By lucky pics @Adobe Stock
David Hambling of Forbes sheds light on Ukraine’s Vampire drone bombers, operating mainly at night, playing a key role in targeting Russian forces with precision bombs, mines, and infrared cameras. With over 2,000 drones in use, their impact is often underestimated due to the difficulty in verifying kills from thermal footage. While Russia attempts to replicate these drones, Ukraine remains ahead in this critical technology, though the full extent of the damage caused will only be clear after the war. Hambling writes:
Ukraine’s heavy drone bombers, known to the Russians as Baba Yagas, are the unsung heroes of the war. While FPVs and small quadcopters get all the attention, the night bombers inflict heavy losses on Russian forces which are barely noted. Sequences shot through thermal imagers are hard to interpret and do not have the same appeal as daytime videos.
But there are indications that the night bombers are having far more impact than is currently appreciated.
A Fleet of Two Thousand Bombers
The term ‘Baba Yaga’ is a generic one applied by the Russians who often have no idea what type of bomber drone is hovering nearby. The Ukrainians operate several varieties, including the Vampire, R18, Nemesis and Kazhan (“Bat”) , with four, six or eight rotors and typically carrying a bombload of 20-40 pounds. They can strike at ranges of up to 12 miles, carrying less bombs on longer missions. […]
The big drones make a lot of noise and are audible from miles away. They are also easy to spot in daytime. These bombers almost invariably fly at night and keep to low altitudes to avoid air defence systems. All are equipped with thermal imagers to find targets.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense acquired more than 2,000 heavy bomber drones through official channels last year, More were supplied by volunteers and fundraisers but there are no totals for these. One bomber costs in the region of $20,000, so the entire fleet cost about half as much as one F-16. […]
“Ukraine has pivoted to using heavy bomber drones to destroy vehicles, and posts tremendous numbers of losses per day using this method,” writes Perpetua. […]
Ukraine has a clear lead in heavy bomber drones, although the full scale of the damage they are inflicting will not be known until after the war.
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