Ukraine unveils Typhoon military unit focused on drone operations

“The National Guard, like all components of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, is also developing in the direction of unmanned systems,” said Lt. Col. Maksym Skylar, head of the Unmanned Systems Department of the National Guard of Ukraine, according to the state news agency . Ukrinform.

“One of the steps of this development is the expansion of unmanned systems units, namely a separate detachment that will perform its tasks only with unmanned systems of various types,” added Skylar.

A video shared online by Ukraine showed members of the unit holding drones and wearing operator headsets.

Members of the Typhoon team were also present to detail the unit’s plans, including providing operational support to combat brigades and learning how to use the latest unmanned systems.

Mykhailo Kmytyuk, the unit’s commander, said a major benefit of the unit was training soldiers on how to operate a variety of drones. Kmytyuk also called on desirable candidates, including players and engineers, to join the unit’s efforts.

The specialist unit comes as the drone race between Russia and Ukraine heats up.

Drones have been used extensively throughout the war, whether operators use them for reconnaissance or surprise strikes on unsuspecting tanks and troops. But electronic warfare—more precisely, signal jamming—has devastated drones’ effectiveness on the battlefield, shaking the operator’s connection to their system.

Last month, evidence emerged that Russia used a fiber-optic drone in combat. Wired connection has been seen as an effective EW and signal jamming countermeasure. Autonomous drones have also been used by both sides as an adaptation to this.

But the adaptations are just the latest in a long saga, as both sides develop new unmanned systems to maintain an advantage. Top experts and observers have described it as a game of cat and mouse, underscoring the importance that both Russia and Ukraine place on developing new and effective drone forces.