Brigade may use up to ten reconnaissance drones per day - National Guard's deputy commander

First Deputy Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine, Brigadier General Vadym Hladkov, said this in his first interview with Ukrinform.

"The daily use of reconnaissance drones alone can be up to ten drones per brigade. As for FPVs [first person view drones], their use is many times higher, especially if a front section is active and the enemy is conducting constant assaults," he said.

Hladkov clarified that this situation with the use of UAVs is "the current situation and the situation for the near future." He explained that a drone falls under the influence of the enemy's electronic warfare means and can also be shot down physically, even with certain types of small arms, if it flew low. At the same time, weather conditions affect the use of UAVs, especially when they are exposed to freezing on the frame or propellers in winter.

Hladkov noted that before 2023, National Guard units did not use drones en masse due to their high cost.

"For example, each Mavic-3 costs over UAH 100,000 and more, depending on the modification. Before the full-scale invasion and even in the first year of the great war, it was quite difficult to buy them," he said.

Hladkov stressed that the mass procurement of drones had become possible when the state joined the process, developing and financing this sector. He added that volunteers had provided significant assistance in the matter of purchasing drones for the past two-and-a-half years.