5 World First Achievements For Drones In Ukraine

Summary

  • Ukraine shot down a Russian helicopter using a drone, marking a world-first feat in warfare.
  • Drones destroyed a Russian Su-57 fighter jet, making it the world’s first 5th-gen fighter loss in combat.
  • Ukraine formed the first “Drone Force” and built millions of drones to combat the Russian invasion.

The Full-Scale Russian Invasion of Ukraine has turbocharged the development of drone warfare. The use of drones in Ukraine is evolving at such a pace that the drone war of one year is almost entirely different from the previous year. At the start of the war, part of Kyiv’s defenses was an ad hoc group of Ukrainian drone enthusiasts sharing intel via WhatsApp and Signal; this was also when the Turkish-built TB2 Bayraktar drones had their fleeting moment in the sun. Russia and Ukraine are building vast fleets of millions of drones, and drones are making many world-first achievements.

1

Shot down a helicopter

In July 2024, Ukraine reportedly shot down a Mi-8 helicopter

Date:

July 31, 2024

Type:

Mi-8 transport helicopter

Note:

first known such occurrence

In a remarkable achievement, it seems Ukraine has become the first country to successfully shoot down a military helicopter in flight with a drone. According to reports, the Ukrainians destroyed a 12-ton Russian Mil Mi-8 transport helicopter using a 2-pound quadcopter FPV drone.

Mil Mi 8 in Russian Air Force

Previous to the shootdown, there were reports that the Russians were concerned about the threat of drones on their helicopters and that they had started escorting helicopters with other helicopters. It is unclear if this is a fluke and one-off success or a sign of things to come. A couple of months ago, Ukrainians released a video showing a Russian helicopter only just missing a Ukrainian drone.

Related

Russia Has Lost Almost 150 Helicopters Since The Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine

Russia has lost many helicopters but the exact numbers and Russia’s replacement rates are unknown.

2

Destroyed first 5th gen fighter in combat

Drones reportedly destroyed a Su-57 in June 2024

Date:

June 9, 2024 (first reported)

Airbase:

Akhtubinsk air base

Note:

First combat loss of 5th-gen fighter

The Russians have long hyped their new fifth-generation Su-57 Felon fighter jet (even though the jet has a suite of problems, including low production numbers and being only mildly stealthy). Nevertheless, it seems the Russians have been using it cautiously during the Ukraine war (for fear of the embarrassment of losing it). But lost it, they have.

 Sukhoi Su-57 jet fighter of russian air force performing demonstration flight

Photo: Fasttailwind l Shutterstock

On June 9, 2024, Ukraine released photos of a drone attack against a parked Su-57 Felon. Two impacts are visible close to the aircraft, with analysts concluding that the Felon is almost certainly heavily damaged – perhaps beyond economic repair. The Russian Air Force-affiliated Telegram channel, Fighter-Bomber, confirmed drones hit the Felon. This would appear to be not only the first time a drone has destroyed a 5th-gen fighter but also the world’s first combat loss of a 5th-generation fighter.

Related

Is Russia Finally Using Its Much-Hyped 5th Generation Su-57 In Ukraine?

Ukraine has finally confirmed Russia is using Su-57s in the war while the British say they have been used for almost two years.

3

First “Drone Force”

In June 2024, Ukraine established the world’s first Unmanned Systems branch

Date:

June 11, 2024

Drones:

1 million Ukrainian-produced FPV drones in 2024 (plus foreign support)

Size:

3,000 personal (June 2024)

Ukraine is building and acquiring countless millions of drones to fight the Russian invasion (including over a million indigenously developed FPV drones in 2024 alone). Ukraine is reported to be planning to train some 20,000 drone operators in 2024 alone. These are massive numbers by any country’s standards and in June 2024, Ukraine established the world’s first dedicated “drone force” called the Unmanned Systems Forces.

Man in a military uniform with a UAV control panel, a drone flying in the background

Photo: Melnikov Dmitriy l Shutterstock

The new Unmanned Systems Forces not only includes the typical drones seen flying over the battlespace, but also sea and ground unmanned robotic systems. The move is perhaps reminiscent of the US move to establish an independent Space Force in 2020 and many countries establishing an Air Force in 1918 (the US followed in 1947).

Related

Unmanned Systems Forces: Ukraine Is The 1st Country In The World With A Drone Military Branch

Ukraine has established the first dedicated ‘drone force’ as the use of drones continues rewrite the way war is fought in Ukraine.

4

Vast FPV bomber fleets

2022-2024 has seen the development of mini FPV bombers

Date:

2022 to present

Number:

hundreds of thousands or millions

Example:

Aerorozvidka R18

While the use of drones to hit parked aircraft, installations, and vehicles long predates the Ukraine war (including in Syria, Libya, and the Nagorno Karabakh war of 2020), nothing on this scale has happened before. Ukraine largely lacks a functional air force. To make up for the lack of air force and especially the lack of artillery shells, Ukraine has increasingly relied on drones to fulfill that role.

R18 octocopter

Ukrainian unmanned combat aerial vehicles like the R18 are used to attack enemy targets by dropping bombs. Employing drones like the R18 octocopter, Ukraine has destroyed untold thousands of pieces of Russian military equipment (including tanks, APCs, IFVs, and thousands of individual soldiers). These drones have replaced the now-obsolete (in the Ukrainian context) drones like the Turkish TB2 Bayraktars previously used to great effect in Libya, Ethiopia, Azerbaijan, and Syria.

Related

How Many Strategic Bombers Has Russia Lost In Ukraine?

A handful of Russian strategic bombers have been confirmed damaged or destroyed in the Ukraine war together with the first shootdown.

5

Destroyed small fleet of transports

In August 2023, least 4 Il-76 transports were destroyed or damaged

Date:

August 30, 2023

Il-76 role:

Strategic and tactical airlifter

Result:

At least 4 Il-76s destroyed/damaged

As a sign of just how damaging drones can be, on August 2023, Ukraine launched a wave of drone strikes across six regions in western Russia, including the Pskov Air Force Base. Ukraine claimed to have destroyed six Russian Il-76 transport planes and a Tu-22 bomber. Later, open-source intelligence using satellite imagery confirmed two Ilyushin Il-76s were destroyed and another two damaged.

shutterstock_595204235 - Ilyushin Il-76 Take-Off

Photo: Media_works | Shutterstock

Some analysts claimed that several more Russian Il-76s were destroyed in the attack, but these were only visible in synthetic aperture radar, and those satellite images were not openly released. Russia has not stood idly by and has built one of the world’s most advanced electronic warfare networks to try to protect its vulnerable aircraft parked on the ground.

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