Equipment worth millions of euros. All it takes is a "toy" and it's gone
The greatest devastation among Russian machines, since the beginning of the war, has been wreaked by American Javelins. However, Ukrainians quickly found a solution that is primarily much cheaper and equally effective. Kamikaze drones.
3:16 PM EDT, October 6, 2023
New solutions for eliminating armored vehicles are handling even the most advanced Russian machines perfectly. Numerous reports of destruction, including T-90M Proryv tanks, which were supposed to be Putin's army's best construction, have often been received from the front. Machines worth 4.7 million dollars fall victim to small drones worth 500 dollars.
The key role of drones in Ukraine
"Inexpensive, homemade attack drones carrying explosive materials, are destroying the most advanced Russian T-90M tanks worth millions of dollars on the battlefield, as well as other armored vehicles" - said Lieutenant Senior Grade Yuri Filatov, the chief commander of drone systems, in a conversation with The Washington Post and quoted by Business Insider.
Filatov recounts the story of the destruction of four Russian tanks in one day. Each of the vehicles was eliminated at a safe distance from the places of explosion, which points to one of the major advantages of drones used on the front lines. "As we use an increasing number of drones, we lose fewer people" - explained the commander.
The cost of a single amateur assault drone ranges from 400 to 500 dollars. Therefore, it is equipment whose price is almost negligible during war and it allows for preparing swarm attacks, which are even more effective due to the difficulty the enemy has in shooting down such machines.
In a conversation with TWP, drone expert Samuel Bendett from the Center for Naval Analysis also spoke on the subject of drones. "It's revolutionary in terms of putting this precisely controlled machine into the hands of people for a fraction of the cost of the destroyed target," he stated.
"We see FPV drones hitting their targets very precisely, a feat previously attributed to expensive guided weapons. Now, it's a $400 drone piloted by a teenager" - continued Bendett. The expert also points to another advantage of these small objects: the immense psychological impact on the enemy. Using amateur drones is almost always a surprise attack. The enemy is unable to determine from which direction the weapon is coming, and at the same time establish where the opponent's units are located.
Today it is known that Ukraine trained at least 10 thousand new drone pilots in 2023. It is also known that Kiev intends to continue using drone attacks on a large scale, often using amateur constructions. At the same time, we remind you that these "toys" are often equipped with cluster munition bomblets or RPG-7 grenade launcher grenades, which are characterized by high efficacy and the ability to penetrate steel up to 500 mm thick.
