Russian soldiers can never relax when they are close to the frontlines in Ukraine. Even if they feel relatively safe in their trenches and dugouts, they can be attacked by kamikaze drones at any point. “FPV!”Russian soldiers shout whenever they hear a hair-raising buzzing above their heads. And Ukrainian news outlets call pretty much all kamikaze drones FPV. But why?
Ukrainian drone pilot with FPV goggles. Image credit: Ivan Shatokhin via Wikimedia
The ongoing war in Ukraine is the first of its kind in terms of the number of different drones being used. From the large Bayraktar TB-2 to the tiny DJI Mavic – the number of drones used is unbelievable. Not all of them are “kamikaze”.
The aforementioned TB-2 is not a kamikaze drone – it attacks its targets using bombs and missiles. The DJI Mavic is sometimes used to drop grenades, but it is also used for observation. Kamikaze drones are different in a way, because they complete their missions by destroying themselves. A kamikaze drone rams itself into the enemy troops or equipment, destroying the target and itself in the process. And these drones are usually abbreviated as FPV in Ukraine.
FPV just means “First Person View”. In the case of drones, it means that the operator is controlling the aircraft using a pair of special goggles, which immerse him into the world that is directly observed by the drone. In other words, instead of a remote screen, the operator is observing the drone’s camera view through the goggles on his face. It is sort of like a virtual reality. That is the entire difference – the screen is on the user’s face instead of being on a remote in his hands.
But why? Well, there are two major reasons. First of all, these FPV kamikaze drones are pretty much homemade. It means that they are cobbled together using cheap commercially available components. These components usually are meant for amateur racing drones, which are typically controlled via an FPV system. Secondly, this immersion offers better precision.
Ukrainian FPV drones attacking a Russian truck:
These single-use drones usually have quite poor cameras. With FPV goggles can concentrate on the image better, seeing the details a bit more clearly. Such immersive goggles remove distractions too, because the entire field of vision is covered with what the drone sees.
The defenders of Ukraine can do amazing stunts with their FPV drones and they are even learning to use them as traps. Russian soldier Platon Mamatov on January 28 said that Ukrainian soldiers are simply hanging drones over the roads used by the Russian invaders. “You go to work and they watch you through the camera and raise the drone in front of the car so you would drive into it yourself,” he wrote on his blog.
FPV drones have become a real curse for the Russian invaders in Ukraine. Drones of different sizes and capabilities attack individual Russian soldiers, their groups and equipment, including tanks.
Written by Povilas M.
Sources: Wikipedia, Charter97.org