Russia is now training its troops to use helicopters to launch first-person view (FPV) drones to counter Ukraine’s uncrewed surface vessels (USVs).
Using a helicopter as a FPV drone mothership in this way makes a lot of sense. You can greatly expand the reach of FPV drones by delivering them forward via a mothership aircraft. Generally, the FPV drones have a maximum range of about a dozen miles, but operationally usually it’s much less than that.
They require continuous line-of-sight communications with their controllers. However, their range can be maximized by avoiding terrain that can interfere with their signal.
Elevated antennas and relays installed on balloons or placed on unmanned or manned aircraft, like a helicopter, can extend their connectivity much further with more consistent connectivity.
In this case, the helicopter is both the delivery system and the control node. Operating over water and having the controller well above the surface in a helicopter means that the absolute maximum range and flexibility can be squeezed out of these drones. This also fits with a broader move to more advanced ‘air launched effects’ drones that are launched by a mothership aircraft, but this cruder version of the concept makes realizing even a basic capability like this much more attainable.
FPV drones are capable of hunting for USVs, popularly known as drone boats, while also acting as precision-guided munitions nimble enough to chase them down and destroy them, although it’s always harder than it looks.
Using helicopters to launch FPVs is another iteration in the development of drone combat in this war, where FPV drones have dominated the battlefield. Aerial suicide drones have been used to attack boats before, so it makes sense that Russia has moved to the maritime interdiction environment focusing on countering Ukrainian long-range drone boat attacks.
Launching FPV drones from helicopters would allow Russia to cover wide swaths of the Black Sea. Being able to strike Ukrainian sea drones before they can get close to a port or ships is far preferable to relying on close-in weapons from a vessel or shore defenses, booms, and other impediments in a port.
Sources: The War Zone; YouTube