery Regiment in the Kurakhovo direction.
Ukrainian AFV in the Sumy region taken out by Lancet.
Slayvanskaya Thermal Power Plant burns are being hit by a Russian strike.
Russian strike arrival at TPP and cruise missile strike in Dnepropetrovsk.
Russian drone and missile strike in Kharkhiv with more than 10 explosions.
CHPP-3 in Kharkhiv, fire after arrival.
Same military facility in Ukraine hit by a Geran-2 drone.
Novy Trud, in the Pokrovsk sector, falls to the Russians.
Russians raise the flag at Lozova.
M113 and Kozak-7 burning and probably taken out by artillery fire from Russian SPG units of the 944th Artillery Regiment in the Kurakhovo direction.
Ukrainian AFV in the Sumy region taken out by Lancet.