Ukrainian drones render Russian tanks obsolete on the frontlines
Writing for Forbes, David Axe expressed the opinion that Russian tanks have become almost useless. According to the American war correspondent, this situation is due to drones, which the Ukrainians are deploying on a very large scale.
"Along the 800-kilometre front line in Ukraine and western Russia, there are so many Ukrainian drones that Russian armoured vehicles cannot emerge from hiding without attracting deadly drone attention," reports David Axe.
Russian tanks destroyed by Ukrainian drones
Some Ukrainian brigades describe Russian charges using solitary tanks as "suicide missions."
David Axe described one such attack that took place in January this year, north of the ruins of Toretsk in the Donetsk region. The crew of a Russian tank was travelling on a dirt road towards the front line. However, they stood no chance against an air attack. The tank was immobilised by four Ukrainian kamikaze drones; a fifth, heavier drone (with more payload) completed the job by dropping grenades on the Russian vehicle, ultimately destroying it.
Russians losing even the best tanks to drones
Ukrainians most frequently use cheap and simple FPV (first-person view) drones. These drones have built-in cameras and provide pilots with real-time live feeds until the moment of impact.
Modifications are made to transform a small, commercial drone into a lethal weapon by attaching explosive charges (which detonate on impact) or grenades (which are dropped on the target from above). In recent weeks, there has been an increase in the use of FPV drones using fibre-optic communication, which are resistant to interference.
From the Russian perspective, the war in Ukraine is all the more painful, as Ukrainian drones can eliminate not only old, post-Soviet tanks, but also the latest machines from the Russian defence industry, such as T-90M tanks.
In David Axe's opinion, the progress currently achieved by the Russians on various front sections is due to the use of artillery and, primarily, infantry. This tactic caused significant personnel losses, which Moscow had disregarded since the beginning of the war. Reuben Johnson, a former Pentagon consultant in defence technology, also wrote in his analysis about how Russian tanks turned out to be weaker than expected and unsuitable for modern threats.
