Despite Ukraine's drone capabilities, its missile arsenal remains more formidable, a drone operator humorously conceded.
It's enticing to presumptively attribute, due to the plethora of videos displaying clashes in Kursk Oblast, western Russia, the majority of Russian armored vehicles' losses during counterattacks on the 250-square-mile salient occupied by Ukrainian troops since August, to explosive first-person-view drones.
However, this hypothesis might be flawed. While FPV drones broadcast live footage, the evidence tends to contradict the events on the ground in Kursk, and perhaps elsewhere in Russia's war against Ukraine.
The true scenario is that antitank missile teams, rather than drone operators, have played a significant role in inflicting damage on Russian armored vehicles attacking in Kursk since November 7th.
As Kriegsforscher, a Ukrainian marines corps drone operator in Kursk, who assists in defending the salient's western border, humorously put it: "It's quite amusing to see how everyone believes that FPVs rule the game."
During five days of Russian attacks ending on Thursday, the Russian 237th Guards Airborne Assault Regiment lost 17 armored vehicles in Kriegsforscher's sector.
The vast majority of them were impeded by mines or antitank guided missiles, such as the American-made Javelin or the Ukrainian Stugna-P. Kriegsforscher pointed out, "Only afterwards, FPV drones became active."
The small drones, carrying just a few pounds of explosives over a few miles, are primarily effective in completing off stalled vehicles rather than initial impairment.
Approximately 10 to 15 percent of the armored vehicles, as per Kriegsforscher's evaluation, were annihilated by FPVs—during the advancement phase.
The Russians have lost around 100 vehicles in a 4-square-mile region of Kursk surrounding the hamlet of Zelenyi Shylakh—and only in the recent weeks as they have intensified attacks on the Ukrainian salient.
Regardless of their growing complexity and operators' growing competence, Ukraine's FPV drones—produced in excess of a million each year—still fall short in destruction potential versus a 1990s-vintage Javelin ATGM.
In terms of pure explosive power, a 35-pound Javelin is equivalent to a dozen FPV drones. Moreover, in the hands of an ATGM team from one of Ukraine's notorious bloodthirsty air assault brigades, a Javelin might become even more destructive.
Despite the drones' improved visibility compared to missiles, in Kursk, missiles still outperform drones in destruction due to their sheer explosive force. This once again underscores the notion that, in mechanized warfare as in numerous aspects, appearances can be deceptive.
It's interesting to note that the significant damage to Russian armored vehicles in Kursk Oblast, as witnessed in the footage, might not solely be attributed to drone operations, given the area's antitank missile teams' active role since November 7th.
Contrary to popular belief, due to the high number of Russian vehicles impeded by mines or antitank guided missiles in Kriegsforscher's sector, FPV drones play a secondary role in causing initial damage to Russian armored vehicles.
