“The last solution”. How do Ukrainian soldiers succeed in the first line to break down Russian drones

Ukrainian soldiers in the first line say that often their only chance of survival in front of fiber optical drones that crowd the battlefield is to resort to rudimentary means such as simple hunting rifles, Business Insider reports.

Fiber optics-Ukraine Fiber Photo Profimedia

Vitalii Pervak, the executive director of Karlsson, Karas & Associates, a training school in drone operation, explained for Business Insider that “the best way to counteract drones is to have a kinetic impact.”

Given the speed with which the front lines change, Russia's efforts in the field of electronic war and the shortcomings that Ukraine frequently face, “the hunting rifle is the best option,” he says.

The hunting rifle, the “most reliable” against fiber optic drones

Dimko Jluktenko, drone operator in Ukraine's unanswered systems, said that his unit always has a 12 caliber rifle, which is the standard protocol in the fighting missions.

As for fiber optic drones, he says he was trained and informed by other soldiers that the hunting rifle is “the most reliable way to break down” a wire drone.

It is also valid for ordinary drones, which can be stopped with electronic war systems, as success is not guaranteed. Thus, as the last most reliable solution is the hunting rifle.

“A drone loaded with explosives comes to you and you can't bury it. So you pull it,” says Jluktenko.

Ukrainians are looking for solutions against fiber optical drones

These drones have the peculiarity that they are connected with the operator through a long and thin cable instead of vulnerable radio frequencies to interference.

And with their ascension, a race for the development of countermeasures started. The electronic war has proven effectively against conventional drones, but now fiber optic drones and those with artificial intelligence have started to take their place.

Ukraine works on ways to stop these drones, such as pistols that launch nets, but these capabilities are not widely available in Ukrainian units.

Dmîtro Smediuk, the head of Dronarium Educational Department, a school for drone operators in western Ukraine who trained over 15,000 soldiers, told Business Insider that “unfortunately, there are no specific means against fiber optic drones,” he referring to the fact that there are no sophisticated methods that would be really effective.

In their absence, the soldiers have the opportunity to counteract them with the help of simple means, which are also cheap ”.

An American veteran who fought in Ukraine reported the problem last month: “Fiber optic drones cannot be bruised, are almost impossible to detect and come with over 160 km/h.”

“If you do not have a hunting rifle at hand or one of the new net launchers – which are very interesting – it's terrible,” he said at a conference on the war with Drone organized in Latvia.

Training to shoot in drones

The rifles can be very “effective against any type of drone. It does not matter what size the drone has, what frequencies it has or if it is a fiber optic drone,” explains Viktor Taran, the general manager of the Kruk School in Kiev, who trained over 8,000 people.

“The effectiveness of the kid depends on the operator's preparation,” he said. A rifle is a long pipe weapon that can shoot a series of projectiles. Caliber 12 is common.

He said that his school, working with the 413 “Raid” battalion of Ukraine unanswered systems, has trained 250 soldiers and 30 instructors from different units.

Igor Belov, the founder of PSS by Logics7, an Ukrainian company that produces simulators, told BI that he is working on a simulator for drone breaking.

The company is already training soldiers to cope with the threats represented by drones, such as drones and those that fly at low altitude.

“All our solutions are designed on the basis of the feedback received from the military personnel, with a single objective- to have a real impact on the battlefield and to help save human lives,” said Belov.

Over 60,000 soldiers were trained on Logic7 systems7.

Dmitro Martsilenko, the press officer of the 33rd assault regiment in Ukraine, is not convinced of the power of firearms against drones. “There is not enough data to evaluate the effectiveness of using a rifle against drones. Because there is not enough experience,” he said.

“However, we already practice the use of rifles against drones on training grounds,” he added. “And each unit is equipped with a rifle.”

Another Ukrainian drone operator admitted that his unit has a 12 caliber rifle to break down the drones, in case of necessity.