By decree of Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskiy, a new branch of the Armed Forces, the Unmanned Systems Force, was created, independent of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Zelenskiy based his decision on the fact that drones, or unmanned systems, proved their decisive combat effectiveness on land, at sea and in the air, during the war against Russia.
«Ukraine has really changed the security situation in the Black Sea thanks to drones. Repelling attacks on land is largely the work of drones. Large-scale destruction of occupiers and their equipment is also carried out by drones,» the Ukrainian president said on the social network Telegram.
See also: First successful anti-ship mission of Bayraktar TB2 drone in Ukraine
????Головнокомандувач ЗС України генерал Валерій Залужний:
Сьогодні на світанку біля острова Зміїний було знищено два російські катери типу Раптор.
Працює #Байрактар.
Разом до Перемоги!???????? pic.twitter.com/3wxlwjDtdx— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 2, 2022
Along with the establishment of the Unmanned Systems Force as an independent branch, the Ukrainian Command will create special units to work with drones on a full-time basis, will create ranks of specialized personnel, trained in their operation. It will also push forward the steady expansion of unmanned systems production, attracting in turn the best specialists in the field.
The announcement comes on the same day that Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar, the renowned Turkish drone manufacturing company, announced the start of construction of a drone construction factory near Kiev. With a payroll of 500 employees, Baykar plans to produce, for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Bayraktar TB2 and the new TB3 models of unmanned aerial systems.
Where else but in Ukraine?
It is no coincidence that a milestone of great significance for the history of armed conflicts, such as the creation of this new branch of the Armed Forces, transversal to the naval, land, air and cyberspace domains (and in the future, also space), has its origin in Ukraine.
Artillery systems are one of the most important targets for Ukrainian FPV drones.
That’s how our defenders from the 40th Artillery Brigade hunt for russian artillery. pic.twitter.com/7dLy1f7Qlg— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) January 30, 2024
While drones of all types have been increasingly used in conflicts for several years, it is in Ukraine where, for now, they have demonstrated their greatest potential, enabling the Ukrainian armed forces to overcome a far superior conventional military force, through ingenuity and innovation in the field of unmanned systems and hybrid warfare.
