Ukrainian military adapts commercial drones to counter Russian weapons | World News

A commercial quadrotor drone that sells for $300 over the counter can be modified to carry explosives that could destroy Russian tanks, according to a former IT programmer now serving in Ukraine.

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“Our team has done this many times. We have destroyed enemy tanks, heavy military equipment and personnel. It is a very effective tool,” said the soldier, who uses the call sign Kakrurt, in the east-central district of Dnepropetrovsk told Reuters.

Kakrurt fights for the Ukrainian 35th Marine Corps, a brigade that modifies commercial drones and uses them to attack Russian forces occupying large swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine.

The brigade shared two video clips with Reuters showing its drones flying into what they said were Russian trenches before detonating them.

Armies in Moscow and Kiev have both used drones extensively since Russia invaded Ukraine last February.

Ukraine said it was expanding its drone program to detect and attack enemy targets in an effort to close the gap between its military capabilities and Russia’s.

Ukraine has invested heavily in drone technology, the soldier said.

“It is better to make efficient use of technical resources than people. That is why the Ukrainian Armed Forces are developing very, very quickly in this direction,” he said.

Soldiers of the 35th Marine Corps demonstrate a small commercial drone with four rotors that buzz as soldiers fly with their phones.

“Our team decided to use civilian drones and recreate them to take out the enemy. They are easy to handle and easy to adapt to the purpose,” Kakrurt said.

Another soldier, whose call sign was Reshik, predicted that Ukraine would make widespread use of drones that fly toward targets and then detonate them as they begin their much-anticipated counteroffensive in the coming weeks.

“Kamikaze drones will play a huge role in the counteroffensive, attacking the trenches where the enemy is seeking shelter and killing the enemy,” he said.

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The first soldier said the drones were not vulnerable to Russia’s jamming system using satellites, and they were in the air for only a short time before detonating and radio electronic jamming was ineffective.

“Even for radio electronic interference, there simply isn’t enough time to start, get to work and interfere with the frequencies on which we work,” he said.