I recently had the opportunity to talk with a Ukrainian unit using FPV UAV so first person
view UAVs in the present Ukrainian-Russian conflict known as 'Angry Birds'. Yes, that is their name. This
is one of the many Ukrainian drone units that are partially supported by a foundation that
also provides humanitarian assistance. We have all seen the footage from UAVs dropping grenades to
conducting reconnaissance and artillery spotting and initially also a lot of footage from RPAs
like Byraktar but the use of FPV drones is less well-known which, makes this really interesting.
It's a very distinct system especially because these FPV drones are in fact DIY products they
are built in a small Workshop so I sat down with Andrii from the charitable foundation
Hero of Ukraine and Borys from the 'Angry Bird' unit to talk more about the use of the system and their
own brand of FPV drone. Could you introduce yourself and your unit? I am from 'Angry Birds' Squadron. We are
in Navy forces of Ukraine and we have people from Special Forces, someone from infantry, someone from
the National Guard. What sort of drone are you using? I'm a drone pilot and one of drones that
we use are FPV drones. FPV quads. How do you use and control it? Simple, FPV googles
FPV goggles and simple radio (link), nothing special, only consumer parts. Everybody
can make it. Basically you have first person goggles on like virtual reality and you have a
controller that is reminiscent of what you would use for I guess gaming maybe, is is that sort of a
controller? No (x4) it's a controller for some hobby planes. Controllers like this (hobby planes).
Not a gamer controller. It has sticks with feedback. And then you have just a radio link?
Yes (x2) it's simple radio link - consumer radio - consumer parts - nothing special.
just everybody can make, it it's not a secret. It's not the problem to make it.
When you are going out there, I mean what sort of missions do you use this drone for? Does it have
a payload on it? For ammunition we use RKG-3 - you must understand it's a DIY self-made
thing, so you haven't got the ammunition that the country give you, the Ministry of Defense
give you, so you must adapt. I know the guys from National Guard that are used to using C4.
It was tied on this type of drones. I know the guys from infantry, is it using the self-made
from MK 17. You sue what you find - that you can use. I can find RKG-3. What are your targets then
with this ammunition? Light armored vehicles : BMP ...MTLB, sometimes generators, sometimes
the anti-drone guns portable they have. When you go out there do you do this alone,
do you work in combination with other forces, like artillery, infantry, tanks or is this you -
just finding yourtarget and then neutralizing. No (x5) not only one because it's madness.
We are working with recognition (recon) because without good recognition I couldn't
find my target because we are using analog video on FPV and it's so-so. I can't find the
Target by myself so we're using other, consumer drones. So you have somebody
telling you where the target is, guiding you to the approximate location and then
once you're close enough you take over? Yeah. Talk me through a mission, we've already
touched one of some of these things but talk me through a mission like you're going out there
well what are the sort of the steps you do in order to then prepare and then also fulfill the
mission? The first one is planning. Without plan I wouldn't go. Then recognition (recon).
Then I plan my flight because when you plan your flight. you must know the direction
and the strengths of wind, what's the weather because so you have a battery on your
drone. So it won't drain the battery? Yeah (x2)
Once you've done your planning, what happens afterwards? I
just made my work. I of course go with Infantry because I couldn't watch around me what is happening
when I'm flying. Of course with the guys (from the infantry) know about the mines in the field, what is
there right. They have local knowledge and they can tell you - Yes - where to set up. Okay and
what sort of lessons have you learned as you've been going through these missions? Be patient !
Be patient. Don't make something fast decisions because it will bring you problems.
You will just fail it's like, I think it's some kind of sniper work. You must
be patient. So you wait for the best moment and then... Yeah . What sort of.... I mean you've been
using this drone for a while I imagine and have you seen any sort of reaction on
the Russian side? Do they have any counter measures? Of (x3) they're using as the mesh.
The mesh... for your understanding they are also using this type of drones because
it's a consumer one. We are using mesh and they using the electric warfare (anti-drone guns)
sometimes. But the most problem for now is mesh... You're not
able to get to the armor of the vehicle? Yep (x2) I can't see it because I have a low
resolution. I just don't see it. How do you get around that, like do you have with with your
reconnaissance drones do you have like an ability to get close enough to see if a vehicle has those
defenses? Sometimes you can't see it even from (other UAVs), it's (the mesh) just like
so tiny so small that sometimes s__ happens. Have you like learned to adapt to
that or is it something you just cannot account for? For now, I can't, it just happens and ...
s __ happens. How many sort of ... I don't know if you can tell me this but how many
sort of vehicles have you destroyed at this point. for now I couldn't tell because, you see
if you were watching about the war you can see like for about the last four or five weeks
so much FPV drones are used in Bakhmut and the guys are using them for about....
six drones a day. You can Count (x2) About (Ukrainian) 70....
70 percent success rate? Yeah! And then do you find this is then more effective than other
types of drones that drop grenades? It's not more effective, it's just different.
You can eliminate Light Armored but you couldn't eliminate light armor with mavic (UAV)
but with mavic you have a better view, you can help artillery and others. You must
adapt to the war and understand that every type of drone can be used every time.
If you were to make any sort of changes to the Drone that you're using right now what would be the change ?
What I would like to see, what I want is to build FPV plane not a quad, but an FPV plane
because I understand that FPV planes have a better battery capacity, because you're not using four
motors, you're using just one. You have a wing and you can just fly further and eliminate
targets on the Range like 12 kilometers. Is that not a bit more difficult to
fly as well? I don't know how it's more difficult to fly on the plane between quads but in Quad
you must have some skills to fly. It's really it's a skill, first 30 hours on
simulator and only then you can try to fly on a real drone. Okay so you actually you
you train first on on a simulator before? Of course (x2) yeah (x3).
What would you say are sort of the advantages and the disadvantage of the quadcopter?
Advantages it is really fast, it can maneuver (well) and the disadvantages it has
the small capacity of battery and small capacity of ammunition....700 grams it's like nothing.
I assume it's good enough for the targets that you have currently
but if you -yeah- expand -yeah- to a plane? More weight is better, if I would use planes it
will be more weight. How is it then for sourcing all these components, you said that this
is like civilian components - but you also have to get the munitions from the military
right. How do you sort of go about sourcing these parts? For drones the parts are given by a
foundation Hero of Ukraine and the ammunition is from the ministry of defense and my Commanders
but then you must adapt. I make a DIY thing and then it's not a problem.
The guys are using aluminum from cans to make propellers for both types.
when it's flying down yeah it's just been out and it works you can adapt everything and and who had
sort of the idea to to build this and why build it the way you you have built it I don't know
who has the idea because it's a consumer thing I when I was civilian I was working in video
production and we was we were using such kind of drones for videos and I and I thought that it can
carry GoPro why it couldn't carry something more some more white so you already had the experience
and then it was easy to sort of translate that into your project and and do you know sort of
how for how long the testing period was for this drone whether it works and sort of to Iron Out
The Kinks if you know what to do the testing period will be like about week or two do you
have any sort of challenges in making it I mean I understand you have civilian components military
components and you're sourcing those and that doesn't appear to be an issue but do you have any
sort of challenges of making them at scale like a lot of a lot of them yes but I wouldn't tell
you what's when you're trying to make it cheaper uh you're some parts that are maybe 3D printed
years become a problem and I know the guys who tried it and have a problem if you making
everything from instruction from internet you wouldn't have a problem if you're trying to make
it cheaper and make some parts DIY you would have a problem and do you know sort of what
improvements have been made since like the first prototype to to what you have now uh nothing it's
only DIY antennas and some scenes in frame that's all and and how much does this cost to to build
one of them I think if I was a Russian I would say about a one thousand uh dollars or maybe
even more two thousand dollars uh God bless the corruption in uh Russian army because they also
making this type of drones and dobrina five it called and there is production in Russia but in
fact it's the Chinese one that's good five that it costs about four hundred dollars and they're
reselling it for about two thousand dollars and you know like version of this and uh God
bless corruption uh in fact it uh the difference in cost from 500 to 700 sometimes you couldn't
find components for it and the prices are higher sometimes you can find it cheaper so in this range
and you said that the Russians are of course also using this type of drone um do you find I mean do
you find that there are as effective as you are are they less effective are they are you learning
something from them are you like telling your own forces how to defend against these type of stones
I know they have a lot of schools now in Russia that are studying to how to fly in FPV drones
they have a complex like compact starting of GI mavix fpv drones DIY Drones planes and
uh for I think it will be a problem in a half a year maybe in a year but in fact what I see what
the the ministry of defense or challenge they made it wouldn't be a problem because it's a up like
200 grams so it's it's a way lower yield than the one that you're having then yeah yep yep and
are there any plans to sort of expand your unit I mean you're like a semi-civilian military unit if
I understand that correctly? Yeah, some Engineers, are civilians, some guys from the military.
Andrii do you want to talk a little bit more about sort of crowdfunding of the unit, how it finances itself ?
Yes, there was a charity fund 'Hero of Ukraine' made just
for supporting our unit. We have a humanitarian aid project called the 'Civilians under Attack'
We may attach the link for it. It covers medicine for civilians, also first aid kids
purchasing, and there is are more options to help us win this War. We're
cooperating with a museum charity foundation - is a non-profit organization by the name of Yuri
Khymych. He is one of the most famous Ukrainian painting artist. It was made to be a museum
with his collection but now we have War so we work with them and they told us that there
they can help us. They may sell some works, some masterpieces and all the money we earn we will
spend on our unit needs so if you want to help - us you may buy a masterpiece or just directly
donate to our humanitarian project. Thank you. I'll put those in the description below those
links, thank you very much for for answering the questions and I wish you all the best!