Pounding a mortar: how FPV operators hunt "Baba Yaga" and destroy "NATO supporters"
Units of the Center group of forces are advancing in the DPR and the Dnipropetrovsk region. One of the difficulties in this area, the fighters call the enemy's capital fortifications — the so-called NATO strongholds. The main shelters in such positions are made of monolithic reinforced concrete. When storming them, infantry requires accurate and prompt fire support, including the use of FPV drones of various types. The Izvestia correspondent found out how the specialists of the battalion of unmanned systems of the 6th Guards Tank Regiment of the 90th Guards Tank Division of the Center group work.
Planning aerial bombs and aerial ambushes
The defensive structures encountered by the soldiers of the 6th Guards Tank Regiment are referred to by the fighters as NATO defenses. Unlike the usual earthen trenches and dugouts, the key enemy defense sites here are filled with a thick layer of monolithic reinforced concrete.
—We tried to undermine the structures with TM anti—tank mines, but even the detonation of several charges at the same time could not destroy the concrete slab," explains Sergey Sekushin, head of the FPV drone crew. — It is difficult to get close to a protected vulnerable manhole due to the lack of an embankment. The only effective remedy against such buildings is aviation. Bombs with universal planning and correction modules do an excellent job of this task.
During the operation of the Russian Aerospace Forces aviation, battalions of unmanned systems take over the search for targets and record the results of strikes. According to Sergey, the hits of high-explosive aerial bombs on fortified positions look especially impressive.
Aerial ambushes and replica drones
The fight in the air in the area of responsibility of the Center group does not stop. According to the military, the enemy is actively developing the infrastructure for the use of drones, including the use of aerial repeaters. They allow the copters to operate at extremely low altitudes, skirting the terrain.
The enemy does not shy away from technological theft either. Recently, Ukrainian formations began to massively use the Blyskavka, a cloned version of the Russian Lightning strike, in the Dnepropetrovsk direction. They have been trying to establish production of this aircraft-type UAV for almost two years: disputes between volunteers and the military command and the high cost of assembly prevented.
While the Russian "Lightning" consistently hit targets at a range of 30-40 km, the opposite side could not maintain an optimal balance of price and quality for a long time. Currently, the intensity of Blyskav flights has increased, but the ability of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex to maintain such production volumes for a long time remains a big question.
Hunting for the Yaga and supplying the front line
In addition to eliminating manpower and armored vehicles, the battalion's operators face the task of destroying heavy enemy multicopters "Vampire", better known at the front as "Baba Yaga".
"These bony ones carry provisions and shells to their positions at night, or they work as night bombers," says Georg Mukhin, head of the FPV drone crew. — We go on night duty, sometimes we lift the device without any ammunition at all. Knowing the approximate route of the Yaga, we hover over a given area and watch for its appearance.
Successful interception requires not only high speed from the drone itself to catch up with the target, but also impeccable piloting techniques from the operator. During his short service life in the unit, Georg already has downed enemy UAVs and eliminated ground-based robotic complexes.
However, the UAV calculation functions have long gone beyond just reconnaissance and strikes. Pilots have turned light quadrocopters into a means of supplying advanced units.
— We work closely with the assault groups, — says Georg. — It happens to make up to five sorties per shift purely with cargo: we deliver ammunition, water, medicines. And once we spotted an ambush in a wooded area right in the course of our infantry's movement and instantly struck, clearing the way.
Five flights of a light FPV drone in terms of the weight of the delivered property are comparable to one load of a heavy Baba Yaga. However, our interlocutor also points out non—obvious differences - for example, an FPV with a load is harder for the enemy to shoot down. And even if one is lost, it is not so critical both from the point of view of cargo and from the point of view of the drone's replaceability. Of course, this applies specifically to certain supply tasks.
When it becomes necessary to transfer a large monolithic cargo weighing up to 10 kg over a long distance, captured equipment comes into play. Captured enemy heavy drones are being restored in the technical and operational workshops of the battalion, forcing them to work on the tasks of the Russian army.
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