In a recent exercise at Fingeringhoe Ranges, British Army soldiers have been honing their drone piloting skills, focusing on the use of advanced First Person View (FPV) Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) as part of a push towards new tactics.
The training involved Lance Corporal Harry Hopes from the 13 Air Assault Support Regiment, who observed a drone equipped with the SmartShooter SMASH system, aimed at enhancing the Army’s precision strike capabilities.
As the military explores the integration of drones into combat scenarios, the potential for FPV drones to deliver a “kamikaze” effect has garnered significant interest. These drones, flown using virtual reality headsets and capable of carrying small explosive charges, offer enhanced manoeuvrability, allowing them to strike targets with precision.
Sergeant Adam Barnes from 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) explained, “An infantry unit equipped with FPV UAS can fly them to attack targets that it would otherwise have to call in mortars, artillery, or an air strike to hit.”
The training session was part of Project Lewes, which seeks to incorporate cutting-edge technology into existing forces to improve their operational effectiveness. Troops from the 16 Air Assault Brigade recently conducted a screening session at Colchester’s Merville Barracks, aiming to identify soldiers who could join the jHub Drone Academy. This effort, which partners with the Army’s Combat Manoeuvre Centre, provides training on FPV flying techniques across the three military services.
Currently, British infantry units are equipped with the Parrot and Black Hornet UAS for reconnaissance, with soldiers completing a three-week qualification course. While traditional drones come with GPS and stabilisation software, FPV drones are devoid of these features, making them more challenging to operate but less susceptible to electronic interference on the battlefield.
As Sergeant Barnes noted, “While it is harder to operate, an FPV UAS is a much simpler, more adaptable and cheaper bit of kit.” This adaptability allows for a more efficient use of resources, offering commanders greater tactical flexibility in combat situations.
Lance Corporal Morgan McConnell from 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment expressed his enthusiasm for the training: “Flying drones is something that I enjoy, and it’s been a different skill to develop.” He also highlighted the challenge presented by FPV technology, stating, “It takes a lot more effort and skill because you’ve got total control of it.”
Perhaps we should ask the Ukrainians 🇺🇦 to train us if we haven’t already?
We could really learn from their experience as they have learnt from us. 😊
I doubt the training task is onerous.
I am sure that there is much that we can learn from up to the minute battlefield experience and tactics that the Ukrainians have both used effectively amd observed, rapidly evolving equipment, and how it is or may be used etc etc. Jon’s comments below exemplify.
Yes. OK. Fair points.
FPV drones are evolving at real speed in Ukraine, with new generations of capability coming every couple of months. I’d like us to be in the forefront of the use of autonomy on these cheap systems. With bubbles of jamming and GPS denial becoming an increasingly common situation near valuable targets, we need to extend the ability of the drones to do sensible things when out of contact. Swarming will also arrive on cheap drones at some point, with more counter UAV capability developed to bring a new equilibrium.
We can’t afford not to be in this game.
FPV drone operators are murderous ghouls. It has produced a shocking collection of war crime videos in the current conflict.
Whereas releasing missiles, bombs shells et al without a view of what’s being hit is some sort of ethical experience? We have become blazé about that though read back about responses to the machine gun introduction or mass artillery or indeed arming of aircraft and those were in the days before mass media coverage so the effects were pretty much only truly witnessed by those directly involved.
I guess for him launching a grenade against an enemy is ok from 20m , but doing it from 2000m away is a war crime.
Pretty much the same thing is said of snipers! What’s your answer to killing the enemy if you don’t like drones?
It just doesn’t sit easy with me being removed from the peril of war but having that FPV kill experience. At least snipers have to ingress/egress and use skill. They are very much in the combat zone. Some nerd with an Xbox control 10 miles away taunting the enemy and on occasion killing surrendering/surrendered troops… I hope bad things happen to them when captured.
“I hope bad things happen to them when captured.” so you’re mad that they’re too mean to people whilst you wish torture on them? i think that the end of the day you’ll say you actually only have a problem with ukrainian drone operators, but russian ones are heroic and saving kids!
Nope, they all disgust me when they attack people who have clearly given up or are laying on their side with hands cable tied to film gore propaganda.
what exactly is ukraine supposed to do when being attacked by savages? just surrender ‘so they dont have to murder anyone’? taking the high road in war gets you killed. attitudes like yours are why the west is having SO MANY issues right now. grow a pair. please.
Maybe they shouldn’t have sent the army to murder Russian speakers in the East? It took many years and 14,000 dead in Donbas before Russia responded. To think smaller countries can simply ignore or provoke their larger neighbours is infantile. We can’t ignore the EU or USA, fingers in ears, and pretend they will just go away. We have to sensibly surrender some autonomy or sovereignty to maintain peace and economic ties. It’s the same across the world. Ukraine is not special, not allied to us, has zero moral high ground and frankly doomed by its own hubris. If you feel so strongly and want to show off your pair, get on out there. They take volunteers.
You’re just trotting out Russian propaganda! Effectively defending the people using cruise missiles on schools and hospitals!
What war crimes are you talking about being committed by FPV drone operators?
The obvious question, how do we deal with this technology in the wrong hands. As a weapon delivery system drones are becoming every day tools for our services. Civilian use is also growing at an alarming rate exposing even our homes to these devices. Forget the conventional cameras used by the paparazzi, drones will allow intimate access thus expanding options. Anti drone development should now be a top priority both for military and civilians or we face a growing menace that could impact all our lives.
That is the serious question and i think we have a big problem= the attacking side have loads of advantage probably like never before, so we are at time the only answer to this is attacking back even stronger
We don’t have a defensive answer to 1M drones/year – Ukraine is our side but many others with much better industrial capability are not. .
This is a significant change in war and something that we in West are not prepared because it will lead to significant causalities in both sides.
Plus the neo-marxists in West will use that to do even more support to our enemies.
What sort of weight of explosives are we talking of here? Expensive hand grenade delivery or a kilo of big bang? AA
Could be an hand grenade or at most an RPG head, Keep in mind that even hand grenade there are HEAT hand grenades and can mission kill any AFV. RKG-3EM penetrates 220mm and weight 1,7kg, lighter versions penetrate 160-170mm there are no AFV in the world that has all its top able to resist it.
An FPV also allows you to strike a vent, exhausts, sights, top of the turret etc.
Thermite down a gun barrel !
Typically between 1kg and 3kgs, in Ukraine. Range about 20km for the lighter payloads.
As long as politicians don’t spin them as a replacement for proper artillery, precision missiles for GMLRS, overwatch Brimstone types on Boxer, all the the rest the army is waiting for.
That one guy is going to be in great demand if a conflict breaks out 😇. Seriously though 2 years into a ‘drone war’ is this truly representative of where we have got to? I truly hope not and it’s just a singular piece of pr to show pre existing direction. Surely considering the amount of drones we are supplying Ukranian operatives spend some time with uk personnel (not just military) cross fertilising both experience and potential as best design and innovation comes from as close to hands on experience as possible.
Thank goodness. This is reassuring.
However, the UK needs these at scale. I hope they are also filling up UK warehouses with millions of these for wartime stocks – although this tech goes out of date very quickly, but at least the motors and frames may be good to pre-assemble.
Be interested to hear the thoughts of serving soldiers on this. To me it seems like we are creating soldiers who can operate a drone when we should be creating drone operators who can fire a gun!
British army ethos is ‘soldier first’ then tradesman so every soldier in whatever arm is given basic combat skills!
Be interested to hear the thoughts of serving soldiers on this. To me it seems like we are creating soldiers who can operate a drone when we should be creating drone operators who can fire a gun! Drone operators should be added to current personnel numbers not use what we’ve got.
I understand your thinking. But I think you need to think of these things as an option along side say 40mm grenades, 60mm mortar, and DMRs. These are force multipliers. Drones are just a new tool that can be carried into the field they are nothing special or an end in their own right. Most young soldiers spend some of their down time with a joypad in hand. I doubt they will have little trouble in flying drones in the field.
What surprises me is that this is happening now and didn’t happen when the West was in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I agree it should be an option but it feels like a replacement. I’m all for adding another string to our bow but it shouldn’t be detrimental to the strings we already have! Thanks for the reply.
Spot on!
Knowing the technology and the cost of ATGM I am really surprised that the US and allies weren’t using these in the Sandbox.
a few months back there were ‘leaked’ videos out of JSOC and the US (and probably SAS i imagine) most definitely were using these years ago. some of these videos included FPV quadcopter entering a house and flying around after guy by door had gotten killed by the first one. one that took off from the top of one moving car, flew twice highway speed and landed on the roof of another moving car (using a magnet or something to attach itseft) then the car stopping, one of the most interesting to me was one tossed out the back of a c-130 from high altitude but maintained perfectly stable to the ground (i believe this was the same as the one from first video). then multiple vids of chasing lone jihadis like we see in ukraine so much. all these appeared to be from before the ukraine war. they appeared to have a ton of capability-more performance than what we see now- so were probably bespoke designs that cost an eye-watering amount of money. i think the biggest lesson from ukraine will be using massive amounts of cheap ones.
Our army has had small and micro drones for recce for some time – I don’t recall the names of the systems. Just not attack drones.