Russian Drones Fly Smaller Drones Into Battle, Ukrainian Soldiers Say

Russia’s medium-sized strike drones are flying smaller drones into battle, Ukrainian soldiers say.

Moscow uses its fixed-wing Molniya drones to carry FPV quadcopters. (Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense)

The fixed-wing “Molniya” drones can carry one or two first-person-view (FPV) quadcopters.

The tactic extends the reach of Russia’s FPV drones, Jake Epstein and Sinéad Baker reported for Insider.

Russian forces have been using their medium-sized drones to deploy smaller drones packed with explosives into combat, extending their range and creating new deadly challenges for Ukrainian troops.

Ukrainian soldiers who described the tactic to Business Insider said Moscow uses its fixed-wing Molniya (“lightning” in Russian) drones to carry FPV quadcopters — the type of small drones that have become ubiquitous on the battlefield.

The tactic, while not entirely new, has grown increasingly concerning for Ukrainian forces because it allows FPVs to strike at greater depths.

The war has seen other types of mothership-style drone carriers, but Russia only recently began using the Molniya for this purpose, soldiers said.

A soldier in the 4th Ranger Regiment, a Ukrainian special operations unit, said the inexpensive Molniya drones act like “an aircraft carrier,” bringing one or two FPVs into battle and significantly extending their reach.