Ukraine's Defence Ministry explains how operators of heavy bomber drones are trained

Ukrainian operators of heavy multirotor drones undergo a specialised piloting course in addition to basic military training. Future drone crews are being taught night navigation and manoeuvring with payloads onboard.

Source: Ukraine's Defence Ministry

Details: A heavy bomber operator is an expert who pilots a large strike drone at a safe distance from the line of contact. This military occupational speciality is assigned code MOS 217 in the Ukrainian Armed Forces system.

Recruits and active military personnel training to become heavy bomber operators take an additional piloting course in addition to their basic general military training.

Quote: "At this stage, operators master the mechanics of keeping a large drone airborne, learn how to manoeuvre with a payload onboard and perform complex calculations for payload-release ballistics. Since most combat missions are carried out during the dark hours, particular attention during training is paid to working with optics – future operators train to quickly and accurately identify the enemy through thermal imagers and night vision devices."

More details: The bomber drone operator course also includes explosives handling training and safety procedures, as UAV crews constantly work with explosives. At this stage, troops are taught how to handle munitions correctly and safely attach them to drone payload release systems.

The ministry said the main tasks of heavy bomber operators are to detect concealed Russian equipment, dugouts and logistical routes, and then strike them by dropping explosives. Ukrainian forces use domestically produced systems, in particular Vampire, Kazhan and Nemesis, which can carry payloads of 10 to 40 kg.

Quote: "This enables anti-tank mines or specially developed high-explosive fragmentation munitions to be carried onboard."

More details: In addition to the drone itself, heavy bomber crews also have access to a protected ground control station, Starlink satellite communications terminals, external antennas, generators, charging stations, large UAV batteries and a vehicle for deploying and evacuating the system. The ministry said troops are also issued small arms, which are "critically important when guarding launch positions".

Background:

• Ukrainska Pravda reported earlier that Frontline Robotics, a Ukrainian drone manufacturer, had presented a new version of the Linza 3.0 bomber drone.
• Ukrainian defence company SkyFall is also expanding localisation of the Vampire and Shrike drones.

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