Heavenly affairs: how Lightning drone operators protect the skies of Donbass
As the density of the use of all types of UAVs over the line of contact increases, aerial battles between drones are becoming more frequent. And it's not just about interceptor copters: non-specialized aircraft-type drones are also joining the fray. At the same time, the infrastructure and means of detection, electronic warfare and air defense are developing. Izvestia learned from the 11th separate battalion of unmanned systems of the 51st Guards Army of the Center group of forces in the Dobropolsky direction how the confrontation in the air is changing in the SVR zone and what means are used in it.
How do the operators of the Molniya-2 drones work
On the assembly table at one of the positions of the 11th battalion of unmanned systems, the well-known Molniya-2 drones appear one after another from a set of parts. An experienced technician and a sapper quickly and smoothly assemble the devices from kits and equip each new side with an appropriate warhead for a specific task.
In between the assembly, the soldiers say that on some days only their platoon made more than 30 sorties per day, alternating with each other on night and day shifts. Together with the next ready-made board, we climb the stairs burned during the fighting to the launch point and watch as the "Lightning" goes into the sky. But it's too early to remove the catapult — the second one will go almost immediately, and maybe the third one after it: enemy interceptor drones are on duty at the line of contact, and often only a few drones can break through to the target with a guarantee of its destruction, coming out to it one by one. Pilots with remote controls are sitting in the adjacent rooms of the shelter. Passing from one to the other, you can see how they pass the same "highway" with a difference of several minutes. Vacationers between jobs brag about the platoon's achievements: the number of sorties, and now the number of air targets hit, recommending the platoon commander as a real air ace. With this question, we begin the conversation with the Artist.
— We have air battles very often. Earlier, when flying to their target, they met Baba Yaga, aerial repeaters and other enemy UAVs along the way and shot them down. We realized that we can do this, and now, when intelligence reports on the work of enemy UAVs come in, we go up to intercept them," says the Artist.
He has been at the controls since 2022 and ranks among the most experienced pilots. I started flying back when the operators were standing waist-deep in the trenches at the front line, and the enemies didn't even know that it was necessary to hide. Today, the Artist hits targets located more than 50 km away from him. In the past month alone, he has shot down five enemy heavy copters, a repeater and two Mavics. A little earlier, a large aircraft-type UAV was also destroyed, probably a reconnaissance aircraft. Destroying enemy UAVs with a battering ram requires very skillful piloting — initially, such attack drones are not designed to fight mobile targets, especially those with a speed comparable to the Lightning itself.
Pilots often climb up and, as long as the battery reserve allows, patrol the flight routes of enemy heavy copters Baba Yaga and kamikaze with fiber-optic control known to them. And if there were no targets during the patrol, the Lightning bolts are taken to enemy ground targets pre-planned for this case, since these attack vehicles are not designed for landing and reuse. In addition to tactics, there are also technical innovations.
— They started giving out "Lightning bolts" with artificial intelligence. When approaching a target, if you see that an enemy electronic warfare system can crush you, or something can go wrong, there is a target capture function. This can be done from more than 500 m, and then the Lightning will hit the target itself, even if communication is lost. This is already being used on the battlefield. For beginners, this is what you need. The AI helps them in the difficult maneuver of diving at the target," says the Artist.
How Russian operators hack enemy drones
One of the most important targets for our operators is the control points of Ukrainian drones, their antennas and other infrastructure. The artist says that disabling such targets can enable infantry to advance at the moment of weakening attacks from the air. The electronic warfare units of the 11th battalion of the BPS are also working on the task of covering their troops.
— We intercept the video signal, we understand from the picture whether it is ours or not. If it's an enemy, then we jam the frequency at which he flies and turn on another picture to drown him out," says the Kes electronic warfare specialist.
Given the number of UAVs in the air, simply jamming frequencies in a large radius, and we are talking about tens of kilometers, will prevent not only the enemy, but also their own. And electronic warfare specialists face a very difficult task: to selectively interfere only with the enemy, without affecting their own drones.
Naturally, when intercepting an enemy image, useful data can be obtained about flight routes or even about take-off points that can be visually identified. Kes recalls similar examples. Interestingly, although it is possible to find videos online where the enemy's video signal is replaced with various mocking images, our interlocutors do not go for such "trolling". They use video recording with simulated interference so that it is impossible to determine from the video which type of impact the drone was exposed to.
Like many other similar innovations in the military of unmanned systems, this method of electronic warfare appeared as an initiative from below, along with the spread of analog FPV, and our interlocutors assembled and tested the first scanners and transmitters themselves. Now, in cooperation with manufacturers and management, the calculation we are talking to is waiting for the next generation of industrial equipment to fight the enemy at its new flight frequencies.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
