Ukrainian micro-drones revolutionize armored warfare tactics
Ukrainians use drones for various tasks, including pairing micro-drones with armored vehicle crews. While this concept is still futuristic in the West, Ukrainians are already testing it in combat conditions. Here are the advantages of this solution.
Drones in Ukraine serve as replacements for virtually everything and act as performance boosters for other types of weaponry. A notable example is the use of a micro-drone by the crew of a captured BTR-82A armored personnel carrier, enabling them to shoot farther and more accurately than usual. This concept of pairing drones and vehicles is expected to emerge in next-generation military equipment.
Below, you can watch the shelling of Russian positions along a tree line, where Ukrainians aim to hit a soldier with a torch (or flashlight) from a distance of over 1.5 miles. Normally, a shooter sees very little at such a distance, but here the commander is able to guide him by marking hit points visible thanks to tracer ammunition.
Besides increasing the accuracy of the shots, it reduces ammunition consumption, making the onboard supply last longer. Furthermore, fewer shots fired means less barrel wear, which extends its lifespan. This is a crucial issue for captured equipment, for which the availability of spare parts is virtually non-existent.
BTR-82A - strongly armed Russian taxi
BTR-82A armored personnel carriers with an unmanned turret, armed with a 30 mm 2A72 automatic cannon, are the latest vehicles of this type in the Russian armed forces. This cannon poses a serious threat, but Russians are experiencing problems with the quality of the barrels and ammunition.
During one of the official demonstrations, they were unable to hit an old M113 just about 100 yards away. Possibly, after loading some high-quality ammunition from Bulgaria, it performs better. Ukrainians have captured many of these carriers, and the better examples are used on the front line.
The BTR-82A has been in production since 2011, being an advanced modernization of the BTR-80 carrier, after the BTR-90 model was deemed too complicated and costly to produce. The new version is distinguished not only by its weaponry but also by a stronger engine with 300 horsepower.
The armor of this eight-wheeled carrier is made of steel less than 0.4 inches thick. Theoretically, its interior should be lined with Kevlar, but no traces of such lining were found during the inspection of a damaged unit at the MSPO 2023 fair. Such armor offers only protection against artillery fragments and small arms fire, but at close range, an FN FAL rifle with tungsten-core armor-piercing ammunition can easily penetrate it.
The BTR-82A crew consists of three people, and the carrier can transport seven infantry soldiers. It is worth noting that due to losses on the Russian side, BTR-82As are becoming increasingly rare, being replaced by older models such as BTR-60/70 and even BTR-50. Additionally, Russians are using motorcycles, bicycles, Chinese golf carts, and other civilian vehicles in their assaults.
