The drone captured with its cargo of food, coffee and tablets
Black Swan Group
The besieged town of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine has been under continuous attack by Russian forces for four months. Drones are a lifeline as they supply fighters on the front lines – not only for the defenders, but also for the Russians whose supply lines are constantly under attack by drones.
It seems that the same small FPV drones that destroy tanks and fighting positions are being repurposed into logistics mules.
Special delivery
The Black Swan Strike Group of 225th Brigade recently posted a video on their Telegram channel with the caption:
The cargo was attached to the drone in a cyclindircal package wrapped in cardboard and plastic
Black Swan Group
“Across the world, companies like Amazon and Google are actively testing home delivery. But in the city of Chasiv Yar, this delivery method is already the norm, and even more so: we already use systems to combat competition. »
The video shows a Ukrainian soldier opening a package attached to what appears to be a downed Russian FPV drone. Packaged in plastic and protected by cardboard, the top item is a bag of Italica brand instant coffee, made in Russia. Underneath are several aluminum containers of the type found in Russian MRE ration packets likely containing cheese, ham or pâté, as well as an unidentifiable tin can with the word “beef” in legible Russian. Based on typical Russian army menus, it’s probably a beef stew, probably with too much fat for Western taste (if you’ve eaten in Russia, you know), but it does have calories.
The package included painkillers and heartburn tablets
Black Swan Group
There are also several strips of aluminum tablets – ibuprofen painkillers and diclofenac anti-inflammatories, as well as, more surprisingly, Gastal tablets for heartburn.. (Is stew that bad?)
Danger of a fool’s trap
As interesting as this discovery was, opening it was incredibly dangerous. Don’t try this at home: FPV drones are frequently booby-trapped, and both parties strongly advise personnel not to try to recover downed enemy drones.
The Joker FPV has a tamper-proof fuse to detonate the warhead if it is disturbed.
Russian Defense Ministry
The Russian Joker FPV is equipped as standard with an anti-disturbance fuse; if the drone does not explode during a mission, it becomes a bomb. Others would have a delay of an hour or more and would therefore trigger when analyzed or reused. Other drone initiators are equipped with magnetometers, so anyone approaching the downed drone with a metal object such as a rifle will trigger the warhead.
The Black Swan Strike Group itself is made up of experienced drone users, with a remarkable combat record. We assume they were aware of the risks and followed appropriate safety procedures when conducting this analysis.
The package in this video could easily have hidden an explosive charge large enough to tear off a limb or worse. The Trojan horse is an old trick, but one that can still work.
21st Logistics Century
We have already seen Ukrainian drones bringing bottled water. Water is a much more immediate need than food, and water carriers have long accompanied troops on the front lines. Drones can also be used for urgent deliveries of medical supplies, radio batteries or ammunition. But here we have a drone carrying what looks like routine, not emergency, rations.
A standard MRE package weighs about 2-4 pounds, which is similar to the carrying capacity of an FPV drone, and we have about a day’s worth of supplies for one person here. Unless it is a lone individual, such as an observer or sniper at a remote outpost, multiple drone deliveries would be required daily to maintain a stocked position.
This suggests that FPV drones are numerous enough to be used for low-value deliveries. While the Ukrainians also use FPVs as bombers with a drop mechanism, in this case the cargo appears to have simply been taped to the drone. The drone would either have stayed with the recipient until they could return it, or the drone operator would have had to wait until the delivery was received and the cargo was detached before they could return the drone.
Regardless, the use of FPV for routine resupply suggests that there is a low perceived risk of jamming or other interference. Given that the drone was shot down, their confidence was misplaced.
Last mile logistics have become a major issue in a conflict where every movement is observed by surveillance drones and frequently attacked by FPVs. A whole subgenre of videos shows Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian UAV-452 “Loaf” pickup trucks rushing toward the front line.
In recent months, both sides have begun using unmanned vehicles for resupply. Drones are obviously more suited to delivering urgent or high-value supplies. Wild Hornets recently demonstrated an interesting example: a large Queen Hornet FPV that can carry a 15-pound payload, delivering smaller FPV to drone operators.
Small quadcopters carry out reconnaissance, artillery direction, bombing, mine laying and now ration delivery operations. More drones will mean more capacity and more drops, as well as greater strain on other methods of delivering supplies. Google and Amazon may not yet be able to deliver drone deliveries, but soldiers could soon rely on them, even for morning coffee.
