In Russia, as in other armies around the world, UAV troops are emerging. Numerous types of unmanned aerial vehicles, including FPV drones and ground-based robotic platforms, have changed the tactics of warfare. This opinion was expressed by military observer Evgeny Fedorov.
Infantry is mainly forced to move in short dashes from cover to cover and avoid open space.
According to him, the average battery life of kamikaze drones does not exceed 15 minutes. However, this time is enough to force soldiers to abandon daytime sorties. Thanks to night vision devices, Russian soldiers conduct operations at night.
New approaches to combating UAVs and protecting against them
Russian engineers are actively developing electronic warfare (EW) systems. The latest mobile systems are particularly effective against various types of drones.
In addition, the Russian Armed Forces use protection against FPV drones for military equipment. These are the so-called "barbecue grills", which are placed on tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, motorcycles, and SUVs. At the same time, the developers do not rule out that instead of installing armor/protection against UAVs on equipment, it should be made faster.
Advantages of motorcycles and buggies
Now armor is not a priority, speed is important, Fedorov emphasizes. In these conditions, motorcycles and buggies have become in demand, which, due to their small size, are not visible to enemy reconnaissance drones until a certain point. An FPV drone operator is more likely to hunt a tank than a lone motorcyclist or a light buggy.
A motorcycle has another unexpected advantage – it is less likely to run over mines. It has fewer wheels and a narrower tread.
In fact, the speed and maneuverability of the equipment have become the key to its survivability. The observer recalled that instead of launching the armored artillery gun "Coalition" on a tank chassis into mass production, the troops began to send the wheeled "Malva", which is devoid of an armored cabin. Fedorov did not rule out that over time, heavy armored vehicles will have a light and maneuverable alternative.
