Fast FPV drones are now taking on crewed aircraft in Ukraine

Ukraine’s defense department released its first video of a home built FPV drone making an attack on the much larger and way more expensive attack helicopters on the battlefield. This gives Ukraine new targets to attack as drones continue to change the way we look at war.

In a video released by the Ukrainian military and posted online by Ukrainian news agency Kyiv Independent, a video depicts a FPV drone attempting to strike the rear rotor of a Mi-28 attack helicopter. A much more expensive and difficult target, this is the first time video of such an attack has been shared.

The video cuts before seeing the fate of the helicopter but it’s believed to have make contact with the rear rotor. A weak point for most helicopters, there is a good chance the attack was a success in downing the aircraft.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has continued to be an eye opening event for those of us in the drone industry. We all knew quite well how good drones are at locating individuals, surveying land, and getting real time information, however, now we very well understand drones as a more direct tool for waging war.

What started out a couple years ago as a war where the defending nation innovated on existing technology, Ukraine now writing the book on how cheap home built drones can be effectively used in combat.