Drones have played a big role in Ukraine. At the beginning of the war, a Ukrainian drone pilot lived an average of two days, says Anton Holmström.
– The enemy sees drone pilots as a priority target and focuses on removing pilots.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, there have been very rapid developments, both in how pilots protect themselves and the type of drones used. According to Anton Holmström, technology development that would have taken several years in the ordinary defense industry now takes place in a few weeks.
– Private individuals get involved and you try your hand all the time, he says.
Drones to Ukraine raises money for drones
Anton Holmström is the initiator of the organization Drones to Ukraine, which collects money for drones and contributes to training Ukrainian drone pilots.
The organization only sends ordinary civilian drones with cameras, which can drop a cargo from above, but he is well aware of the new type of drone used in Ukraine. These are so-called racing drones, or FPV drones, where FPV stands for “first person view”. Namely, they are flown with a special kind of glasses.
They can also be mass produced locally in Ukraine and are cheap. A decisive factor – because it involves a lot of drones. According to a new report Ukraine loses over 10,000 drones per month, where the majority is disrupted by the Russian side.
FPV drones harder to stop
Anton Holmström takes a positive view of the fact that Ukraine currently appears to have a lead when it comes to the development of drones. But there are also problems, he says:
– When the Swedish defense forces say they can disrupt drones, they mean ordinary civilian drones with GPS and camera. An FPV drone like this cannot be stopped so easily, so globally I see dark clouds.