Ukraine introduced a brand new army unit targeted solely on drones.
The transfer speaks to the continued dominance of unmanned programs within the struggle and the necessity to prepare troopers to be taught and adapt to the challenges of drone operations.
Ukraine offered the primary particulars of Storm, a particular operations unit throughout the Nationwide Guard of Ukraine targeted on unmanned programs, on the Artwork Ukraine Gallery over the weekend.
“The Nationwide Guard, like all parts of the Protection Forces of Ukraine, can be creating within the course of unmanned programs,” Lt. Col. Maksym Skylar, head of the Ukrainian Nationwide Guard’s Division of Unmanned Techniques, stated, per state information company Ukrinform.
“One of many steps on this growth is the enlargement of unmanned programs items, particularly a separate detachment that may carry out its duties solely with unmanned programs of assorted varieties,” Skylar added.
A video shared on-line by Ukraine confirmed members of the unit holding drones and sporting operator headsets.
Members of Storm’s group have been additionally current to element the unit’s plans, together with a deal with offering operational assist to fight brigades and studying learn how to use the most recent unmanned programs.
Mykhailo Kmytyuk, the unit’s commander, stated a significant advantage of the unit was coaching troopers on learn how to function quite a lot of drones. Kmytyuk additionally known as on fascinating candidates, together with players and engineers, to affix the unit’s efforts.
The specialised unit comes because the drone race between Russia and Ukraine heats up.
Drones have seen huge use all through the struggle, whether or not operators use them for reconnaissance or shock strikes on tanks and unsuspecting troops. However digital warfare — extra particularly, sign jamming — has ravaged drones’ effectiveness on the battlefield, scrambling the operator’s connection to their system.
Final month, proof surfaced of Russia utilizing a fiber-optic wired drone in fight. The wired connection was seen as an efficient countermeasure EW and sign jamming. Autonomous drones have additionally been utilized by each side as an adaptation to this, too.
However the variations are simply the most recent in a protracted saga as each side develop new unmanned programs to keep up an edge. Consultants and high struggle watchers have described it as a cat-and-mouse sport, emphasizing the significance each Russia and Ukraine are putting on creating new and efficient drone forces.