March 8, 2025: Very few drone operators have been lost in the Ukraine War. That’s because the operators have a safe space to 0perate uninterrupted. There is usually an operations team consisting of one or more operators as well as support staff to keep track of the local combat situation and find targets. After target requests come from combat units, the assistant checks his tablet or laptop computer where data on how many and what type of drones they have in the bunker. Most surveillance and attack drones are FPV or First Person View. The operators wear goggles containing a video screen showing what an FPV or surveillance drone’s camera can see. The other members of the team direct the operator where the target is. The drone attack often fails because of electronic jamming. When that happens the operator is given a drone that can home in on the jamming and destroy the jammer. These drone teams have dozens of drones in their bunker.

On a busy day, the team can use dozens of drones. That means the drone team requires constant resupply. That is the most dangerous job because out in the open everyone is a target. The Russians are not as adept at this form of drone warfare, but Russian drones are still a threat. Not just for the drone transport crew but for the drone teams on their way to equip another bunker. Some of these are in partially destroyed buildings or bungers initially built by combat troops on the front line. When the troops move on, their bunker becomes available for drone teams. Since the drones can target ten to twenty kilometers from their bunker, they only have to move to a new bunker if the front line troops move or retreat a significant distance. This is when the drone teams suffer most of their losses.

Bunkers are also sought by unit headquarters and frontline first aid personnel. The local senior commander or a member of his staff has to decide who gets what bunker. Because of the importance of the drones in killing and keeping track of the enemy, the drone teams are often first in the line to get a newly built or discovered bunker. In parts of the thousand kilometer front line there are bunkers that have been in use for months or years. On quiet parts of the front drone teams spend most of their time doing surveillance, with the occasional call for an attack drone. When new operators gain enough experience in their quiet zones, they are sent to more active areas to do their thing. There are hundreds of formal or informal drone teams that use over 150,000 drones a month. Most of these are disabled by jamming, equipment failure or hitting something that isn’t a target. But a third of these drones do find a Russian target to destroy.