September 13, 2026:
The American Army recently took delivery of 2,000 Ukrainian F10 drones, which cost about $600 each. The Americans plan to acquire 200,000 of these by 2027 and have them in use by the ground forces. Specifications were not released, but based on similar quad-copter FPV attack drones, the F10 is apparently about 10 kg with a 2 kg explosive payload. Endurance is 30 minutes, and the top speed is over 100 kilometers per hour. Max range is more than 40 kilometers, and the operator can be up to 20 kilometers away. Most current drones include targeting software that lets them continue their mission when they are out of range of the controller. At that point, the drone continues toward an operator-selected target. If no target is selected, the drone self-destructs or crashes.
On the plus side, very few drone operators have been lost in the Ukraine War. That’s because the operators have a safe space to operate uninterrupted. An operations team usually consists of one or more operators, plus support staff to track the local combat situation and find targets. After combat units request targets, the assistant checks his tablet or laptop, where data is stored on how many drones they have in the bunker and what type they are. Most surveillance and attack drones are FPV, or first-person view. Operators wear goggles with a video screen showing what an FPV or surveillance drone’s camera can see. The other team members direct the operator to the target. The drone attack often fails because of electronic jamming. When that happens, the operator is given a drone that can home in on the jammer and destroy it. These drone teams have dozens of drones in their bunker.
On a busy day, the team can use dozens of drones. That means the drone team requires constant resupply. That is the most dangerous job because out in the open everyone is a target. The Russians are not as adept at this form of drone warfare, but Russian drones are still a threat. Not just for the drone transport crew but for the drone teams on their way to equip another bunker. Some of these are in partially destroyed buildings or bunkers initially built by frontline combat troops. When the troops move on, their bunker becomes available for drone teams. Since the drones can attack targets ten to twenty kilometers from their bunker, they only have to move to a new bunker if frontline troops move or retreat a significant distance. This is when the drone teams suffer most of their losses.
Unit headquarters and frontline first-aid personnel also seek bunkers. The local senior commander, or a member of his staff, decides who gets which bunker. Because of the importance of the drones in killing and keeping track of the enemy, the drone teams are often first in line to get a newly built or discovered bunker. In parts of the thousand-kilometer front line, there are bunkers that have been in use for months or years. In quiet parts of the front, drone teams spend most of their time doing surveillance, with the occasional call for an attack drone. When new operators gain enough experience in their quiet zones, they are sent to more active areas to do their thing. Hundreds of formal or informal drone teams use over 250,000 drones a month. Most of these are disabled by jamming, equipment failure, or hitting something that isn’t a target. But a third of these drones do find a Russian target and destroy it.