The Ukrainian Defense Forces have begun to actively deploy anti-aircraft FPV drones on the battlefield this year. These drones have proven to be an effective and powerful solution against reconnaissance drones used by the Russian occupying forces, such as "Orlan" and Zala. To date, this strategy has already resulted in the destruction of hundreds of enemy "wings."
As reported by the publication UP in one of its stories, the anti-aircraft gunners from the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade "Kholodny Yar" were among the first to start eliminating Russian reconnaissance drones. Journalists from the publication spoke with the brigade's fighters, who are currently engaged in combat in the Kramatorsk direction, and they primarily discussed the operations of both anti-aircraft systems and FPV drone operators.
"Everything depends on the firing range," one soldier explains about working with the ZU-23-2 against drones. "If we see that they are at 900, 1200, 1300, or 1600 meters, we can still try; some might reach. We shoot. We can see from our observations that two reconnaissance drones are flying, and we see one explode and then the other. That's the work of our personnel, who are taking them down with the help of the drone." The soldier emphasizes the effectiveness, particularly noting that anti-aircraft FPV drones have better capabilities to "reach" enemy wings.
For instance, previously, Russian reconnaissance drones flew at altitudes of 1000-1500 meters, but now they do not descend below 2500 meters, which suggests that our defenders have effectively "pushed" them to such heights, another soldier explains.
The commander of the anti-aircraft platoon, named Ivan, mentions that the "ZU-shkas" are currently not very effective against drones, particularly because the Russians have now raised their "wings" to higher altitudes. This is where anti-aircraft FPV drones provide significant assistance.
Videos from the publication include footage of how in August, brigade fighters used an FPV drone to shoot down their first target. The soldier notes that prior attempts to take down the FPV with a shotgun were unsuccessful (recently, footage has emerged showing our military successfully using FPV shotguns against Russian "wings").
According to Ivan, FPV drones are currently demonstrating their effectiveness as "anti-aircraft drones" due to their significantly lower cost compared to traditional anti-aircraft missiles: "An FPV can achieve high speeds, which helps us catch up and destroy targets. I believe that FPVs are very effective in the anti-aircraft role at this moment." Recall that we previously reported that Ukrainian FPV drones from the "Wild Hornets" workshop can reach speeds of up to 325 km/h.