“Civilian” quadcopters (drones) and their role in modern military conflicts

Introduction

In the modern world, various drones and drones have become firmly embedded in the everyday and professional life of a person. The quadrocopter manufacturing and sales industry has made a huge leap over the past ten years. Under these conditions, the use of quadrocopters in various fields of professional activity is becoming an increasingly familiar and commonplace process.

The relevance of the study lies in the fact that currently the use of quadrocopters in many areas is growing rapidly, including the military sphere. The experience of recent military conflicts shows that even such a seemingly harmless tool as a quadcopter can become a formidable military force used in combat.  

The purpose of the study is to consider and analyze the use of civilian quadrocopters in modern military conflicts. And also to identify the areas of application of quadrocopters and, ultimately, their role in the military operations of the present time.

This article is an attempt by the author to analyze the process of formation of civilian quadrocopters as special military tools widely used in modern military conflicts.

Materials and methods of research

The methodology is determined directly by the research topic and includes general scientific research methods: analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, content analysis method. Also, the author uses special research methods in his work: historical-genetic and narrative methods.

The bibliographic base of the work consists of current research on the use of drones and drones in various fields. The research materials used are: publications in the media, publications in the personal microblogs of military journalists, data from the official websites of drone manufacturing companies, as well as other information from open sources.

The photos and illustrations used in the work are taken from the official websites of drone manufacturing companies, as well as from other open sources.

Discussion

In the modern Russian scientific environment, there are no studies that would be devoted to the topic of the use of civilian quadrocopters in military conflicts. However, recently, more and more works have begun to appear, which in one way or another are devoted to the topic of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the military sphere. Among those, it is worth noting the works of D. O. Burlakov ^[1], I. A. Solovatov ^[2], V. V. Timofeev ^[3], N. A. Balakleets ^[4], E. V. Bogdanov ^[5], S. V. Arinchev ^[6].

In the Western and English-speaking scientific community and the mass media, the topic of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles was present even before the start of the special military operation in 2022, after which interest in this topic increased significantly. Let us note here some works and publications in the media: an article by Brazilian military Gilberto Frison ^[7], Polish researchers Anna Konert and Tomas Balcesak ^[8], an article by RAND Corporation researchers Andrew Hen and Tom Shanker ^[9], the work of Cornell University scientists Sarah Kreps and Paul Lushchenko ^[10], an article by journalist Jason Sherman ^[11], as well as a study by an international group of authors ^[12].

The results of the study

Before starting a direct consideration of the topic, it is worth giving some explanations and definitions of the terms used by the author in this work. In the context of this work, the concept of "quadcopter" means an unmanned aerial vehicle with remote control, which usually has 4 propellers and is made according to the helicopter type (that is, with the possibility of vertical takeoff, without the need for acceleration). These characteristics significantly distinguish the quadcopter from unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type, which are not considered in this article. Also, the concept of "drone" in this work is used as a synonym for the concept of a quadcopter, since in various works, media publications, etc. these two words often mean the same thing.

It is also worth explaining the term "civilian quadcopter" in the title of the article. This term, according to the author, is quite correct to use in the context of this study, since the drones considered in it were not originally intended for military purposes. Manufacturers of such equipment position their devices as working tools for recording video in various fields of application (whether it is video recording by bloggers, conducting geological exploration in hard-to-reach places or monitoring certain territories), but despite this, such devices are actively used for military purposes.

General information about the civilian quadcopter (drone) industry.

Today, there are more than 100 companies around the world that manufacture quadrocopters for various needs. But the leading positions in the global market are occupied by companies from China, the USA and France (see table 1).

Table 1. Popular manufacturers of quadrocopters.

Chinese companies are the overwhelming leader in this industry, as a wide production base, foreign investment, as well as the development of technology and microelectronics have allowed this country to become a leader in the production of civilian quadrocopters of both entry and professional levels. The estimated profit of the leading drone manufacturing companies in 2023 was:

1. DJI – about $4 billion.

2. Parrot – about 107 million dollars.

3. Autel Robotics – about $ 31 million.

4. Yuneec – about 60 million dollars ^[13].

It can also be noted here that this is one of the fastest growing industries, since the availability of drones, and with it the demand for them, has been actively growing recently. The outbreak of the military conflict in Ukraine and other violent clashes around the world further spurred this trend.

In the context of this work, we will consider the experience of using drones in a special military operation (from where, in fact, such a spread of the use of civilian quadrocopters as a military tool began), in the military conflict between the armed forces and units of the rapid reaction forces in Sudan, which began in April 2023, as well as in the invasion of the Hamas militant group in the south-the western part of Israel on October 7, 2023.

The use of quadrocopters for conducting reconnaissance operations from the air (reconnaissance drones).

After the start of the special military operation in 2022, about a few months later, videos with footage of surveillance of the movement of military equipment and personnel, as well as objective control personnel, began to appear on the network. Then it became clear that the military on both sides are using various quadrocopters and drones in intelligence and surveillance activities. Now it is difficult to say which side was the first to use such means, but this fact now does not matter much, since currently the use of quadrocopters and drones is tightly used by both sides.

Currently, reconnaissance drones are used to conduct reconnaissance in areas up to 10 kilometers (if the situation allows). With their help, you can easily detect enemy manpower (see Figure 1), clusters of military equipment, the location of positions, trenches, dugouts, etc.

Figure 1. Detection of enemy personnel using a quadcopter.

In addition to conducting simple reconnaissance by inspecting the area from the air, drones are also used to adjust and guide various weapons systems such as automatic grenade launchers (AGS), barrel artillery, multiple rocket launchers (MLRS), mortar systems (see Figure 2), etc.

Figure 2. Correction of mortar fire using a quadcopter.

For these purposes, ordinary civilian quadrocopters are quite suitable, which can be purchased in the store by anyone. But, as noted by direct military personnel and specialists, the most popular and in-demand option are drones from the Chinese company DJI, especially the Mavic 3 and Mavic Air 2 models (see Figure 3).

Figure 3. Quadrocopters "Mavic 3" and "Mavic Air 2" (respectively).

These models have good build quality, a video camera with the ability to zoom in, as well as the ability to reprogram software for specific needs. The models of the aforementioned American company Autel Robotics are also distinguished – the Autel Evo II and Autel Evo III models. Their distinctive feature is working on a frequency range that is not the most common (5.8 GHz, instead of the common 2.4 GHz), as well as the ability to return independently if you lose contact with the operator. 

The price of such quadrocopters varies from $ 1,500 to $3,000. Thus, for a small price, military personnel get the opportunity to conduct real-time reconnaissance, correction and guidance of weapons. This fact has become a key factor in the growing popularity of civilian quadrocopters (drones) for use in combat operations.

The use of quadrocopters to drop ammunition (drop drones).

Some time after the beginning of the use of civilian quadrocopters (drones) in combat operations for reconnaissance, videos began to appear on the network with the unusual use of drones as a dumping device. The work of the drop drone consists in its imperceptible approach to the target and the implementation of its defeat by dropping a striking projectile on it. The drone is able to dump cargo using separate modules (see Figure 4), which can also be freely purchased. 

Figure 4. Devices for dropping cargo from a quadcopter.

The price of such devices is about $ 100-150, which, together with the ease of mounting on the drone itself, makes them very popular and affordable.

The targets of drop drones are mainly accumulations of enemy manpower, as well as its military equipment. For ethical reasons, the author does not provide screenshots of the defeat of living people in this article, but such videos are widely distributed on the web.

But here it is still worth considering the direct use of dumper drones in power collisions. To do this, consider the facts of the use of drop drones in the Israeli conflict. 

On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants invaded the territory of southwestern Israel. In the first hours of the invasion, they broke through the border barriers on the border with the Gaza Strip, and then moved deeper into the country to nearby settlements and military installations.

Interestingly, this breakthrough was carried out with the help of very cheap and, at the same time, very effective tools. So, Hamas militants simply crossed the concrete border wall by air on hang gliders, and then from the inside they punched a gap for reinforcements to pass through.

And in this regard, it is worth mentioning drop drones, which were also used by Hamas militants to break through fortifications. Using conventional civilian quadrocopters, Hamas militants disabled Israeli towers with automatic machine guns (see Figure 5), thereby ensuring their safe passage.

Figure 5. The defeat of Israeli machine gun towers on the border with the Gaza Strip.

As you can see, the defeat of automatic machine guns was carried out by dropping conventional grenades from drones. These videos were, after some time, distributed by the Hamas militants themselves on their social networks. Towers with communication antennas, as well as personnel of the Israeli army, were hit in the same way.

After the Hamas militants advanced to military facilities inside the country, they successfully shot down several Israeli Merkava tanks (see Figure 6), videos of which are also available online.

Figure 6. Dropping a shaped grenade on an Israeli Merkava tank.

But this time, cumulative PG-7VR grenades from the Soviet hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher (RPG-7) were used as a striking element ^[14]. It is worth noting here that in the Ukrainian military conflict, such drones are also widespread and therefore currently almost all equipment of the armed forces of the Russian Federation is equipped with so–called "mangalas" - protective nets over towers and the perimeter of the building ^[15].

After these events, the Israeli army quickly realized its mistake and equipped its Merkava tanks with anti-drone nets ("mangalas") to protect against dropped projectiles. Also, such grids are suitable for protection against FPV kamikaze drones, which are discussed below.

The use of FPV quadrocopters to defeat targets (kamikaze drones).

Some time after the special military operation, in April 2022, it became known that the Ukrainian military began using American kamikaze drones "Switchblade 300" ^[16]. This product is a small disposable tactical barrage ammunition with a warhead, which is controlled by the operator using a remote control. This event can be called a starting point, which later influenced the popularization of the use of FPV kamikaze drones. This was due to the fact that Western supplies of barrage ammunition were quite limited, and some extant copies were put up for sale on the black market in the darknet ^[17].

These facts led to a shortage of these munitions at the front, and then the Ukrainian military began using homemade kamikaze drones (see Figure 7).  

Figure 7. Kamikaze drone with an RPG-7 grenade.

Such homemade devices are built on the basis of conventional FPV drones, which are equipped with various striking elements. After the start of their mass use, both sides realized their effectiveness and currently such drones are used everywhere by both the Ukrainian and Russian sides. It is worth noting here that initially FPV (from the English "first-person view") drones were used in the entertainment field. But due to their high speed (about 100 kilometers per hour), as well as cheapness (on average 100-300 dollars), they drew attention in the military sphere ^[18].

The use of such disposable kamikaze drones pays off completely, since the average price of such a homemade barrage munition does not exceed $ 500, but it can cause serious damage to equipment (see Figure 8) worth tens of millions of dollars, as well as manpower and enemy fortifications.

Figure 8. Defeat by a kamikaze drone of an ammunition delivery rover.

The use of such homemade kamikaze drones proved itself well in a special military operation, the experience of which was subsequently applied elsewhere. Thus, FPV kamikaze drones were successfully used in violent clashes in Sudan between the rapid reaction forces and the armed forces of Sudan, which began in April 2023 ^[19].A video clip that appeared online in September 2023 shows footage of the use of kamikaze drones on moving cars (see Figure 9) and other objects.

Figure 9. The defeat of a car by a kamikaze drone in Sudan.

In the videos distributed on the Internet, several cars were hit, which subsequently burned down. After these events, the opinions of "experts" about the "Ukrainian trace" began to appear in the Western press ^[20], indicating that it was the experience of a special military operation that pushed the Sudanese armed forces to use such destructive means.

Conclusion

Thus, based on the conducted research, it can be concluded that at present the role of conventional "civilian" quadrocopters (drones) in military conflicts has increased significantly. As can be seen from the analysis of the experience of recent armed clashes, drones, which were originally intended for peaceful use, have become a formidable military force on the battlefield. As the use of such drones developed, it became clear that in addition to conducting "classic" intelligence activities, civilian drones began to be widely used as drop drones, as well as as homemade disposable barrage ammunition, due to their cheapness and ease of use. Which at the same time can cause significant damage to military equipment, fortifications, as well as enemy manpower.