Ukraine modifies commercial drones for use in combat as part of its DIY warfare campaign against Russia. In this video, Ukrainian forces modify commercial drones to drop explosives from high altitudes.
Ukraine conflict: How are drones being used?
What type of drones are Ukrainians using?
Ukraine’s main military drone is the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2, which has cameras on board and can be armed with laser-guided bombs. Russia mainly uses the Orlan-10, which has fewer cameras but can carry small bombs.
Drones have proven effective in directing artillery fire at enemy targets, and Russian forces can carry out attacks within three to five minutes.
In the early weeks of the war, Ukraine’s Bayraktar drones were widely praised, but many were destroyed by Russian air defenses.
One Ukrainian drone manufacturer estimates that the Ukrainian armed forces have 6,000 drones in use. However, commercial drones are much less capable than military ones and can fly for no more than 46 minutes.
Russian forces have used online systems to prevent Ukrainian drones from sending information back and to bring them down.
Russian air defence missiles ‘blast Ukrainian drones’ out the sky
DRAMATIC footage shows Russian anti-aircraft missiles shooting down a Ukrainian drone from the sky.
Footage from the Russian Defense Ministry apparently shows the Russian anti-aircraft system, believed to be a 9K33M3 Osa-AKM, an anti-aircraft missile system designed to protect troops on the move and strategic ground targets from incoming enemy aircraft, landing a hit.
The images appear to show the vehicle in action after it has been deployed in a field.
Soldiers can be seen inside the vehicle as they drive it. The footage then shows the air defence system apparently firing missiles at night.
