Ukraine's Drone War: Pioneering a New Combat Domain and Seizing Enemy UAVs

Ukraine's Drone War: Pioneering a New Combat Domain and Seizing Enemy UAVs

According to Главком: An interview with Yehor Soboliev, commander of the unmanned systems unit of the 12th Special Purpose Center (B-12), reveals new developments in Ukraine's drone warfare. This conflict has become a global testing ground for aerial combat technology. The B-12 unit specializes in countering enemy aerial reconnaissance, specifically by intercepting hostile intelligence drones like the Zala, 'Orlan', and 'Supercam' models. Just two years ago, the idea of using drones to capture other drones seemed like science fiction, but today it is a battlefield reality.

Yehor Soboliev, who was elected to Ukraine's parliament in 2014, volunteered for the front lines in the first days of the full-scale invasion. He is a father of four, and his 18-year-old son Mykhailo has signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and become a UAV pilot. The B-12 unit, which began as a drone platoon in early 2023, rapidly expanded into a company and later became a separate unmanned systems unit. The unit flies drones of Ukrainian manufacture, contracted from a company in Kharkiv, and also produces some of its unmanned aerial vehicles in-house.

Technology and Strategy in a New Form of Combat

In 2022, the unit purchased most of its drones using volunteer funds, whereas now a significant portion are supplied through the Logistics Forces Command or the 'Army of Drones' program. The interceptor drones used by the unit are primarily acquired thanks to volunteer foundations like 'Come Back Alive' and community purchases. Other types of drones, particularly kamikaze and bomber models, are provided to the unit by the government.

Yehor Soboliev notes that drone warfare is 90% invented by Ukrainians, with Russian forces merely copying and scaling these ideas. According to him,

“the fight of drone against drone is a new form of combat that is rapidly progressing and is predicted to soon surpass the war of drones against infantry, armored vehicles, and artillery.”

This necessitates a rethinking of military organization, as it requires building not an army of Frederick the Great, but a matrix-like system similar to Google.

New challenges faced by the unit are related to the increasing speed and improved navigation of enemy drones. Russian forces are attempting to make their drones less detectable by radar and capable of data exchange during combat. Commanders of drone units who came from civilian life, such as Madjar, Achilles, Lazar, Pasat, and Yarmak, are actively implementing new principles for constructing a 'fence' of interceptor drones. This includes an early detection system, rapid information processing, and echeloned subunits.

According to forecasts, in the wars of the near future, humans will not directly pilot drones. Instead, drones will be networked with flying, ground, surface, and underwater robotic complexes, all managed by software. As Soboliev states,

“it's frightening to imagine how Ukrainian troops would hold their ground without drones in this modern conflict.”

The situation with drone warfare in Ukraine illustrates not only new technologies but also shifts in combat tactics. In conditions of constant evolution of unmanned systems, Ukrainian military forces are adapting their strategies to respond to the challenges arising in the conflict with Russia. The interception of enemy UAVs and the development of new drones underscore the growing importance of technological innovation in modern warfare, which may determine the course of the conflict in the immediate future.