Ukrainian forces are utilizing “flocks” of FPV (first-person-view) drones led by “queen” drones to assault Russian positions, a Russian serviceman stated in an interview with Russian newspaper Izvestia.
This Russian serviceman was apparently a witness to a “flock of Ukrainian FPV drones led by a repeater drone Queen” which descended onto Russian positions and began the bombing. pic.twitter.com/LhvFg8syXW
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) January 26, 2024
In a video shared on X, previously Twitter, by a navy blogger, the soldier described an encounter with a swarm of drones led by a “repeater drone queen.”
He stated Ukrainian forces despatched a “large wing with a repeater” that broadcasted a sign to a gaggle of smaller FPV drones flying beneath it.
These then dropped onto Russian positions, he added.
“A flock of around 10—the Queen is somewhere above at a high altitude in a small detection range. It brings the flock of drones, which then descend onto positions and start working,” he stated.
Izvestia correspondent Dmitry Zimenkin, who interviewed the soldier, stated the tactic allowed Ukrainian drone operators to “land and wait” with their smaller drones, “saving batteries,” Newsweek reported.
“When a large mother drone spots targets, the kamikazes take off, sometimes several meters from the target, and attack. If the Queen is eliminated, then her entire flock can be neutralized,” Zimenkin stated, per Newsweek.
FPV drones have been utilized by each Russian and Ukrainian forces since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, they usually have proved to be an efficient and low-cost weapon.
They have been significantly essential to Ukraine’s battle effort, enabling Ukrainian drone squads to assault deep into Russian territory whereas serving to to restrict losses to their floor forces.
But drone warfare has meant either side are struggling to make any advances, Gleb Molchanov, a Ukrainian drone operator, instructed The Guardian.
“It’s a war of armor against projectiles. At the moment, projectiles are winning,” he added.