The race for tech supremacy in skies above battle zones

Frontline drone operators say that Russia is close to hobbling their most popular models -setting off a race to find replacements

- Dan Sabbagh

Crouching in a freezing basement or risking it all on top of a nine-storey building, the C drone squads in the war zone of Bakhmut are ubiquitous. Some are forced to lurk a few hundred metres from, or even on, the frontline. Without them, Ukraine's efforts to hold on to the embattled city would be much harder, perhaps impossible.

But the concern for Ukraine, according to three frontline drone operators deployed in the city, is that the Russians are close to countering the most popular models, made by the Chinese manufacturer DJI. "They are manufacturing special jamming systems," said Yaroslav, 31. "I believe like in three, four months, DJI will not be usable."

It means a scramble for replacements, prompting countless initiatives in probably the most dynamic aspect of the near 14-month war, a conflict in which drones have helped defenders.

Neither Yaroslav nor Maksym, both from Kharkiv, had military experience, but they were recruited into Ukraine's 63rd brigade, switching to the hot zone of Bakhmut in December and January.

Their day in Bakhmut typically started before dawn, where in a group of two or three, the men brought at least a pair of drones to their forward position, most likely a simple DJI Mavic 3 quadcopter (which costs about $2,000) or a more advanced DJI Matrice 30T (about $14,000) - and 20 to 30 batteries, because "in winter, the battery life is about half an hour", said Maksym.