‘New Era of Drone-on-Drone Warfare’: Video Shows Russian Mavic Trying to Shoot Down Ukrainian FPV

Fighters from the Khorne Group, part of the 116th Mechanized Brigade’s unmanned attack aircraft company, released a video on Telegram Monday showing a Russian Mavic drone attempting to shoot down a Ukrainian FPV drone near Russian positions.

“Khorne fighters continue to terrorize the orcs [a term often used by Ukrainians to refer to the Russian military],” the caption accompanying the video reads.

The footage, whose location and time Kyiv Post could not independently verify, begins with a Ukrainian FPV drone dropping ammunition into a Russian trench. According to the Khorne Group, this strike eliminated three Russian soldiers.

Following the strike, a Russian Mavic drone is seen approaching the Ukrainian FPV drone, circling it, and attempting to shoot it down, while the camera on the Ukrainian drone captures the aftermath of the explosion and rising smoke.

“We are witnessing the beginning of a new era of drone-on-drone air warfare,” the Khorne Group stated in its report.

In a comment to Kyiv Post, a Ukrainian aerial scout stressed that the Mavic drone is at least three times more expensive than the FPV drone. “Given their direct deliveries from China, the Russians are now ready to shoot down our bomber drones with them,” he said.

Ukraine has emerged as a global leader in military drone and electronic warfare technologies, surpassing Russia, according to a report by Forbes. Once dominant in these areas during the 2014 annexation of Crimea, Russia has lost its edge over the past 30 months of its full-scale invasion.

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The Ukrainian military regularly reports that Russian forces are resorting to ‘meat assaults,’ sending wounded or poorly trained fighters into battle as cannon fodder.

Ukraine’s rapid innovation and deployment of advanced drones and electronic warfare systems have provided a significant advantage on the battlefield. Recent successes in the Kursk region underscore this, with Ukrainian forces effectively neutralizing Russian drones and striking their positions using superior technology.

Forbes highlights that Ukraine’s technological edge stems from the integration of commercial and defense sectors. Over 200 Ukrainian companies are now producing military drones, with 50 focusing on electronic warfare systems. This swift adaptation has been crucial in gaining the upper hand in the ongoing war.