Ukraine implements deadly new tactic in Kursk region, changing military operations forever ᐉ News from Fakti.bg – World

Both in the past and in the present, a war cannot be won without ground troops. Technically, however, what is happening on the front today is very different from the battles we read about in textbooks. The full-scale war in Ukraine brought to light for the first time the widespread use of drones in military operations – both by Russia and Ukraine.

Drones (both reconnaissance and kamikaze) have been used since the beginning of the war. In the Kursk region, however, we are now looking at something that has not happened so far, writes The Telegraph. That is, unmanned aerial vehicles, weighing several kilograms, to shoot down an enemy helicopter in flight.

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In the early hours of August 6, the Ukrainian army launched a surprise attack on the Kursk region of Russia, bringing the war to Russian territory. In one week, the Ukrainian army is said to have captured more land than Russia has managed in eight months.

When Ukrainian boots set foot in the Kursk region, powerful reconnaissance drones flew over them. What shocked the Russians was the shooting down of a Russian Mi-28 combat helicopter by a Ukrainian drone with explosives on August 7, somewhere over the Kursk region. This was the first documented flight of a military helicopter with a drone in flight.

The fact that it was a small FPV drone – which usually only weighs a few kilograms and requires a high level of skill from the operator – makes the takedown all the more impressive. But this was not a one-time fluke. A few days later, the Ukrainian army struck with a drone and a Russian Mi-8 transport helicopter over Kursk.

🇺🇦 #Ukraine: The Ukrainian military has released footage of the FPV drone hitting a Russian Mi-28 attack helicopter in the center of the country. The strike took place over the Kursk region of Russia, possibly marking the first time a helicopter FPV drone has been downed in flight. pic.twitter.com/eoiSpiKCAh

– POPULAR FRONT (@PopularFront_) August 7, 2024

A single FPV (first person view) drone costs only a few hundred dollars. That such an inexpensive drone, with a sufficiently skilled operator, can shoot down a multi-million dollar helicopter is a tremendous development for militaries around the world.

It is too early to predict the disappearance of the helicopter as a weapon of war. But that moment came closer when a helicopter first went down with a drone in flight.

The Telegraph writes that we shouldn’t expect drones to shoot down fighter jets in flight anytime soon. The reason is simple: they are much faster than helicopters and fly at a much higher altitude. According to the General Staff of Ukraine, since the beginning of the full-scale war, the ZSU has destroyed 367 Russian combat aircraft and 328 helicopters. This data has not been independently verified.