Ukraine’s $10,000 Drones Are Dropping Tiny Bombs On Russian Troops

The Ukrainian air force has lost more than a tenth of its pre-war inventory in seven weeks of brutal combat.

Drones are filling in for the manned force.

The Ukrainian air force and navy operate a number of Turkish-made killer drones. Commercial-style drones have also entered the scene. Aerorozvidka has begun dropping bombs from its helicopter drones.

The tactic was popularized in Iraq and Syria by the terror group Islamic State. One Iraqi officer said that the main problem for coalition troops was the dropping of small explosives by the Islamic State.

Drug traffickers quickly copied the methods of the terrorist group. The Russians are getting their own off-the-shelf drones from Ukraine. Video evidence of Aerorozvidka's bombing technique is easy to come by. Some of the footage is posted by the drone squad.

The videos have the same elements: a stable drone vertically dropping a small munition, which seems sufficient to damage an armored vehicle and wound or kill anyone standing nearby.

The kind of drone that is in question is a quadcopter or octocopter, which is the kind anyone can buy online. An copter can lift up to 15 pounds. You could install a camera and use it for small bombs.

A 10-pound drone dropping three-pound explosives is less dangerous to Russian forces than a 1,400-pound TB-2 firing 14-pound Smart Micro Missiles.

A bomb has to be dropped in order to get close. Analysts have confirmed one shoot-down of a Ukrainian octocopter, but it appears that Aerorozvidka has lost many more drones than that.

Thanks to its satellite control system, the TB-2 can range hundreds of miles from its operators. A helicopter with a line-of-sight radio link can travel 75 miles. It's better for commercial-style drones to be closer.

That could expose drone fliers to enemy fire. A Ukrainian military drone operator told a reporter that civilians try to get as close to the enemy as possible.

An octocopter can be used to complement the bigger drone and cost less. It can buy an octocopter for $10,000 if it pays millions of dollars to acquire a TB-2. Ukrainian volunteers also make their own drones.

Aerorozvidka is partially crowdfunded. That is possible when your drones are cheap. They cost millions of dollars. The Russians have shot down at least three so far. Losing an aircraft is not as bad as losing an aircraft.

Five years ago, the Islamic State set up factories in Iraq and Syria to modify mortar bombs to fit on its off-the-shelf drones. The cartels have loaded up drones with potato bombs for attacks on each other and police.

Anti-tank grenades with 3D-printed stabilizers seem to be favored by Aerorozvidka. A Russian armored vehicle could be knocked out of the fight with just enough firepower.