Ukrainian drones render Russian tanks obsolete

"Along the 500-mile front line in Ukraine and western Russia, there are so many Ukrainian drones that Russian armored vehicles cannot emerge from hiding without attracting deadly drone attention," reports David Axe.

Some Ukrainian brigades describe Russian charges using solitary tanks as "suicide missions."

David Axe described one such attack that took place in January this year north of the ruins of Toretsk in the Donetsk region. The crew of a Russian tank was traveling on a dirt road toward the front line. However, they stood no chance against an air attack. The tank was immobilized by four Ukrainian kamikaze drones; a fifth, heavier drone with a larger payload completed the job by dropping grenades on the Russian vehicle, ultimately destroying it.

Ukrainians most frequently use cheap and simple FPV (first-person view) drones. These drones have built-in cameras and provide pilots with real-time live feeds until the moment of impact.

To turn a small commercial drone into a lethal weapon, modifications are made by attaching explosive charges, which detonate on impact, or attaching grenades, which are dropped on the target from above. In recent weeks, there has been an increase in the use of FPV drones using fiber-optic communication, which are resistant to interference.

From the Russian perspective, the realities of the war in Ukraine are all the more painful, as Ukrainian drones can eliminate not only old, post-Soviet tanks but also the latest machines from the Russian defense industry, such as T-90M tanks.

In David Axe's opinion, the progress currently achieved by the Russians on various front sections is due to the use of artillery and, primarily, infantry. This tactic caused significant personnel losses, which Moscow had disregarded since the beginning of the war. Reuben Johnson, a former Pentagon consultant in defense technology, also wrote in his analysis about how Russian tanks turned out to be weaker than expected and unsuitable for modern threats.