Latest news with #FPVs
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Drones took off from uncrewed surface vessels: details of nighttime attack on Crimea revealed
A large-scale drone attack took place in occupied Crimea on the night of 1-2 May, targeting military sites, particularly airfields housing tactical aircraft. Source: Serhii Bratchuk, spokesman for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army, on the national joint 24/7 newscast Details: Bratchuk stated that the attack had utilised a particular method: uncrewed surface vessels acted as "carrier platforms" for first-person view drones (FPVs), which were launched from them to carry out precision strikes on ground-based targets. Quote from Bratchuk: "The sham 'governor' of Sevastopol, Razvozhayev, has acknowledged that the attack took place. He's talking about Ukraine's use of naval drones. Accordingly, naval drones have become 'carriers' for our other 'mosquitoes' – FPVs, which take off from them and strike military targets in Crimea... in addition, it was loud where the airfields from which enemy tactical aircraft take off and sites such as Hvardiiske, where a missile brigade is located." Background: On the morning of 2 May, Russia's Defence Ministry reported a large-scale drone attack on Crimea, claiming that its air defence units had destroyed 121 "Ukrainian drones" over the occupied peninsula and several Russian regions. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Times of Oman
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Zelenskyy proposes 30-day halt on airstrikes targeting civilian infrastructure
Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday (local time) proposed a 30-day pause on long-range drone and missile strikes on civilian infrastructure, noting that no air strikes were conducted by the Russian military during the Easter ceasefire despite committing over 2,000 other violations. Accusing Russia of continuing its ground offensive despite declaring a ceasefire on Easter, Zelenskyy expressed optimism on a pause in air strikes and said that this format is "easiest to extend." "Since the beginning of the day, the Russian army has violated Putin's ceasefire more than two thousand times," Zelenskyy wrote on X. "However, there were no air raid alerts today. Hence, this is a format of ceasefire that has been achieved and that is the easiest to extend. Ukraine proposes to cease any strikes using long-range drones and missiles on civilian infrastructure for a period of at least 30 days, with the possibility of extension," he added. Zelanskyy said that if Russia rejects this step, then its only intentions are to "destroy human lives and prolong the war." "If Russia does not agree to such a step, it will be proof that it intends to continue doing only those things which destroy human lives and prolong the war," he said. Additionally, Zelenskyy listed out the alleged 2,000 instances of violence, noting that 1,355 cases of Russian shelling, 67 cases of assault and use of FPVs (first-person view). "There have already been 67 Russian assaults against our positions across various directions, with the highest number in the Pokrovsk direction. There were a total of 1,355 cases of Russian shelling, 713 of which involved heavy weaponry. The Russians also used FPVs 673 times," Zelenskyy said. Earlier, both sides accused each other of violating the ceasefire. Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) accused Ukrainian troops of hitting Russian positions with guns and mortars 444 times. The MFA wrote on X, "Russia's MoD: During the night of the #EasterCeasefire, the kiev regime launched 48 fixed-wing UAVs, including one over Crimea. Ukrainian troops hit Russian positions with guns and mortars 444 times, carried out 900 quadcopter-type drone strikes," the Russian MFA said in a post on X. Zelenskyy reiterated that Russian forces had in fact intensified their attacks on Easter Day, despite President Vladimir Putin's announcement of a 30-hour ceasefire in observance of Easter. This was the second ceasefire to be announced since the conflict began in 2022. The previous attempt, during Orthodox Christmas in January 2023, also failed after both sides were unable to agree on a proposal.
Forbes
09-04-2025
- Forbes
Flying Aircraft Carriers: Ukraine Refines FPV Mothership Tactics
A fixed wing carrier with six FPV drones recently shown by UNITED24 Ukraine is fielding carrier drones or motherships to transport FPVs to the target area before launching them. Russian forces reported these as far back as November 2023, and last month Russian news agency TASS stated that Ukraine was carrying out FPV attacks 25 miles or more behind the lines in seven regions suggesting that use is becoming widespread. The commander of the Typhoon drone unit of the National Guard of Ukraine, who goes by the callsign 'Michael', told me that carrier operations are very much a matter of ongoing development. 'It's a combination of using existing technologies and continuously refining them based on operational feedback,' says Michael. 'It's about optimizing what we already have while layering in new enhancements where needed.' There are parallels with the learning curve on traditional floating aircraft carriers. The Chinese Navy officially commissioned its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, in 2012. It took four years of trials and training -- and a number of accidents – before it was declared combat ready four years later. The Chinese already had a navy and air force, but flying aircraft from ships required a whole new skill set for both. New military operations take practice to perfect, and learning under field conditions is harder. While a single FPV strike may be simple, a carrier with one or more FPVs is different and expensive. The carrier remains in the area to act as a flying radio relay for the FPV and Michael says they would not fly a reusable carrier drone against a low value target. 'If something goes wrong, we risk losing not just the FPV, but the entire system,' says Michael Ukraine has displayed drone carriers include both fixed wing and multi-rotor types, carrying one, two, four or six FPVs. More might look better, but it brings complications. 'If we're using analog video transmission, for example, each drone must operate on a different frequency to avoid signal interference,' says Michael, 'Managing multiple video feeds, control links, and power systems adds significant complexity, especially under field conditions. It requires precise coordination and a reliable communication infrastructure to ensure everything works smoothly in practice.' FPV drone on fixed wing aircraft type mothership So something like the carrier with a single drone supplied to Birds of Magyar may be preferable to a bigger carrier. The choice between fixed wing or rotary carrier also involves tradeoffs. 'When it comes to rotary-wing carrier drones, the main disadvantage is their relatively low operational altitude — typically around 300–400 meters,' says Michael. 'At this height, they are vulnerable to a wide range of threats including small arms fire, other drones, and electronic warfare such as jamming.' Russia routinely flies interceptor drones against Ukrainian multicopter Baba Yaga night bombers, and a rotary drone carrier would be a prime target. 'Fixed-wing carrier drones, on the other hand, operate at much higher altitudes,' says Michael, which some threats but increases others. 'At these altitudes, they become more visible to enemy radar and are more likely to be targeted by anti-aircraft systems.' Either way, carrier missions must be carefully planned around the locations of Russian air defenses. 'In many combat zones, the airspace is protected by a mix of electronic warfare tools and radar systems,' says Michael. 'Successful use of such systems requires detailed intelligence to identify gaps in enemy air defense coverage.' Michael says his Typhoon unit is starting to focus on one particular attack mode for carriers. Multicopter drone carrier with FPV 'From our perspective, the most promising use case at the moment is integrating a 'lock-on-target' feature, which would allow for more autonomous and precise deployment of FPV drones from the carrier platform,' says Michael. In this approach the carrier become more like a weapons platform, and the FPVs are more like guided missiles than independent aircraft. Michael previously described his units' work with automated target lock systems for FPVs. These bypass short-range jammers and are a limited but useful way of assisting human pilots. 'Implementing this capability requires additional technical development and system integration, so it's still a work in progress,' says Michael. There are real benefits in prospect though. Apart from extending range, carrier drones eliminate problems like radio shadow can shorten the time between detecting a target and engaging it. They also open up the possibility of multiple coordinated strikes against long-range targets. Meanwhile, interceptor operators are reportedly using drone carriers to get FPVs into action rapidly against high-altitude targets. A carrier can patrol at altitude and the FPVs are only launched when needed. These are very much the early days of drone carriers. In future we may motherships carrying a mixed load of reconnaissance and attack drones, carriers delivering drones which land and carry out ambush attacks, and carriers with unjammable fiber-guided FPVs. But while they have potential, Michael remains agnostic about whether carrier drones will become more than a special-purpose tool. 'Whether carrier drones become more common in the future largely depends on the operational environment and mission objectives,' says Michael. But he notes that the extended range is a powerful benefit. A site within range of drone strikes is no longer safe, and the enemy will need to relocate ammunition dumps, fuel storage, repair shops and other facilities several miles further back, not to mention artillery and air defense assets – until longer-range carriers move the red line even further. Simply possessing FPV carriers makes the enemy's life more difficult, even if they are rarely used. 'Even if a mission is not cost-effective in purely tactical terms, the psychological impact of a successful carrier drone strike — especially deep behind enemy lines — can be significant,' says Michael.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
Marine Corps to field new counter-drone systems to deploying units
Deploying Marine units will be equipped with prototype systems designed to counter drones, said Lt. Gen. Eric Austin, deputy commandant for combat development and integration. 'One of the things that is apparent to all of us is that unmanned aerial systems are a threat not just to infantry Marines, but to all Marines,' said Austin, who is also the commanding general of Marine Corps Combat Development Command. That's why the Marine Corps has 'repurposed' some money to field the prototypes for counter-drone systems for dismounted Marines, Austin said at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2025 conference at National Harbor, Maryland. 'We're excited to get that out with some of our next deploying units in order to protect them,' Austin said, adding that Marine Corps officials are looking at using both traditional weapons and other means to defeat drones. Starting this summer, the systems will be fielded first to Marine Expeditionary Units and Marine Littoral Regiments, a Marine Corps official said. The prototype systems will allow dismounted Marines to track, identify, and defeat small unmanned aircraft systems, said Lt. Col. Eric Flanagan, a spokesman for Combat Development and Integration. 'These systems will be lightweight, easy-to-use, easy-to-train, military occupational specialty agnostic, and to the maximum extent possible use weapon systems organic to individual units,' Flanagan told Task & Purpose on Tuesday. Citing operational security concerns, Marine Corps officials are not identifying the exact technologies being fielded, Flanagan said. The Marines' current ground-based air defenses, which can counter a range of threats, including manned aircraft and cruise missiles, are not always available for small-unit operations, Flanagan said. The counter-drone systems being fielded are meant to address that gap. 'This decentralization of defensive measures aligns with the Marine Corps' emphasis on maneuver warfare and dispersed operations, ensuring that all elements of the MAGTF [Marine Air-Ground Task Force] can operate effectively in all environments,' Flanagan said. In addition to fielding new defenses, the Marine Corps has also established an attack drone team to teach other Marines about new ways to use first-person view drones, or FPVs, based on lessons learned from the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Here is the training that the Army says is no longer mandatory Navy fires commander of Colorado-based Information Operations Command Firefighters help paratrooper finish jump after missing the ground Pregnant pilots and aircrew grounded for first trimester under new Air Force flying rules Mold in privatized housing cost this Navy family their health and reenlistment bonus
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Marine Corps stands up ‘attack drone team' to take lessons from Ukraine and teach them to grunts
The Marine Corps has established an attack drone team as part of an effort to make sure rifle squads have the technology and tactics to find and destroy enemies up to 20 kilometers away, said Col. Scott Cuomo, head of Weapons Training Battalion, Quantico. Much like the Marine Corps Shooting Team played a key role in the Corps' rollout of the M27 Infantry Assault Rifle, the attack drone team will be instrumental in efforts to adopt first-person view drones, or FPVs, Cuomo told Task & Purpose. 'The attack drone team now has a mission to become the experts at this,' Cuomo said. 'Someone has got to be the best in any organization and then have the best knowledge to teach it.' The Marine Corps' decision to stand up the attack drone team comes as the entire U.S. military is gleaning lessons from Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, which have shown how much power drones have to shape modern battlefields. The Army announced last year that it was making changes to basic training so that soldiers learn how to conceal themselves from enemy drones. The attack drone team is working on developing the tactics, techniques, and procedures for using FPVs, Cuomo said. 'How do you train a Marine that way?' Cuomo said. 'What are the tasks? What are the conditions, the environments that you're training that Marine in? What are the standards that they have to meet? So that's all what we're working through right now every single day. As we're speaking, Marines are working through that.' Starting in fiscal year 2026, the attack drone team will take part in Marine Corps Marksmanship Competitions to teach other Marines new ways to use FPVs, said Maj. Hector Infante, a spokesperson for Training and Education Command. The attack drone team will also take part in U.S. and international competitions involving small drones and FPVs and share what they learn with the rest of the Corps, Infante told Task & Purpose. All the Marines who are part of the attack drone team are volunteers, with some coming from the Weapons Training Battalion, Infante said. Additional Marines will be able to join the team with the start of the fiscal year 2026 Marine Corps Marksmanship Competition season. Marine Corps officials have yet to determine if the attack drone team will be involved in helping to field FPVs to Marine units, Infante said. The U.S. military needs to make sure that troops at the lowest tactical level are equipped with drones for offensive operations, said retired Marine Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., who led U.S. Central Command from 2019 to 2022. 'Drones. cheap drones, you can fly 10 of them in a day if you have to — what they do is, they provide SA [situational awareness] around you — you can see where you're going — and then you need drones that will provide lethal effects,' McKenzie told Task & Purpose. At the same time, the military needs to continuously improve its counter drone defenses because the technology for unmanned aerial systems is advancing rapidly, McKenzie said. 'We've got to look day-to-day at what is happening in Ukraine in order to bring those lessons back to the United States,' McKenzie said. Those 'Hegseth bodyguards' are actually there for the Air Force's 'Doomsday' plane Army wants junior officers to fix quality-of-life issues that drive soldiers out '100% OPSEC' apparently means texting military plans to a reporter Ranger School's new fitness test is tougher than ever, but nixes sit-ups This photo of Air Force special ops pool training is chaos. There's a reason for that.
