Solutions to win: Ukrainian volunteer-made Backfire drone authorized for use in combat

The Backfire drone, made by volunteers from southern Mykolaiv, is not authorized for use in combat conditions, Ukraine's Defense Ministry reports.

What is the problem?

Illia Shpolyansky, the author of the vehicle, faced the issue of drone importance in modern warfare, and their insufficient number among Ukrainian forces at the beginning of the all-out war. As a volunteer, he was supplying equipment and ammunition to the military, and a few months later, he became the head of an aerial reconnaissance unit.

He realized that the so-called "wedding drones" (DJI and Autel products) that volunteers send to Ukrainian troops are becoming ineffective, knowing that Russians are actively improving their electronic warfare (EW) equipment. Illia and like-minded people set about creating a device of their own design.

He noted that their combined unit, "Evil Birds," destroys the enemy on one of the front lines daily and flies to operational depths where artillery usually cannot reach.

What is the solution?

A group of enthusiasts from Mykolaiv, led by a well-known activist, volunteer, and founder of the Hero of Ukraine charity foundation, now commander of the Ukrainian Navy's consolidated UAV strike unit, Illia Shpolyansky, has developed and successfully used a Backfire drone that is invisible to enemy radar in combat.

Not everything went smoothly. For an airplane-type drone to take off, both literally and figuratively, it needs to crash many times. A crashed sample is additional work. The design and research process, as it should be in such cases, was quite lengthy and financially exhausting, but it yielded good results. Soon we started using our UAV for combat missions, recalls Illia.

How does it work?

Ukraine's Defense Ministry commission has approved Backfire bird for use in the army, so volunteers are now preparing the paperwork for inclusion in the order.

We are gradually improving and expanding production, preparing for a government contract and official delivery to the Armed Forces, he wrote.

So far, there has been no loss of Backfire on enemy territory.

The drone has a range of up to 5 meters, which is effective enough for two fragmentation bombs. The drone's camera footage makes it possible to analyze the results of the strikes.

Over the past week alone, our drone has hit a cluster of enemy personnel, two of their command vehicles and two electronic warfare and radar systems, the unit commander added.

The project has raised over $400 thousand in sponsorship funds and not a single penny of state funds. The drone is highly resistant to enemy electronic countermeasures and suppression.

The device is low-noise and powered by an electric motor powered by a rechargeable battery. Due to its small size and successful design, it is hardly visible on radar.

At the same time, it hits the target with a deviation of up to 5 meters. Now the team is working on hitting an even smaller square – 3 by 3 meters.

The United 24 fundraising platform has raised $325 million over the past year, and 10,000 UAV operators have already been trained as part of the Army of Drones project in Ukraine.

With the support of allies, 17 strike drone companies within the Armed Forces brigades have already been equipped with 53 new pickup trucks.