eams of Ukrainians are hunting Russian drones, including Iranian-made kamikaze types, with the help of rifle-esque systems equipped with military-grade laser pointers, typically used to mark targets and other objects of interest on the ground for friendly pilots, as well as thermal optics. In this case, the lasers are used to direct fire from the ground, including from shoulder-fired small arms, machine guns mounted on pickup trucks and other light vehicles (as well as modified commercial cars and vans) at uncrewed aircraft flying overhead. In a 21st century twist on civilian air raid spotting organizations dating back to World War I, these anti-drone groups are first alerted to incoming threats by volunteers using tablet-like devices that quickly share reported sightings and related location information.
A recent story from The Washington Post, which is worth reading in its entirety, profiled the activities of some of these Ukrainian drone hunters. Various tiers of drones, including improved armed types of various sizes and capabilities, have been a key feature on both sides of the conflict in Ukraine since Russia first launched its all-out invasion in February. However, Russia’s use of Iranian-made kamikaze drones, starting around September, put an entirely new spotlight on uncrewed threats and Ukrainian capabilities to defeat them. Many of these strikes appear to come at night to help improve the survivability of the relatively slow-flying drones, forcing defenders to hunt in the darkness, as well.
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“One unit member normally uses a gun-like thermal sensor to spot the Shahed [a common term in Ukraine for Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones], before switching on a laser beam to illuminate it so others can shoot it down,” according to the Washington Post‘s piece, which adds that multiple small anti-drone units often operate dispersed throughout the same general area. “Once a drone is illuminated, the barrages that follow can be so intense it is often hard to know which unit destroyed a drone.”
Read more: The Drive
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