Aviation expert on possible specifics and configuration of new Ukrainian Army branch dedicated to unmanned aerial vehicles

"My first article on this subject was published in 2000,” he said.

“At that time, I roughly outlined the structure of the use of these troops and how to classify drones.”

“I think that FPV drones and light reconnaissance drones will remain in the units of the land forces — in assault, motorized, armored brigades, as separate units, companies. FPV drones will remain in the units as machine gunners and grenade launchers. That is, they will be an organic part of the units.”

However he says, “it makes sense to have longer range kamikaze drones organized into separate units.”

“I don't know if it makes sense to have a separate commander for a separate type of unit,” he says.

“But if there is already a decree, then I think experts have studied this issue. Because it will indeed be a separate type of [unit] with a range that no other type of our unit is capable of — neither aviation nor the rocket and artillery units we have. Because we are talking about UAVs with a range of over a thousand kilometers.”

Such units will have “ important functions, and they need the kind of intelligence information that other branches of the military generally do not need. Maybe that was the point of creating this kind of force.”

Ultimately, though FPV drones will still have a place in Ukrainian ground units, Romanenko says.

“There will be individual soldiers taking care of them. Light reconnaissance drones will remain in companies or divisions as part of brigades. But long-range UAVs will be analogous to Russian tactical and strategic aviation. These will be our long-range strategic forces.”