1,200,000 Drones: Ukraine’s Unmanned Weapons are Transforming Warfare

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Key Points and Summary: Ukraine’s drone warfare has reached unprecedented heights, with 1.2 million drones produced in 2024 alone. Key components include FPV kamikaze drones, reconnaissance quadcopters, and long-range strike UAVs like the Lyutyy, which boasts a 600-mile range.

-FPVs dominate Ukraine’s arsenal, making up over 90% of production and proving critical in anti-armor roles. Heavy bombers, hybrid drones, and fixed-wing UAVs offer flexibility for reconnaissance, precision strikes, and deep-target missions.

-Ukraine’s innovative drone strategies, driven by evolving technology and battlefield demand, are reshaping modern warfare and providing a blueprint for nations like the U.S. to update their drone forces.

Ukraine Reveals Drone Order of Battle 

Large numbers of small drones have become a key component in Ukraine’s ground war. This development was formalized last year with the establishment of the Unmanned Systems Forces as a separate branch of the armed services, a move later copied by Moscow.

But the exact makeup of this force is a mystery. We know the composition of an armored battalion in terms of tanks, IFVs, artillery, and other hardware, but no information has been released on the uncrewed equivalent – until now. 

Figures released last month by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense give the total production of drones for 2024, providing insight into the proportions of different drones deployed. The total for the year is a  staggering 1.2 million drones, the vast majority being small FPV kamikazes. 

This is not a complete account of Ukraine’s drones. At the start of the war, before the military appreciated the value of these types, volunteers and fundraising groups supplied drones direct to army units, bypassing the military procurement process. This activity continues on an impressive scale. Fundraiser Serhii Sternenko has organized drives supplying more than 133,000 FPVs over the course of the war – that’s more drones than any NATO army possesses. 

The official figures do give a good indication of the composition of the drone force and the proportion of the different types. 

FPVs: The Expendable Drone

Unsurprisingly, more than 90% of the drones supplied have been small First Person View (“FPV”) kamikaze drones derived from racing quadcopters.

These are one-way loitering munitions which form the backbone of Ukraine’s anti-armor capability as well as destroying firing positions, artillery and logistics vehicles behind the lines. There are a huge variety of designs and they typically range from 7-inch to 12-inch frames. 

During the year, FPVs have become significantly bigger. The first models seen in 2022 typically carried a 1.5 kilo / 3-pound warhead. Recent models have been more substantial, with a typical payload now being more like 2-3 kilos / 4-6 pounds, making them more effective against heavier armor and larger targets. Maximum range is around 12 miles, though they are mainly used at 3-6 miles. 

The number of night-capable thermal FPVs was not stated but, if the published kill videos are any indication, these are a tiny fraction of the total. This year Ukraine also started using interceptor FPVs to target Russian reconnaissance drones. The number is not known but they have scored more than a thousand kills. 

As for unit cost, according to Sternenko, the FPVs supplied by his organization range from $300-$460 for daytime models depending on size, with the nighttime versions being $700-$800. Those acquired under government contracts may be more expensive but in the same general range. 

Quadcopters: Eyes In The Sky And Bombs On High 

The next most common type were reconnaissance quadcopters, a class which includes light bombers carrying a payload less than 2 pounds.

Ukraine acquired more than 40,000 of these, of which more than 12,000 – just over a third—were ‘night’ drones with thermal imaging capable of operating in darkness. The vast majority are repurposed and lightly modified commercial drones. 

The quadcopters have become essential for surveillance, reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, damage assessment and directing artillery fire. They are also useful as light bombers, dropping grenades against personnel or demolishing abandoned vehicles.

In military service, the firmware is updated – or ‘hacked’ – to prevent the drone from broadcasting its location and remove limitations imposed by the Chinese manufacturers. They generally stay some distance back from Russian lines to avoid jamming, using zoom cameras to get a closeup view.

The DJI Mavic 3 appears to be one of the most popular types. Marketed as an “everyday commercial drone”, the Mavic 3 has a 45-minute flight time with a sophisticated autopilot, obstacle avoidance, and high-quality 4/3 CMOS camera with a 56x hybrid zoom. The Mavic 3T version has a thermal imaging camera with 640×512 resolution. while is inferior to military models, but allows the drone to keep working at night (with reduced range) when others are grounded. The Mavic 3T retails at around $4,000.

Fixed Wings: Reconnaissance for Deep Strike 

The next most significant type are the fixed-wing, aircraft-type reconnaissance UAVs, of which 5,000 were supplied, including the Shark, GOR and Furia.

These have much longer range and endurance than quadcopters, and carry out reconnaissance missions deep inside Russian-held territory. These are the drones that find targets for HIMARS, Storm Shadow and other long-range weapons as well as artillery, and video the resulting strikes in realtime.

The A1-CM Furia has a seven-foot wingspan and flies for up to three hours on one battery charge. It can transmit data from up to 30 miles / 50 km away. It can navigate without satellite assistance, and carries day or night sensors. The estimated cost is around $70k. 

Night Bombers 

Heavy bombers are among Ukraine’s most feared drones.

The Russians call them ‘Baba Yaga’ after a witch from Slavic folklore and have an almost superstitious dread of them. Battlefield myths claim that they can only be destroyed by a flamethrower, and that Baba Yagas swoop down at night to carry off injured Russian soldiers in their metal claws. 

Ukraine acquired more 2,000 of these reusable attack multicopters in 2024. There were several types from different makers, including Nemesis, Kazhan(“Bat”), and Vampire.

The bombers are much larger than consumer quadcopters, and typically have six or eight rotors, but can still be carried by one person. They generally typically fly at night at low altitude to avoid air defenses, hovering over targets to drop bomb s with high precision. The E620 Kazhan can carry a payload of as much as 44 pounds/ 20 kilos, or less over longer ranges (up to 8 miles). 

Armament is typically 82mm or 120mm mortar bombs or TM-62 anti-tank mines converted into aerial bombs. Heavy bombers are also used as minelayers, placing anti-tank mines on tracks and roads as well as sealing up paths through minefields. The reported cost is around $20,000. 

Multipurpose Hybrids 

The final tactical category are described as “reusable FPV copters” of which there were 5,000.

These fall somewhere between the kamikaze FPV and quadcopters. Lacking the more expensive electronics, in particular cameras and other sensors, they can be effective as bombers, minelayers and transports, ferrying supplies to the front lines when troops are otherwise cut off.

2024 saw the first use of ‘drone carrier’ drones, acting as motherships and communication relays for FPVs. 

The largest known reusable FPV is the Queen Honet model produced by Wild Hornets, which has a 15-inch frame and can carry a payload of up to 15 pounds, but costs under $2,000.

Long Range Strike 

The final category of drones are in a different class to the rest.

These are the long-range strike drones, effectively small, propeller-drive cruise missiles launched against strategic targets hundreds of miles away. These are the response to the Iranian-designed Shahed drones which Russia has been bombarding Ukraine with for more than two years. 

Ukraine’s MoD bought more than 6,000 deep-strike drones, again of several types including Lyutyy (“Fierce”) and Firepoint. Analyst HI Sutton has identified more than 22 types of Ukrainian strike drone which range from converted Soviet reconnaissance drones and crude garage-built models made of plastic piping to modified light aircraft and advanced models with sophisticated electronics. Again many of these are made by private efforts and likely the MoD has selected the most capable for acquisition..

These drones have had considerable success at setting Russian oil facilities ablaze and hitting airbases and other strategic targets. They are not yet produced in the same volumes as the Russian Shaheds, but if plans to build 30,000 next year are realized they could have a major effect on the ailing Russian economy. 

The most commonly seen type is the Lyutyy which has a twenty-three-foot wingspan and carries a payload of more than 100 pounds of explosive with a range of over 600 miles . The cost is reportedly around $200,000. 

Future Forces

The breakdown given suggests that a notional drone company would have around 1,000 FPV, 5 long-range reconnaissance drones, 40 shorter-range quadcopters, 5 multipurpose hybrids and 2 bombers, with the long-range strike drones assigned to a higher echelon. This is the hardware expenditure for the year: the FPVs in particular are ammunition, and the attrition rate among other types, especially quadcopters, is likely to be high.

FPV teams can get through drones at a high rate. An extreme case is operator Timofiy Orel, awarded the “Hero of Ukraine” for his actions from January-May 2024, when he destroyed 42 tanks, 44 BMPs, 10 MT-LBs, and 28 BTR/APCs as well as eliminating more than 400 enemy personnel. This type of success is only possible in close partnership with reconnaissance drone operators finding targets. 

Less active FPV operators use several FPVs per day in action, and, as with artillery ammunition, the demand is always for more. 

Finding an appropriate balance between low-cost, short-range systems and the more expensive, long-range reconnaissance and strike drones is a challenge. Drone technology is evolving fast. But the shape of future forces may now be emerging. And that will be important to every nation looking up update its drone force, including the US.

Author Profile: David Hambling

David Hambling is a London-based journalist, author and consultant specializing in defense technology with over 20 years’ experience. He writes for Aviation Week, Forbes, The Economist, New Scientist, Popular Mechanics, WIRED and others. His books include “Weapons Grade: How Modern Warfare Gave Birth to Our High-tech World” (2005) and “Swarm Troopers: How small drones will conquer the world” (2015). He has been closely watching the continued evolution of small military drones. Follow him @David_Hambling.