Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that his country is aiming to create a new drone force for the military in the coming months, revealing that up to half of the total battlefield casualties in the Ukraine conflict came from UAVs. He made these remarks while chairing a high-level meeting with top military and civilian leadership dedicated to Russia’s armament plan for the next decade.
Unmanned systems have been playing a crucial role on the battlefield, and the scope of their use is only growing, Putin stated.
“They are capable of destroying armoured vehicles, entrenchments, communication systems, transport, and enemy manpower. Our drone operators are currently responsible for a significant portion — up to 50 per cent — of the destroyed and damaged enemy equipment and facilities,” he said. Putin added that drones have become vital assets for modern-day military operations, as they are employed for reconnaissance, electronic warfare, mining and demining with precision and without error.
Russia has initiated the process of forming a dedicated drone force, Putin said, adding that its development and deployment must be as “swift and top-notch” as possible.
Also read: Three killed as Russian drones hit Kharkiv
“I believe we have accumulated good experience to create this branch of the military. We are talking about training personnel, production, and deliveries of modern devices capable of enhancing the combat capabilities of our troops,” the president said.
This newly dedicated branch of the military service, called the “Unmanned system troops”, was first announced last December as part of the effort to boost the use of unmanned technology in the war zones to prevent human losses and inflict maximum damage on the enemy forces.
At the time, Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov said the branch would be formed in the third quarter of this year. Analysts suggest that Russia has developed a whopping 1.5 million drones, which can be armed with a range of different weapons. Russia will become only second country after Ukraine to have a dedicated drone force military unit at its disposal.
Follow us
