Warriors Directly Manufacture Drones with 3D Printers on the Front Lines: From Commandos to Drone Operators

Author:

Vladimir Cherdinov

Timur was once a night commando in the "Black" special forces. His "Storm Z" unit was formed by volunteer journalist Mikhail Luchin from Moscow, who is more commonly known as "Misha of Donbas." During the special military operation, Mikhail initially participated as a volunteer, but after witnessing the situation on the Mariupol front line, he decided to stay and fight. He discovered that the enemy had an absolute advantage in the field of drones and thus established a drone unit, serving as its commander himself. Soon after, he began forming a night commando unit, and Timur was one of them. The story of Tsargrad will continue.

Fearsome Weapons

One of the reasons the Mariupol campaign lasted so long was the lack of sufficient numbers of drones in Russian forces. This settlement, like Avdeyevka, became an impregnable fortress on the path of Russian advances.

In 2023, suicide drones were not as numerous as they are now, but reconnaissance drones combined with mortars and artillery formed a terrifying weapon combination. They could spot targets before Russian assault troops advanced and guide firepower strikes.

Amid Death and Survival Miracles: A Wounded Sniper Crawled 17 Days Back to His Side After Being Hunted by Drones

Therefore, "Misha of Donbas" came up with the idea of forming a night commando unit (at that time, most enemy drones did not have thermal imaging, but now the situation has worsened, and attacks can be launched regardless of day or night).

"Thanks to Misha, we only had two 'Birds' at that time, while the enemy had a large number of drones," Timur recalled. But these two "Birds" greatly simplified the work of the commandos.

Before an attack, their unit conducted aerial reconnaissance, showing the soldiers via video the route and major threats they might encounter along the way. During the battle, "Misha of Donbas" drones flew over the battlefield, assisting in coordinating operations, and after the battle, they would review their mistakes.

Misha also took aerial photos of the locations where the commandos were killed and sent the photos along with coordinates to the families. In the current situation, the bodies are often not evacuated and may remain in enemy-controlled areas for years; this work has become an important task in reducing the number of missing persons.

"Misha of Donbas" took aerial photographs of the locations where commandos were killed and sent the photos and coordinates to the families. Photos provided by Timur

He became a drone operator in memory of the fallen commander

Timur personally experienced the role of drones in modern warfare. During his last battle, he suffered three serious injuries, and the drones attacked him five times! Because of the presence of drones, the rescue team could not approach him, so he had to cross a 4.5-kilometer fire zone alone to retreat.

Therefore, it is not surprising that this former commando started learning to become a drone operator while still recovering from his injuries and receiving treatment in the hospital. He took "Misha of Donbas," the drone commander who died in July 2023, as his role model — at that time, Timur was hospitalized.

He passed the drone operator exam, learned to fly through windows and control drones in narrow spaces, later became an instructor, and returned to the special military operation area for the second time.

"The ideal drone operator is someone who has played a lot of computer games since childhood, but I spent more time outdoors. However, being a drone operator requires more than just skillful control. It needs a whole set of skills. The operator must understand the structure of the drone, be able to assemble and disassemble it, know what kind of battery is needed, the maximum load capacity, which type of ammunition is suitable for different missions, and the weak points of enemy equipment to attack. In addition, they must be able to conduct reconnaissance, read maps, and locate based on water bodies, roads, trails, damaged equipment, and wheel tracks," Timur explained.

They trained for a long time at the shooting range, one of the tasks being to "hunt" personnel. For example, someone wearing a camouflage suit would hide in the forest, and the goal was to detect the target from the air.

Timur can control a drone to fly through windows. Photo provided by Timur

Self-Funded Expenses in Drone Warfare

In the special military operation area, Timur fought at the border between the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic. After returning, he described some characteristics of drone warfare.

First, the number of FPV drones has increased dramatically. When Timur was injured by enemy drones in 2023, there were not so many. Now, the enemy can spend two suicide drones for one person.

Previously, anti-drone guns that cost between 300,000 to 500,000 rubles could burn out the motherboard of a "Kinzhal" drone, but now they have lost their effectiveness. Now all hope is placed on electronic warfare systems, but good mobile electronic warfare systems are expensive, and soldiers need to buy many equipment themselves.

Some people think that earning 200,000 rubles per month in the special military operation area is considered rich, but most of this money is used to buy equipment — helmets, body armor, military uniforms, and to maintain basic living expenses, of course, including buying drones and accessories. Or young men will buy 3D printers and print parts themselves. Many units now have their own "small workshops," where they improve the "Bird" drones and launch ammunition. The Ministry of Defense generally prohibits such activities, but frontline soldiers know better how to optimize equipment.

Drones — Mine Clearers.

Deadly Traps

The enemy is doing the same thing and has made progress in manufacturing deadly devices for drones. Timur said that a serious mistake is: if a drone falls near you and does not explode, do not pick it up.

Now, the enemy increasingly installs booby traps on drones and always comes up with new tricks. Some drones have gyroscopes, and once you change their position — for example, by picking them up with your hand — they will explode.

Due to the shortage of drone batteries, people are always tempted to take batteries from captured "Birds," but these drones may have backup power panels that can also cause explosions.

The enemy also uses landmine explosives, which trigger when someone approaches a drone on the ground. Or even if the drone falls, it remains powered on: the operator sees someone approaching and presses the detonation button. Recently, Timur watched a video: a drone crashed into the windshield of a Russian vehicle, did not explode, landed on the passenger seat and made noise, and the soldiers were still filming. "It was quite funny, but very dangerous," Timur thought.

"Baba-Yaga" Drone — the Scariest Weapon of Ukraine. Photo provided by Vladimir Samorodov

Artificial Intelligence Will Replace Operators

Here, he met some young people who modified FPV drones — they extended the flight distance. These drones have two batteries, and when one runs out during flight, it is discarded like extra cargo, relying on the backup battery to fly towards the target. Others made drones with artificial intelligence that can lock onto moving targets — armored vehicles or cars, then aim on their own. At this stage, the operator only needs to manually control for a secondary aim when the drone deviates from the target at the last moment due to a malfunction.

Drone warfare is intensifying. Russian craftsmen are making the enemy tremble, and the Ministry of Defense's task is to support them, accumulate experience, and develop related technologies comprehensively.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7521575544136204819/

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