Drone warfare in Ukraine: new unmanned strategy and FPV video detector
Three key stories from the two weeks of May 28 – June 10, 2025
Ukraine is the first country in the world to establish a separate military branch dedicated to unmanned systems, encompassing aerial, ground, and maritime vehicles. It has been almost a year since the Unmanned Systems Forces were officially created, and the branch recently welcomed a new commander, Robert Brovdi, the leader of one of Ukraine’s most successful UAV units, “Madyar’s Birds.”
It will be interesting to see how he scales up the work of this innovative branch and what reforms he introduces. This is a field of constant and complete innovation. There is no handbook or collection of best practices — only the hard-earned experience of Brovdi and his fellows. Good luck!
In addition to Brovdi’s strategy, this newsletter also highlights key takeaways from an interview with a Russian drone producer. It’s quite interesting to hear enemy feedback on Ukrainian and Western systems, even if I had to endure a fair share of cringe while watching the video.
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Reforms of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces: Vision of Robert “Madyar” Brovdi
On June 3, Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of the 414th Brigade “Madyar’s Birds,” was appointed head of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces.
His unit itself is currently the most efficient UAV unit in Ukraine, according to the recent statistics on eliminated targets.
Brovdi shared his vision for the top priorities during his first 100 days:
6–7 units from the TOP-10 most effective, according to current performance ratings within the Defense Forces system, will be incorporated into the Drone Line project. Currently, five elite units have been selected for this project. Read more about the Drone Line project here.
All Drone Line units carrying out combat missions at the front will operate within a unified electronic system: planning, analysis, coordination, management, and real-time reporting, with automatic result verification. Launch timeline: June–July 2025.
Step-by-step deployment of all 12 layers of impact across the tactical and operational depth of the frontline. Modeled after the 414th Separate Brigade — including electronic intelligence (ELINT), electronic warfare (EW), radar systems, enemy UAV neutralization, remote mining, anti-Shahed systems, counter-drone teams, and more. Launch: June–September 2025.
Scaling up domestic ammunition production — no more “fighting with what’s left,” but ensuring that pilots receive everything on time. Ammunition waits for the pilots, not the other way around.
Establishment of a unified logistics hub to promptly supply all Unmanned Systems Forces units with 50 critical components: Starlink terminals, batteries, mobile electronic warfare systems, custom FPV parts, peripherals, pickup trucks, power banks, and more.
Active deployment of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) — as the primary logistical channel for delivering ammunition, drones, and equipment to pilot positions.
A separate focus area is the use of UAVs to reach deep into enemy strategic territory. No public details — priorities have been set, and those responsible are fully briefed.
Transformation of the existing Innovation Center from a brigade-level unit into a full-fledged institutional body supporting the entire branch. Already, 15 projects, technologies, and tools have been implemented.
A unified recruitment campaign for the Unmanned Systems Forces and simultaneous basic plus specialized UAV training (similar to the already implemented training system in the Drone Line), along with a dedicated network of schools for FPV pilots, bombers, fixed-wing drones, electronic warfare (EW), electronic reconnaissance (ELINT), radar operators, fighter pilots, unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), and more.
On June 25, 2024, the President of Ukraine signed a decree establishing the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Unmanned Systems Forces have become a separate branch within the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Unmanned Systems Forces are the world’s first separate branch of the military that systematically employs unmanned aerial vehicles, ground-based robotic systems, as well as surface and underwater maritime drones to carry out a wide range of missions.
Seeing through enemy eyes: Ukraine developed a drone video signal detector
The Chuyka 3.0 signals surveillance device from BRAVE1 cluster member BlueBird is currently topping the Ukraine Brave1 military marketplace. The device is designed for electronic intelligence operations. The device is built for electronic intelligence missions, intercepting analog video signals from FPV drones. This allows users to see the operator’s screen in real time and take immediate action.
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