In the sky over western Ukraine, a bullet-shaped P1-SUN interceptor drone dived towards its target as dozens of soldiers looked on. A cheer went up as it cut through a tow line from another drone to a balloon, which drifted away.
Ukraine’s most skilled military drone pilots squared off this week not against Russia, but against each other in a competition to win bragging rights and state-of-the-art hardware for their units.
Drone technology has transformed the war in Ukraine. Young men using video game consoles to operate strike drones packed with explosives, sometimes from command centres far behind the front line, are deeply feared by enemy soldiers.
This week’s “Wild Drones” competition, held in fields outside the spa town of Truskavets, gathered pilots from 19 of Ukraine’s best units and manufacturers of drones used on the front line.
“This is an opportunity for them to communicate with each other a little, to learn something or share something with someone, and to see from manufacturers what new products are available,” said “Grey”, the sergeant major of the Black Raven drone battalion of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, an organizer of the event. He asked to be identified by his military call sign.
Ukraine has promoted the “gamification” of the war. Last year, it introduced a points system for verified drone kills. Units can spend these points to purchase equipment on the military’s DOT-Chain and Brave1 Market online platforms nicknamed “Amazon for war”.
“It’s a bit like choosing a car. They all do different things,” said one soldier from the first battalion of the 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, who asked not to be identified.
The system helps to motivate soldiers by fostering competition and to ensure resources are allocated efficiently to the best pilots, officials say.
Russia’s cash bonus system incentivizes the destruction of equipment. Ukraine’s points system also rewards human targets, as Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov seeks to bleed Moscow’s military by killing or seriously wounding 50,000 soldiers per month. Ukraine puts the curent number of Russian soldiers killed or seriously wounded each month at about 35,000, a figure that Moscow denies.
The event, founded two years ago, offered a break from the front line, where some participants have been deployed since Russia’s invasion in 2022. There was a relaxed atmosphere, with a barbecue and networking party; some participants brought their wives and families.
Several officers said their units were in regular contact with drone manufacturers to request improvements.
“It’s a constant, ongoing process,” said “Dym”, the call sign of the commander of the about 400-strong Black Raven unit. “If we have one version of a drone today, in three months it could be a completely different drone.”
The growing flight range of drones is constantly expanding the “Kill Zone” - currently around 15 km (nine miles) either side of the front line - where soldiers and vehicles can quickly be attacked by drones.
Several participants said that drones such as the Vampire heavy bomber, made by Ukrainian defence tech company Skyfall, were also being used to carry food, water and medical supplies into the Kill Zone to reduce the number of humans deployed there.
Winners in each category at the event received three Vampire drones, plus batteries and systems.
A company spokesman, who asked to be identified by the call sign “Ares”, said Skyfall had the capacity to produce more than 10,000 drones per day and was constantly receiving feedback from the frontline.
“The biggest demand is automisation, so fewer people can operate more drones,” he said.