Ukraine's New Interceptor Drones: How the 117th Brigade is Hunting Russian UAVs Over Donbas.

Ukraine's 117th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade

According to UATV: The 117th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade of Ukraine is actively deploying new combat tactics in the skies over the Donetsk region, specifically involving the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). This unit is dedicated to destroying enemy drones, utilizing 10-inch FPV drones equipped with 200-gram high-explosive charges. Since the start of 2023, the forces of the 117th Brigade in Donbas have eliminated nearly 200 Russian attack and reconnaissance UAVs. This represents a significant counter to Russia's extensive use of drone warfare in the conflict.

Drone Specifications and Operational Results

In early February, near Sloviansk, a crew with the call sign 'Maksi' destroyed a Russian 'Gerbera' drone. An anti-air drone operator from the 117th Brigade, call sign 'Vitamin', stated:

“We are the crew that protects the skies of the Donetsk region. That means from attack UAVs, 'Molniyas', and also from reconnaissance drones—'Zalas', 'Supercams', 'Skats', 'Orlans', it doesn't matter what.” - Vitamin

The UAV crew commander 'Maksi' emphasized that they 'hunt, in principle, for all aerial targets we detect—from 'Lancets' to 'Shaheds'. It is capable of hitting them and chasing them down'. It was noted that the brigade's electronic warfare (EW) systems are currently operating effectively. 'Maksi' remarked: 'This is an enemy FPV. You can see that it has lost control, meaning our EW is working well'.

Furthermore, the commander of the UAV workshop, call sign 'Ter', reported improvements in drone operations: 'The feedback loop is well-tuned; they listen, they correct their mistakes if there are any. And if the first batch of drones arrived with some defect, they called—they said, the next batch arrives with the problems already fixed'.

An interceptor drone pilot with the call sign 'Shabai' detailed their drone's specifications: 'This is a 'Salut'—a multi-rotor type interceptor. What's here: 4 motors, half a kilogram of explosives on the 'nose' of the UAV. Well, these are the ones we use against 'Shaheds', mainly—'Shaheds', 'Gerberas''.

Thus, the 117th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade of Ukraine demonstrates active work in the field of air defense, implementing cutting-edge technologies and tactics to protect the airspace of the Donetsk region.

The growing effectiveness of the 117th Separate Brigade in counter-air combat highlights the adaptation of Ukrainian forces to modern warfare conditions, where unmanned technologies play a key role. The use of FPV drones and EW systems improves the chances of successfully countering enemy UAVs and enhances the overall security of the region's airspace. These measures can influence the course of hostilities, as air control is critically important in a contemporary military conflict.