How Tiny Drones of Ukrainians Easily Wipe Out Russian Advanced Tanks

Since October, the Ukrainian forces have been facing a shortage of artillery ammunition after Russia-friendly Republicans in the US Congress blocked further aid to Ukraine. To counter this, the Ukrainian forces have acquired tiny explosive drones, which have become critical systems in their inventory. Today, hundreds of thousands of drones are used by the Ukrainian forces, while tactical radio jammers, which can block the signals operators use to control their drones, are the most essential systems in the Russian inventory.

Tiny Drones of Ukrainians

Recently, Russian tanks have been rolling toward the front line with a giant new jammer, which is actually clusters of multiple jammers. However, these jammers have not been very effective against the Ukrainian drones. A Russian T72 tank with a jammer ran over some barb wire just east of Ukrainian positions in Turny, in eastern Ukraine's Donet oblast. The wire prevented the tank's driver from turning fast enough to avoid a collision with a BMP fighting vehicle. A Ukrainian drone zoomed in and exploded, spooking the three crew members, who bailed out and were then killed by more drones.

Ukrainians Easily Wipe Out Russian Advanced Tanks

Ukrainian surveillance drones were overhead the whole time, and analysts scrutinized the imagery, concluding that the lightly damaged T72 with a tangled track and a heap of radio jammers was the perfect prize. The fact that at least one drone struck the tank was a strong hint that the jammers weren't working very well. However, the Ukrainians wanted to know why the 12th Azov Brigade, one of the Ukrainian Army's elite units, volunteered for a difficult mission to retrieve the immobilized T72 from the No Man's Land.

Russian T-2 Tank in Ukraine

The objective was to retrieve the tank from the shellock terrain, which is among the most dangerous in the world. The 12th Azov Brigade tanker named Ilia said, "Everyone understood the danger," and when a company commander instructed a tanker named Byarto to tag along on the raid, he just shrugged and said, "I'm in the Army, I received an order."

Combat engineers went first, sneaking out at night to probe the approach and check the tank's condition. They returned to Ukrainian lines a mile away with bad news. While it seemed the tank was operable, its turret was fixed in the forward position, and its 125 mm main gun blocked the driver's hatch. It would be impossible to get a Ukrainian driver through the hatch without first rotating the turret, a job for a trained tank crewman.

On the third night, the raiders returned, and engineers led the way. The infantry escorted them, and medics waited in the rear, expecting casualties. Byar and Ilia were at the main party, and the Ukrainians hauled three batteries weighing 150 lb, plus compressed air tools and night vision goggles. The compressed air would help start the tank. Russian artillery exploded nearby as the tankers worked under the cover of darkness.

Ilia drove the tank, and it was a clear moonlit night, peering through night vision goggles. Ilia had no problem driving across the No Man's Land to the ruins of Germany, but when he drove into the village, very deep potholes began. The tank was jumping, and it was hard for Ilia to see. Elia overlooked the deep crater, apparently from a Russian Glide bomb, that nearly swallowed the T72.

Russian T-2 Tank in Ukraine blow up

Ilia hit his head on the hatch and blacked out, coming to and worrying that he had failed his mission. However, he still managed to drive the T72 past more bomb craters and through dozens of shells the Russians hurled at the stolen tank. Finally, safe behind their lines, the Ukrainians inspected the jammers they had risked their lives to drive off the battlefield.

The jammers were makeshift, with individual jammers in their antenna, which might have been factory standard, but the overall assembly, multiple jammers roped together on a wooden shipping pallet, was homemade and probably not very effective. This is good news for the Ukrainian drone campaign, as a repair party worked for three nights to deliver the jammers through mines, shellfire, and tank-eating craters, for sight.