Ukraine's drone strategy surges as "kamikaze" production hits 200,000

Drones have emerged as a pivotal factor in the Ukrainian conflict, bestowing a strategic advantage upon the Ukrainians against the Russians, who, regrettably, have begun to narrow this technological gap in recent months. The widespread deployment of drones has enabled Ukraine to notably increase Russian casualties, partially offsetting their disadvantages in artillery and aviation.

Commercial drones have found a wide array of applications, from monitoring large areas and adjusting artillery fire to delivering medical supplies, locating injured or missing individuals, providing support to tanks, or carrying out kinetic strikes on diverse targets.

In the realm of warfare, certain drones have been adapted to drop grenades or mortar bombs on targets, in addition to functioning as makeshift loitering munitions, or "kamikaze" drones. The latter have gained notoriety for their effectiveness against modern Russian tanks and even soldiers equipped merely with improvised weapons.

Drone operations facilitate the clearing of Russian strongholds prior to assaults and the dispersing of Russian offensive units, considerably minimizing casualties. However, it's important to acknowledge that such extensive drone employment, together with the influence of Russian electronic warfare capabilities, leads to the loss of tens of thousands of these drones each month.

Hence, it's unsurprising that Ukraine is significantly expanding its production facilities, which now consume the bulk of components previously allocated for hobbyist builds. Moreover, NATO countries have pledged to supply Ukraine with 1 million drones in 2024.

The benchmark for "kamikaze" drones is the employment of FPV (First Person View) models, which are either built from the ground up or significantly stripped down by removing the casing to leave only the frame, electric motors, propellers, batteries, and camera.

Ukrainians then attach explosives, such as cluster munition bomblets or anti-tank grenades PG-7VL, to these drones using detonating cord, transforming them into precise weapons with a range of several hundred meters, or even approximately 1 mile. Often in attack footage, a bundle of wires can be seen in front of the drone, acting as a detonator. When the drone strikes a target, these wires connect, completing the circuit and setting off the explosion.

These drones proved to be incredibly effective throughout spring and summer of 2023. Yet, as time passed, the Russians began deploying extensive systems for jamming the frequencies used by commercial drones at the frontline. Despite these challenges, the Ukrainians managed to find ways to counteract the Chinese jammers. However, they still face difficulties with more sophisticated, albeit less common, professional systems like the R-330Zh Zhitel.

Although the use of FPV drones has become more challenging than it was a few months ago, they remain effective in specific scenarios. Particularly, when professional drones, like the Polish Warmate, manage to neutralize a Russian jammer in an area, this paves the way for the operational use of commercial drones.