“FPV-drones – the reincarnation of sniping”. The story of the pilot and sniper “Echo”

Before the start of the war in 2014, “Echo” was a student. Later, after graduating from college, he went to Poland. He says he worked there for a year and decided to join the army.

“I am a sniper from the 58th brigade – from the sniper company. My call sign is “Echo”. Before the war, I was a student. I graduated from college and went to Poland, worked for a year, and with my friends from childhood decided to join the army, join the defense of the country. I signed the contract in 2020, and since then I am still in the 58th brigade,” says “Echo”

Over the years, the industry of FPV drones has developed a lot in Ukraine, there have been many manufacturers and pilots who do their job well, – a lot too. And this is for the enemy – “a real nightmare”.

“It’s a nightmare because FPV drones are fast, inconspicuous. Such drones are, let’s say, the reincarnation of sniping, because you can fly further. You “stun” the enemy, he will then tell his comrades that he got an FPV drone. And that’s scary and it hurts if he remains 300. And in the future he will remain disabled,” explains the pilot.

“Stugna”, Echo continues, “closes” 5 kilometers, and the FPV drone – 15. This makes it possible to work behind enemy lines.

“[Особливо подобається] to fly 15 kilometers to the rear – there they relaxed their buns, they walk “on a cigarette”, they do not feel any threat. That’s why it’s so… nice to aim there,” adds “Echo” with a smile.

Despite the fact that the fighter has been engaged in sniping for three years, he does not consider himself a sniper, he says that he is a high-precision shooter. Because even though the basic sniping course lasts only three months, it takes forever to learn, he assures. You should practice your weapon every day, improve your skills and go to the range at least once a week to shoot at different distances in different winds.

Before making its first test flight as a drone, “Echo” “flew” in the simulator for 30 hours. In general, the training lasted about a month.

“You can fly for 30 hours in a week in the simulator, go out into the field with the drone and fly there for at least 30 hours to get used to the drone itself, attach the weight, fly with the weight so that you can control it properly. [Щоб навчитися, треба] literally the moon,” says the FPV drone operator.

When the pilot takes off, he feels adrenaline. A little later, having flown a certain number of kilometers, he calms down. This is important because the operator must look closely at the target.

“Echo” further describes its work as follows: “When you see the targets – you go in, the connection is interrupted, when you hit the target, you watch the video confirmation, and this is joy. You feel relieved that one tank, equipment or unit of manpower is already less on our land. And this – relief”.

How many drones are needed to hit, for example, BMP, is difficult to answer. This is influenced by a number of factors: radio horizon, EW, etc. If one BMP managed to be hit by two or three drones – a very good result.

Comparing his two professions, sniping and UAV control, “Echo” once again emphasizes that sniping is still a difficult and more dangerous business.

“Sniping is a very difficult business, it’s not like people think that you lie down and shoot. This is 1% of the whole business. The remaining 99% is camouflage, reconnaissance, target detection, surveillance. And with an FPV drone – ” “Mavik” or “Stork” – flies to its rear, finds the target, you have reset the coordinates, you built a route, took off, 5-10 minutes and you are already near the target, “explains the operator.

The “Echo” sniper hit his first target a month after training, and as an FPV pilot – after two weeks.

Hero of Ukraine helped the military to master sniping. For security reasons, he does not mention his name, but he is very proud to be his student. It is thanks to his guidance that “Echo” has good results.

But the boy learned to “fly” by himself, because even two years ago – before the start of a full-scale war – instructors would have to be found. The Ukrainian military invents new ways of using drones every day, so “Echo” improves its skills every time. The main thing here is constant development, because fortunately, the domestic production of drones is pleasing.

“We exchanged the first drones for a DJI Spark. We found an ad on OLX, there was a set: the cheapest RF Sky remote control, Chine glasses and the 5-inch drone itself. And it was written that it would be exchanged for a Mavik. We called, offered our DJI Spark, he refused, and we agreed on the sum of 6 thousand hryvnias. We bought this kit and began to advance in this matter,” – recalls “Echo”.

That’s how it all started. Then the boys got to know drone manufacturers and visited them at the test site. At first, military personnel were not allowed to fly drones because they did not have certificates of completion of training. However, when the manufacturers saw how they “fly” on their own, they let them protest.

“We arrived with our drones, started flying, they saw that we fly a little better than the certified pilots, and in the end the certified pilots were left without drones, and then they gave us a little, for the test. That’s how we got the first drones,” he says pilot.

Of all the flights, “Echo” was most remembered with the “thermobar” (thermobaric ammunition, which is used in closed rooms – ed.): “It was the most enchanting, when everything is burning, burning… And they are no longer running, no fussing. But it was very beautiful.”

The future pilot learned about FPV drones from YouTube. He remembers how he looked with interest at the American pilots who, while driving, were engaged in freestyle and racing.

“Then I saw that already in Ukraine they are being used as kamikaze drones, and I was very interested in this. I saw a great sense in this, because one drone is potentially one destroyed tank or other equipment,” the operator explains.

To become a pilot, as in any field, it is enough to be motivated. The remote control, says “Echo”, costs 4 thousand. After purchasing it, download the simulator to your laptop or phone and start “flying”.

True, normal FPV drones are not enough at the front. Often people who want to help the army hand over Chinese or home-made ones. And they, says “Echo”, either fly crookedly or do not fly at all.

“You take off, and they burn, the engines burn out, etc. The main thing is not to invent your own. There are basic drones that work very efficiently. And make [треба] exactly them.

We had such a case with the initiation board: we put the drone in a combat position, pulled out the check, saw that the initiation board was working, inserted the detonator, taped it, I ran to the shelter, the co-pilot began to take off and the drone exploded due to a bad board. It was lucky that everyone was in shelter, no one was injured or damaged,” the soldier shares.

The 58th brigade requests drones directly from manufacturers. For each UAV, a report is made – showing the damage or, on the contrary, talking about the facaps. Sometimes a mistake can happen in production, so the military always points it out and helps in this way.

Soon, the fighters will receive the Ukrainian FPV drone GRIM – a complex that has a unique way of launching with the help of an auxiliary multicopter. After raising the barrage ammunition to a height and disconnecting it, the drone continues its flight and acts as a signal repeater.

Note that manufacturers provide drones created at the expense of donations.