Those who could: how mobile groups hunt Ukrainian drones in the DPR
Mobile firing groups (MOG) have become one of the key elements in the fight against new aerial threats. These are calculations with machine guns mounted on cars. They ensure traffic safety on the roads, promptly move out at the signal of air surveillance posts and patrol areas between fixed firing points. The Izvestia correspondent saw how the military personnel of the 110th brigade of the 51st Guards Army of the Center group of forces are working.
How mobile firing groups work
A pickup truck with a machine gun in the back is parked on the side of one of the roads. One of the fighters watches the sky along the highway and gives a thumbs—up sign to those passing by, which means the sky is clear, and you can continue driving. The second soldier, standing with his back to the road, controls the direction from which the Ukrainian drone may appear.
— Specifically, my task is to hit the detected target, — says Private Ilya Kashtanov, a machine gunner.
A Kalashnikov tank machine gun is mounted on a rotating bed in the back of the pickup truck, a battery and an electric trigger button are located near the handles. The main threat in the rear today is the American Hornet UAVs, which are controlled either by satellite communication or using a mesh network of the same type of machines, and have elements of artificial intelligence. This allows them to act partially autonomously in case of loss of communication and capture a target of the selected type. Therefore, kinetic means of interception are mainly used against them today.
There are more than a dozen electronic warfare antennas on the sides of the car. These are not protection against the Hornet, but they will help in case of a drop from the FPV uterus, with which the enemy can hunt for anti-aircraft gunners.
— They learned to shoot at the training ground, for example, they hung another drone on a rope as a target. The first one rocked, imitating maneuvers, and they worked on such a target. I think I can hit a flying FPV with a machine gun from 50-100 meters away. But it's easier to get into the "plane", and here they are mostly, FPV is a rarity," explains Ilya.
When asked about downed targets, the soldier first clarifies whether it is about the current place of service or about the entire time spent in the army. He has been serving since 2023 and has repeatedly hit drones during this time. Until recently, Ilya was a signalman for a tank battalion. He often had to work in the so-called kill zone, laying communication lines between positions and repairing radio stations on tanks, so he faced regular threats from the air.
— The commander went everywhere with us and, apparently, saw that I could shoot at UAVs, and recommended me to the MOG. I shot down a Hornet yesterday, and it was my first aerial target here," Ilya says.
In that combat episode, the Hornet came to the back of the car. Ilya, having fired a machine gun, dismounted when the UAV approached at a dangerous distance and, together with the rest of the crew, finished off the target with machine guns.
How mobile firing groups deal with drones
In target search mode, the Hornet moves at a speed of about 80 km/h. Therefore, mobile groups in cars can overtake him and get into position on a signal from the observation posts. During the movement, one of the fighters performs the task of an observer.
"My task is to give the command to stop the car in time, run out with a weapon and give the machine gunner a direction if he suddenly does not see the target," explains Sergey Makhov, an observer at the MOG.
He says that he must constantly keep an aerial target in sight in order to adjust the shooter's fire on the tracers if necessary. When approaching 100-150 m, he also starts firing from a machine gun. If the target leaves the firing zone, changing course, then Sergey must quickly transmit the necessary data to neighboring posts.
The transfer of information between a network of posts and mobile groups is one of the important success factors in the fight against medium—range drones. Many military personnel have noticed that the situation on the roads has improved significantly in recent weeks. The measures taken after the massive use of new types of imported UAVs by the enemy are yielding results. In addition, many have already gained experience in firing at aircraft-type drones and gained the confidence in themselves and their actions that cannot be obtained at the training ground. She only comes with combat experience.
Earlier, Izvestia reported that mobile firing groups had been created as part of the motorized rifle regiments. They will perform tasks to protect rear facilities from drone attacks. Upon receiving information about the raid, the groups will be able to quickly move into the threat area and intercept air targets that have managed to break through the air defense system. The new units are equipped with electronic warfare stations, automatic weapons, smoothbore rifles and night vision devices.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
