How Ukrainian drones are revolutionising the front line

Ever since Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022, Ukraine’s armed forces have been busy developing and deploying new drones to combat Moscow’s onslaught.

Recently, attention has turned to so-called “dragon drones” — small unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with thermite, a material that generates intense heat capable of damaging or destroying military targets and infrastructure.

Drones, or UAVs, have fundamentally transformed modern warfare by enhancing reconnaissance capabilities, precision strikes, and overall battlefield awareness. Ukraine’s diverse fleet, from small commercially available models to larger UAVs, has been instrumental in countering the Russian army.

The Wild Hornets organisation is just one of the many groups that have emerged as a key force within Ukraine’s defence efforts, gathering dedicated volunteers and veterans committed to enhancing military capabilities through innovative drone technology.

The beginning of the FPV era

“I didn’t have any direct experience with drone manufacturing before”, explained Ivan, a member of the Wild Hornets. “In the spring of 2023, I worked as a journalist. I had a small blog about business, and at some point, one of my readers asked me to start a drone fundraiser”, he continued.

The reader who contacted Ivan turned out to be Dmytro, the co-founder of Wild Hornets. “Looking back, that was the beginning of the FPV drone era”, Ivan continued. FPV stands for “first-person view”, allowing the pilot to see what the drone sees through an onboard camera.

Ivan and Vyacheslav, another member of the Wild Hornets team, credit the organisation’s success partly to their ten years of experience working in the media. Vyacheslav nodded, adding that their journey began with collecting donations for drones before producing them.

“After a month, Dmytro sent us a video of two drones we had raised money for”, Ivan told Euronews. “These two cheap, Chinese-made drones, costing around $500 (€447), hit a tank worth over a million.” That’s when they realised the impact drones could have on the battlefield.

Neither Vyacheslav, Ivan, nor Dmytro had any drone-building experience, though. They partnered with Borys (name changed for safety concerns), an engineer with ten years of expertise, and launched the Wild Hornets in the spring of last year.

Soon after, they collaborated with the Separate Presidential Brigade’s anti-tank unit and provided combat drones, which delivered precise strikes on Russian military targets.

By integrating advanced UAV technology, the partnership transformed anti-tank operations and according to the Wild Hornets team, “significantly reshaped the unit’s combat strategy.”

“You can’t build a drone in your kitchen”

Naturally, building a drone from scratch requires experience and expertise. The device needs to be safe for the operator to use. “You can’t build a drone in your kitchen”, said Ivan. A professional manufacturer is therefore crucial. In the case of the Wild Hornets, they have around 25 engineers who can produce around 100 drones per day. 

The organisation manufactures different FPV drones. Their “Standard Wild Hornets” model can achieve up to 160 kilometres per hour and carry payloads of 1.5 to 3 kilograms, primarily for so-called “kamikaze missions”.

These drones, also known as loitering munitions or “suicide drones”, are unmanned aerial systems that can loiter for extended periods before engaging targets with built-in warheads, effectively combining the characteristics of precision missiles and UAVs. These drones are generally only used once.

They also create so-called “bomber drones”, which can be used several times, as well as the larger “Queen Hornet” model, which can carry up to 9.5 kilogram bombs and boasts a range of 30 kilometres.

These drones are also used for operations like supplying food deliveries to front line areas. According to Forbes, both Ukraine and Russia are increasingly utilising drones for logistical purposes, with Ukrainian forces repurposing small FPV drones not only for combat but also to deliver essential supplies for their military personnel on the frontline.

Can AI-powered drones revolutionise battlefield tactics?

Of course, artificial intelligence (AI) plays a huge role in modern warfare, too. 

According to Ivan, there are drones on the battlefield that are operated by a controller and can receive commands to attack, known as “drone passage” systems.

“Some of these drones can fly autonomously and detect targets from 300 to 400 metres away”, he explained. In Ukraine, several teams are experimenting with drones equipped with a neural system that identifies targets based on predefined priorities. 

“Our team utilises a system built on a Ukrainian microcomputer, independent of Chinese components, that has been geographically trained to recognise various urban environments,” Ivan continued.

“This neural system can track multiple targets simultaneously, distinguishing between people and equipment rather than just vegetation.”

“Depending on the mission, these drones can engage targets through manual selection, preselection, or experimental tasks, making them effective tools for combat testing,” he explained.

Ivan added that there’s one significant problem with FPV drones, which is why there is likely always going to be a human operator involved in some form. “These drones can’t differentiate between a Russian or a Ukrainian soldier”, he concluded.

The cost-effectiveness challenge

Ivan explained that one of their Wild Hornet UAVs is produced with approximately 65% locally sourced components, including critical parts like body frames and electronics.

Key elements, such as motors and flight controllers still have to be imported, though. He added that they also use advanced 3D printing technology, which enables quick adaptations of designs to meet battlefield needs. 

Despite these innovations, reliance on foreign components bring along ongoing challenges in achieving complete domestic production, even as Ukraine takes significant strides toward self-sufficiency in drone manufacturing.

In the context of war, many drones are designed to explode and inflict damage on the enemy, raising the question of what cost-effective drone operations should look like.

Ivan argued that the financial damage inflicted by Ukrainian drone operations on Russia far outweighs their investments in training and equipment. Ideally, vehicles should be ten times cheaper, and UAVs a hundred times cheaper than their targets.

Vyacheslav noted that Russia’s use of motorcycles for attacks highlights this point, as even a single vehicle costs significantly more than basic UAVs.

In general, the purpose of drones in modern warfare is to inflict as much damage as possible to the enemy with little cost.

Is Russia’s war in Ukraine ‘WWI with drones’?

“Ukraine is still more advanced, but Russia has more drones”, Ivan said, emphasising that the quality of Russian drones remain inferior. He explained that Ukraine has invested significant time and resources into training soldiers and engineers to optimise drone usage on the battlefield.

As a result, soldiers must adapt and learn quickly: “Otherwise, they might be killed.” Generally, it takes about a month of training. “A good drone operator should also know how to perform repairs”, Ivan said.

Vyacheslav added that operating drones is less dangerous than being in the infantry, but that perception can be misleading, as drone operators can still be targeted. Russia frequently uses drones, glide bombs, and missiles to hunt Ukrainian FPV units.

“There will be many more drones, we will see fewer traditional vehicles, such as tanks, at the front line, and the military personnel will be even deeper in the trenches. It’ll be like a robotic war”, Ivan said.

According to a foreign legion fighter, the war feels like “a different war”. He compared it to World War I, “just with drones“. Ivan and Vyacheslav understand where he’s coming from, but they disagree.

“I understand the comparison due to the introduction of new technologies, but it doesn’t work the same way”, Ivan explained. While WWI saw the debut of tanks and planes, this war emphasised that the future lies in artificial intelligence and robotics.

Vyacheslav added: “Thanks to drones, the strategy and tactics of traditional weapons must adapt and change. We need to rethink how we use regular tanks, as they can easily be targeted by inexpensive drones. In the future, there may be little need for these tanks at all.”

Can drones compensate for a lack of air defence?

Russia frequently attacks Ukraine with both missiles and drones. This August was the second-deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine, with at least 184 fatalities and 856 injuries attributed to Russian aggression, primarily from missile, bomb, and artillery strikes.

It followed July, which recorded the highest civilian casualties in nearly two years driven largely by similar aerial assaults, including drones.

Air defence is, therefore, crucial to protect Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure. Can drones compensate for a lack of anti-air defence?

According to Ivan, yes: “Ukraine is developing a system, where one drone can hit another. That means we can hit reconnaissance drones, or even longer-range UAVs, such as[Iranian ‘kamikaze’] Shahed drones.“

Drones are not only substantial for air defence, but Ivan believes they can also hold the front line “and more”.

One example of this is seen in Ukraine using its drones to attack oil depots or military targets inside Russia. Ivan also recalled when the US aid package was held up in Congress.

“Without drones, the frontline would have advanced drastically in Dnipro or Zaporizhzhia,” he said. Drones can be used for defensive and offensive operations.”