Nightmare for Russians: How Ukraine's Vampire drone destroys enemy forces on the front

The nighttime mission begins when it gets dark in the area. The crew of the Vampire drone works every night - dark is their element. We make a stop at the last safe point before the front line. Putting on our gear. Meanwhile, the engine's sound: we are driving into the darkness and the unknown. Soldiers never know what the next combat mission will be like.

Video: How Ukrainian drone Vampire destroys Russians at the front (youtube.com/RBC-Ukraine)

There are three soldiers in the crew. One of them gives a sign to the other, who takes out his phone and begins to read a prayer that everyone will return alive. In the place where death breathes down the neck of life, one starts to believe in any gods.

The front line is moving at a frantic pace. Where there was life yesterday, there is emptiness today. We pass through settlements that have become ghosts. The streets are in complete darkness, there is no more electricity. There are only empty buildings. It's unbearable to see how towns and villages become a line of defense daily. Where people lived yesterday, Russians are roaming around today.

“We are working in the most difficult area where the enemy's advance is very active. Previously, they used equipment for assaults, but now they are using meat assaults. We are trying to make these assaults a little more “meaty” with ammunition. But they have a very large human resource,” says UAV operator Nazar.

Photo: The crew of the Vampire drone works every night in complete darkness (RBC-Ukraine)

Vampire is a drone that impresses with its size. This hexacopter was developed in Ukraine at the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022. The flying giant is equipped with thermal imaging optics. That is why it can operate at night.

The drone can fly up to 10 kilometers from the takeoff point and carry a munition weighing up to 15 kilograms. Russians are afraid of this drone and call it “Baba Yaga”. The UAV can carry either an RPG charge or a huge 12-kilogram one.

It is not surprising that the drone instills such fear in Russians. It is not visible at all in the night sky. Suddenly, a loud sound spreads through the air. If it stops and starts targeting, it almost certainly means imminent destruction.

“Two days ago, we destroyed an enemy sniper group that came to work in our area. We cleared them out. About three minutes after the work was done, our infantry radioed that there were still Russian soldiers there. We flew over and brought in a 120mm mine. I think it killed everyone there because the video showed that this piece of landing where they were sitting was covered with shrapnel, it was impossible to survive there,” recalls sapper Julian.

Photo: The Vampire can fly up to 10 kilometers from the takeoff point, and carry up to 15 kg of ammunition (RBC-Ukraine)

While the soldiers were laying out the equipment, a message came over the radio that intelligence had uncovered an enemy observation post in one of the houses in the occupied territory. The guys quickly attach a heavy fragmentation munition to the drone.

“This 'bird' can kill up to a platoon of Russians overnight. Our job is to kill the occupiers and make them 'good'. To breed on our land, to fertilize the land. We are, so to speak, engaged in agricultural work,” the pilot Nazar ironically says.

The hum of six engines tears through the space. We quickly run for cover. The screen shows the landscape of the village. On the radio, the comrades give the coordinates and adjust the targeting.

The drone flies up to the house but suddenly begins to jam the signal, and the image disappears. This means that the pilot is on the right track - there is an enemy electronic warfare unit there, which means there is a cluster of Russian militants. A few minutes later, they managed to get closer. Another moment and the munition falls right on the hut.

Photo: Drones can hit dugouts and enemy equipment, but they are countered by enemy electronic warfare (RBC-Ukraine)

“That's it. We hit it! The high explosive effect did its job there. I think they will not work there anymore. They must be 200-300 (dead and wounded - ed.) now,” Nazar says.

The Vampire drone can destroy dugouts, enemy equipment, and entire buildings. The main thing is to get there because the enemy's electronic warfare systems make it harder to fly every time. The Russians are deploying a lot of radar countermeasures. However, unlike conventional smaller UAVs, this hexacopter has a return function in case of countering the EW.

“It happened before when we flew 5-6 kilometers away, the image disappeared completely from the EW, and the screen was black. We thought that we were done and were going to go home because we were left without a drone. Then - it returned in just 5 minutes. We thought it was an unfriendly drone returning. We see it hovering near our position and starting to descend by itself. It is a very big plus that it has a return home mode,” explains Yulian.

Besides the combat work, the drone is also used as a combat courier to deliver supplies to infantrymen in hard-to-reach places. In the dugout, the guys have a lot of packages that their comrades have packed for the soldiers on the front line. They contain bread, energy drinks, stew, cigarettes, and water. The infantrymen are not always able to take a lot of supplies with them, so these packages are a great help.

Photo: The best way to boost morale is through successful operations and destroyed occupiers on the positions (RBC-Ukraine)

“In this situation with our sector now, Vampire plays a very important role. Some positions are impossible to reach by car. We pack everything the guys need so that it won't break when they fall. We deliver it to the guys this way. Because there are no other options, this is the only way. We want to help the guys because we understand that it is difficult to be on the line without provisions, without everything,” adds Yulian.

There is nothing better to raise the spirit of the Vampire crew than successful operations and destroyed enemy positions. Successes inspire them to do even more. Technology plays a very important role, allowing us to change the course of the battle at the front and save the lives of our people. This war has already turned into a battle of the minds. This is what will allow us to deter and defeat the enemy, who is outnumbered in manpower and equipment.