- Ukraine presented its new unit dedicated to drone operations.
- The unit, named Typhoon, will focus on training soldiers to operate a variety of unmanned systems.
- Typhoon will provide operational support to combat brigades.
Ukraine announced a new military unit focused solely on drones.
The move speaks to the continued dominance of unmanned systems in the war and the need to train soldiers to learn and adapt to the challenges of drone operations.
Ukraine presented the first details of Typhoon, a special operations unit within the National Guard of Ukraine focused on unmanned systems, at the Art Ukraine Gallery over the weekend.
"The National Guard, like all components of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, is also developing in the direction of unmanned systems," Lt. Col. Maksym Skylar, head of the Ukrainian National Guard's Department of Unmanned Systems, said, per state news agency Ukrinform.
"One of the steps in 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," Skylar added.
A video shared online by Ukraine showed members of the unit holding drones and wearing operator headsets.
Members of Typhoon's team were also present to detail the unit's plans, including a focus on 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 gamers and engineers, to join the unit's efforts.
The specialized unit comes as the drone race between Russia and Ukraine heats up.
Drones have seen massive use throughout the war, whether operators use them for reconnaissance or surprise strikes on tanks and unsuspecting troops. But electronic warfare — more specifically, signal jamming — has ravaged drones' effectiveness on the battlefield, scrambling the operator's connection to their system.
Last month, evidence surfaced of Russia using a fiber-optic wired drone in combat. The wired connection was seen as an effective countermeasure EW and signal jamming. Autonomous drones have also been used by both sides as an adaptation to this, too.
But the adaptations are just the latest in a long saga as both sides develop new unmanned systems to maintain an edge. Experts and top war watchers have described it as a cat-and-mouse game, emphasizing the importance both Russia and Ukraine are placing on developing new and effective drone forces.