Inside Ukrainian FPV Kamikaze drone unit with ace pilot 'Darwin'

Go along with Scripps News for an inside look into the Ukrainian FPV (first person view) Kamikaze drone unit. As artillery shells and rockets run short, Ukraine’s military increasingly turns to FPV drones - marking a new leap in the evolution of Ukraine's war with Russia.
We spend a day in the life of Darwin, a 21-year-old ace FPV drone pilot with Ukraine's "Achilles" battalion of the 92nd brigade. Darwin hunts targets including Russian tanks, armored personnel carriers and individual soldiers."
Our international correspondent, Jason Bellini, got rare access, over 20 hours, to Darwin and his team. An upcoming episode of Scripps News’ documentary series, “In Real Life,” will focus on the first-person experiences of Darwin, our “kamikaze kid.”
This short video is a preview of what’s to come: an all-access view of how Darwin and his team manage to take out, in a single day, nearly a dozen Russian targets.
-------------------------------------
Join our newsletter at bit.ly/2q1tepr
Follow us on Facebook: / scrippsnews
Follow us on Twitter: / scrippsnews
Follow us on Instagram: / scrippsnews
Follow us on TikTok: / scrippsnews

[@scrippsnews]

More Here: scrippsnews.com/stories/ace-ukrainian-fpv-drone-pilot-darwin-shows-war-s-explosive-evolution/

[@ShaleyWanda]

With proper hero medications somewhere somewhere ... Ahhh trump. Reaves. Ellis and Cuellar.... Ahhh God's children's presence.... M quit playing our live in protector for his knowings do not have voices over mommy's thoughts or mamaws either in all virtual spaces and life planets or orbits

[@DerdOn0ner]

Man’s looking like a Cyberpunk netrunner

[@ticiusarakan]

aga, cybernazi pilot

[@ricardomeertens9165]

Certain groups, such as the Russian Imperial Movement, have been accused of training white supremacists and neo-Nazis from other countries in Europe. The links between these groups and the Russian government, comprising a policy known as managed nationalism, have become particularly noteworthy since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed to be pursuing the "denazification" of Ukraine.[1] ​@@ticiusarakansure russian bot no nazis in russia 😂😂😂😂😂

[@TheIDK91]

​@ticiusarakan ruzzian nazis

[@SmokingFrogy]

Go back to sleep Vladimir

[@vp6087]

@@ticiusarakan You are completely true about russian tu-22 pilots killed thouthands of innocent people.

[@Blashmack]

21-year old vaping drone ace. The world is changing too fast

[@faithparker6]

it's always the people you least suspect

[@russellg1473]

@@faithparker6 as if aces in wwii were not 18 - 30 yo cigarrette smokers. who would you expect?

[@jedimindtrix2142]

Same skills. The first game I ever played was Red Baron WW1 fight Sim on MS Dos. I'm 36, grew up playing team fortress classic, counter strike and all kinds of fast paced competitive games all the way up to today's newest games. My hand and eye coordination, compared to people who don't play games is ridiculously high. So when you transfer the skills to stuff like this, it's a natural skill set to transfer. It makes total sense that this is who you would see flying these things lol.

[@DDtch6669]

My Uncle who fought for 4 years in Bosnia during the war always told me the best fighters was the silent and mentally stable guy who where the best fighters. Those we usually imagine, big strong beardy ones are the ones that die first because their own stupidity.

[@TheEnlightenedMalignancy]

I never asked for this 😎

[@pawel8365]

"Video games will never help you in life" they said...

[@fademusic1980]

video games have been designed to train for this eventuality for decades. they have used xbox controllers in armored vehicles for something like 15 years now

[@judeabrigo278]

only except that the FVP drones don't have the same control scheme as video games, try it for yourself by installing a simulator, honestly Imo getting used to game control scheme hindered me into flying FPV specially in acro as you will need to train your brain unlearn everything about how a game control scheme works.

[@jbaked2585]

I relate flying my drones to taking the Xbox outside.

[@AlgorhythmKid]

​@@judeabrigo278Well said. The first time I flew, which was acro, I thought maybe something was broken. Then I just realised, it was extremely difficult. Very big learning curve. Not all can do it. If you get your head around it, it's like riding a bike though.

[@Greg99rock]

fab 3000 is smiling at your wifi connection

[@ArchonLicht]

It's funny that in russian and ukrainian we say "survival of the strongest" while in the west it's "survival of the fittest", which does mean the most adapted already. Here the translator translated "survival of the fittest" from eng to "survival of the strongest" in ukr, and then Darwin corrected it to "the most adaptable" thus basically fixing the translation problem.

[@Eelis0]

It's interesting that you bring up adaptation. Last month Foreign Affairs magazine published an article titled: "Russia’s Adaptation Advantage - Early in the War, Moscow Struggled to Shift Gears-but Now It’s Outlearning Kyiv".

[@janeymers7154]

yeas, and besides he also corrected the common misconception about darwins famous theory. Pretty smart guy.

[@Hamdad]

It's also a more correct quotation of Darwin.

[@Polychromophilia]

@@janeymers7154he was a medical student, after all.

[@RusRecon007]

@@Eelis0 We have a proverb that describes our mentality. Russians harness for a long time, but travel quickly.

[@tacticlol]

Hitting the vape cinched the scene 😂

[@DanBaker108]

Try smoking hash and drinking whisky on the front lines in Syria lol

[@mesiroy1234]

This jourlist is oreety crazy And nuts in one kost bombed frontline

[@kiwi-freedom5113]

It’s like ghost in the shell stuff. Crazy use of headsets and drones. Effective too

[@obsidianjane4413]

GITS is set in 2029... Six years from now.

[@kiwi-freedom5113]

@@obsidianjane4413 wow, good point. As always sci-fi is pretty spot on!

[@Eupolemos]

He's dealing out awards, lol

[@DavidFPV360]

I fly fpv freestyle quads as a hobby and it's just crazy to see what people (have to) do with them

[@ZachTNT]

Same. I’m a big freestyle flyer but imagine if you did this as a hobby then got drafted to fly fpv artillery drones. Kinda scary to think about.

[@MANTA_FPV]

Since i started flying many years ago, i always thought hopefully no one ever comes to the idea to use them for something bad. Well here we are…. And yes i understand these guys and i would do the same to protect my family, but i don’t like the fact. Now that its popular to the world imagine what could come next….. imagine a swarm of these attacking superbowl stadium…. if you know how to fly them, no one can stop them. And the result will be it gets totally banned for normal people 😢

[@ZachTNT]

@@MANTA_FPV jeez that’s such a good point. When you start thinking about how dangerous these can actually get it starts to justify why stuff like remote ID is important even though most people are against it.

[@LouisLeXVIII]

Same, I literally know the model of goggles he's using

[@derpinbird1180]

@@ZachTNT If that happens you would otherwise be looking at infantry so id still consider it a win

[@paulvalery9778]

That’s so cyberpunk

[@ImmoTheBest]

Thanx for the report! Stay safe!

[@alonatrammell6093]

He's so smart . Amazing

[@paradieshenne]

3:40 my biology teacher would be proud of this!

[@honeybadgeractual5734]

13 years ago i told my room mate that FPV drone kamikazi was the artillery of the future.

[@Paolo040]

Not comparable to artillery but surely with many advantages

[@ItsJoKeZ]

I think his name is darwin because he is handing out the "darwinism" award

[@primeleverage2266]

The best comment 😂 so Far

[@NeostormXLMAX]

He literally pointed it out, its adaptation

[@samnater]

Awesome coverage! Already knew about the drones a while ago but you covered the topic excellently for someone unaware and got in really close! Great work!

[@user-ek7uo5lr6p]

Breaking news Beacon Tracker unjustified by Jamaica, England and America 2024 0

[@user-ek7uo5lr6p]

Breaking news Beacon Tracker unjustified by Jamaica, England and America 2024 0

[@user-ek7uo5lr6p]

Breaking news Beacon Tracker unjustified by Jamaica, England and America 2024 0

[@user-ek7uo5lr6p]

Breaking news Beacon Tracker unjustified by Jamaica, England and America 2024 0

[@user-ek7uo5lr6p]

Breaking news Beacon Tracker unjustified by Jamaica, England and America 2024 0

[@artkahn888]

Darwin is very smart 🫡🇺🇸

[@barrymacockiner8606]

Not showing his face on camera he isn’t

[@chaverenren981]

This kid is unbelievably badass. Huge respect.

[@tech477]

Thank you for risking your life to bring the news to your audience.

[@brymanley]

Risking his life?! Neither of these troglodytes are risking anything. Calm down buddy.

[@justsomeone953]

@@brymanley You are aware where they have to go to get that footage?

[@Maothiel]

Hearing him say he would be in medical school if not for this conflict made me cry.

[@r9337s]

Great report thanks! Be safe 🙏

[@TeckGamingOfficial]

Amazing

[@j.reydelosreyes]

Very good topic

[@jerryfat7498]

Thanks Jason, great report

[@liebfischbach7678]

Great footage!

[@revoppro]

Yeah. I wonder how many people died?

[@sikliztailbunch]

A small country fighting back with small devices against big tanks of one of the world´s biggest nations. David vs Goliath inception

[@user-mo1vk2vm7j]

У России такие же дроны камикадзы

[@NeostormXLMAX]

A small country larger than any in europe, given supplies and aid 20 times russias entire gdp in 5 years? Truly a david vs goliath moment 😂😂😂

[@VitalisEirich]

small country? 😮

[@notundermywatch3163]

Ukraine is not a small country

[@cargobob7817]

@@notundermywatch3163 Compared to russia it's very, very small.

[@justinmccoy7167]

"$1,700 to make a Russian a good Russian". Cold bruh. 😂

[@user-oi3kq8cl7q]

Unfortunately, you need a lot of these little wasps. That's too much money per day. Most kotrfe groups are engaged in FPV, they buy them from their salaries

[@guntamgil1]

Do they realise they are killing other young men for old grey haired men.......

[@thelordoftime803]

@@user-oi3kq8cl7q Too much money per day? Do you realize how much money it costs to fire indiscriminate artillery or anti-tank ordinance that might miss? Or how much an enemy combatant is worth in money? 1700$ to ensure almost maximal hit rate on even a single soldier or a million dollar tank is worth it. It doesn't matter how much it costs you, it matters if it costs the enemy more than it did you.

[@user-oi3kq8cl7q]

I'm very tired of buying the necessary equipment with my salary. As a drone pilot, I spend a lot of my own money so that my drones can fly. The state doesn't help me with this at all. in the last year my country has only given me 2 drones. it's too expensive for me​@@thelordoftime803

[@Katanotkate]

Lil bro is a literal netrunner

[@okolona1]

FPV killing is very personal. You see the enemy taking his last breath, unlike firing artillery from miles away. FPV pilots are special soldiers, like snipers.

[@allbushnocraft3031]

this might be the stupidest thing i’ve read for a while

[@nautha2528]

Yes, Special Cowards.

[@waynethegreat23]

Vape and a controller with a headset lol that's amazing

[@retired_USAF]

Go get em! I'm going to donate and help get more drones. May Darwin live a long and happy life after this.

[@user-hm7yd6ug1x]

what is his setup?

[@MurdersFPV]

Not really what I had in mind when I chose my FPV pilot handle. #respect

[@edmundasmiezelis7327]

Skyzone 04X mod with a/v and power cables only and no antena so i guess fpv signal carry by separate device

[@iamsmok]

Antennas are outside the dugout, connected with cable.

[@terriblewords4407]

That's what I was thinking@@iamsmok

[@clintonberechree6991]

they using long range ground station

[@dannykarnage4601]

Where do I sign 🤔

[@djbis]

From the moment I built my first FPV drone in 2015 and saw the likes of Mr. Steel fly anywhere, including inside buildings and other concrete structures I saw this military scenario with clarity. It was just a matter of time!!!

[@AlfieDoug]

At last a channel with news not just works of fiction put out for propaganda, subscribed.

[@Leafyfpv]

Well set up

[@AffectiveApe]

Nice reporting.

[@jakabgipsz4788]

Like "Ender's Game"

[@hakaishin77]

Darwin's drone evolution!

[@alejandroano2707]

Wow perfect nice one

[@cecescooter8951]

Go Darwin!!!👏👏👏 Is there a way to contribute to the drone fund!?

[@clutteredchicagogarage2720]

Yes. Google for "United24 army of drones". You can also look for the "Ukraine Aid Ops" drone fundraiser. Both initiatives supply drones to troops. There are others, but if you don't speak Ukrainian and want to donate online then I would suggest one of these two since I don't know if KZbin would let me link to specific pages of other organizations.

[@JR-mh8vn]

dont know about this unit but this is another drone unit you could donate to, kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqHEi5Rqjs-HaJYsi=Wb3fVSLDWep3B4Az

[@d3nza482]

Look up victory-drones, dignitas fund or peoplesproject. KZbin keeps deleting comments with more direct instructions.

[@oleksii000]

Look up united24

[@kaschtnsamtdiekarbln]

google aerorozvidka and army of drones

[@jbaked2585]

Nice to see the beta flight osd being used.

[@lubumbashi6666]

Considering these things broadcast 2.4GHz signals continuously it should be possible to detect and located both the drones and the pilots relatively easily.

[@rkan2]

They usually use other bands than 2.4Ghz. Stuff like LoRa, but they are also adapting to more frequencies for obvious reasons.

[@lubumbashi6666]

@@rkan2 You can't stream video down Lora, and you can't fly FPV on digital streams

[@8alakai8]

@@lubumbashi6666most drone racers use 2,4ghz for controlle and video is 5.8ghz you do have 1.2ghz systems the lower the frequency the more range and more pennetrating power but they olso use 800mhz for controlle

[@pedhead]

​@@lubumbashi6666Caddx Polar Micro Digital FPV Vista Camera Kit DJI air unit is digital

[@JasonBellini]

And consider this... AI is coming to these FPV drones...and I mean soon! More to come on that.

[@user-vg9ku1lg3b]

Есть древний фантастический рассказ ,,Страж - птица,,. где на небольших летающих роботов с исскуственным интеллектом , оснащенных как нелетальным так и летальным вооружением, люди возлагают функцию по охране общественного порядка, с целью предотвращения особо тяжких преступлений, в первую очередь убийств

[@cesurkarakus209]

Turkish made Kargu-2 kamikaze drones using AI to choose its target. It doesnt need a human supervision.

[@harleyquinn8202]

@@cesurkarakus209 Is that drone still $1000?

[@craftmaster300]

AI will not be able to fly as good as an FPV pilot for a LONG time. The poor video quality and quick decision making plus practiced precision is something that will be almost impossible for an AI to augment.

[@matthewmcguire728]

@@craftmaster300 What a wild take.... AI literally cleans up poor quality video, and its like one amazing thing is how fast it can make decisions. Jesus When I get an MRI the AI takes like 5 minutes to confirm no new tumor growth, and the Doctor takes hours to confirm. Why? because its so messy with radiation and scar tissue, but the AI sorts it out nearly instantly.

[@wizardscrollstudio]

All the sudden all those first person shooters I was playing as a kid make a lot of sense.

[@SmashingBricksAU]

There are some odd things in the video, it was like he was driving to the front every day like any normal person going to work.

[@Bennie32831]

Have they started mounting deringers style 410 buckshot hand gun's yet if you could get more than one drone with a fpv would be handy 🤔

[@lostwithasmile485]

3rd year med student...makes me want to cry.

[@Ovaflo]

Something iv been training at for years, but not knowing haha.

[@marcusm5127]

It's scary how close to games and the drone hobby this is. I am very glad to not be in his shoes.

[@rick5346]

Amazing what these guys do but I would not show my face, ever.

[@ijustwannabeadrummer]

yeah man is brave, the Russians seem to find you anywhere in the E.U. I hope Darwin stays safe!

[@NotYoutube-cp3qg]

Hey don't worry, youtube is now not available in Russia and Russia cannot accept yt too 😂, even yt supports Ukraine

[@int19h]

@@NotKZbin-cp3qg Plenty of people just use VPNs. And of course chekists have access.

[@marcinkaczmarek2650]

@@ijustwannabeadrummer Perhaps he will win the Darwin award him self

[@xindus9763]

They using analog video Systems? As far as I know its possible to track them back to pilots Location, isnt this a problem?

[@ShawarMoni]

Given they stationed underground i bet they took care of that

[@SolarMinerPH]

analog is cheaper, it is mostly OTC devices used in fpv racing drones. they are most likely be even using a digital relay stations to get more range. Analog is also easier to use as it just degrades when you go out of range unlike digital systems. It also doesn't make sense to destroy an expensive digital vtx when a cheap analog one will suffice.

[@xindus9763]

@@SolarMinerPH @ShawarMoni Thanks for the helpful answers.

[@eugenebayev1737]

@@SolarMinerPH analog video is working for longer distances. even with the inferior quality of the picture That is why it is used, not digital.

[@8alakai8]

@@eugenebayev1737with racing they still use analog it has less delay in the signal

[@user-tl7sy6vo4d]

That's a good idea to show his identity...

[@antonchenko]

what’s that cross on the back of a truck?

[@user-oi3kq8cl7q]

This is the markings of a military vehicle.

[@kristo723]

Looks like a luftwaffe symbol you’d find on a WW2 German aircraft..

[@erickottke9673]

The Ukranian army is using the cross symbol to prevent friendly fire. Same reason the Russians are using the Z symbil

[@Eupolemos]

0:19 - Iconic image of modern war.

[@yzzxxvv]

Best video

[@RamsQuemada]

Nice drones

[@JulioHernandez-zs5pb]

Estos nuevos aces de seguro pasaban horas en su casa con videojuegos 😅

[@harveyhill6102]

Looks a very handy pilot especially with drones keep up the good work you are doing because you will help Ukraine to win the war

[@monchichis333]

They're not even using DJI or digital goggles with air unit cam. Those are the older analog goggles which doesnt have the best clarity and signal

[@gostfalcon]

Six years ago, I started flying FPV and I always visioned explosives being attached. And here you go. The next thing will be in Mars. FPV on Mars will be really neat.

[@ronjon7942]

I still can’t believe that such devastating explosive power can be something so small and light it can be carried by a quad copter.

[@rodibremo]

Drones FPV are the beginning of a military revolution. Non? At 84, it's a lot of fun, I have flown drones ever since their creation.

[@nospoiler9550]

The reality of Ghost in the shell getting closer and closer every day.

[@neolinux]

You can use Freq Jammers on the Tanks to disturb the signal. Don't know why they don't use that.

[@erickottke9673]

The problem is the jammers emit an electronic signature themselves, so when you switch the thing on you instantly become a target for artillery, which is even worse.

[@Hukkinen]

Excellent reporting. I can't stand the feeling in CNN, hard to explain 😅

[@va05sti]

I can’t believe they showed his face, he will be hunted for the rest of his life now . Drone pilots are some of the most hated. Due to the footage of them killing wounded soldiers that are out of the fight.

[@ShawarMoni]

"Soldiers" that target civilians are way more hated imo

[@beboyyanez-channel9008]

Nice technology for war

[@ter6501]

Ok hear me out: Automatic Grenade Launcher but the grenades are 40mm drones.

[@francosabco4124]

They didnt even conceal his face, this media is endangering this man's life.

[@roger_isaksson]

They need to silence that whirr from the propellers. I’m sure acoustical means for targeting those drones can be made. Say with the run of the mill gear from a shooting range.

[@Matt-yg8ub]

The Russians already do acoustic scans to locate artillery

[@josephsagotti8786]

toroidal propellers could help

[@Matt-yg8ub]

@@josephsagotti8786 makes them quieter, but they also lose lift and maneuverability… or at least that’s what I hear… I haven’t tested it myself

[@josephsagotti8786]

@@Matt-yg8ub noted!

[@fizzulf8677]

Nice.. Eachine EV300O goggle

[@thebeast976]

With phantom power and invisible antennas haha

[@guitarbrother1762]

1:35 can somebody explain the Wehrmacht cross?

[@jorgeanderson9032]

Its not just the Wehrmacht cross

[@uteopia]

The strategic prowess of Ukraine in taking on a force that is 10 times its size and holding it off is brilliant. Overwhelming force isn't going to win this war. It may have worked back in World War II, but not these days. War is much like chess, and the smarter, more strategic player is always going to win over a careless, aggressive player.

[@jeffdughman9741]

They couldnt do anything without us, thats how lol They are not special XD they are just rats using our money.

[@user-to2de3sp3m]

Anyone else alarmed by the lack of PERSEC measures not being taken...?

[@DanBaker108]

That’s not dystopian at all.

[@RoboArc]

As a robotics engineer, i have some plans for this. A2A combat drones are about to be a thing.

[@obsidianjane4413]

Its already a thing.

[@RoboArc]

@obsidianjane4413 not exactly, nothing is really doing drone 2 drone combat exclusively. Usually a small drone has like no armament other than the payload explosive. I study this heavily brother 😌 no one has an effective way to deal with suicide drones and small payload droppers.

[@IMPERIALOZ]

​@@RoboArc anti drone rifles to exist

[@Miamcoline]

"Cost of making a Russian a good Russian" 😂. Very fair.

[@pedrinho12]

they should mark for every mission just like pillots do on the side of the plane

[@magnumxlpi]

Dangly earring hitting a vape laid back with VR gear.. this is 2024 warfare

[@CrafterVSWild]

He's called darwin cause in the area he IS natural selection

[@choppergirlfpv]

He ain't even close to choppergirl that's for sure she's the best aerobatic fpv pilot in the world

[@jeffswope1511]

This is the real reason for remote ID. The powers that be know how potentially dangerous skilled FPV pilots can be.

[@powersv2]

You can learn how to FPV any time you want. Goggles are 200-400, drones are 200-700$ just a 5” propeller drone.

[@int19h]

A complete DJI FPV kit (drone + controller + headset) is under $700 on Amazon, and that is *literally* the thing (one of) that is being used in this war in combat roles. Of course they mod them somewhat, but all that stuff, like airdrop systems, is also readily available for anyone to buy. Meaning that it's only a matter of time before some nutjob flies a thing like that into a crowded bus, for example. It's not just warfare that has changed...

[@brakahiphop]

​@@int19h please dont give such ideas on the internet...

[@MrSmithersFPV]

@@int19h these are not dji these are custom built betaflight builds. you can see the betaflight osd

[@terriblewords4407]

The goggles he is using appear to be a Skyzone 04x V2

[@Frogchamp-sb7cu]

1:35 looks familar...

[@user-qg4yv3zs5i]

Более чем ......

[@flightmode7655]

this is the division 2.1 just without the virus but fked up Tech War

[@BabyGreedTheHedgehog_MegaLifeF]

TOY GAME LIKE IT.🎮

[@jclc4201]

Stop reporting these things, you are exposing their positions.... :(

[@Corrupt66668]

You are not prepared for hellfire ....

[@Philip4459]

But now i see few FPV drone view from Ukraine from Russia are getting more and more.

[@xxshedheadxx6134]

If he put antennas on his goggles he’d probably get better video feedback in the goggles

[@dudeinthesea]

I remember playing with suicide FPV drones in pc game Battlefield 4 and thinking this would be pretty nasty in real life. 10 years later, here we are. What a crazy era.

[@RustySignalFPV]

so where do i put in my application LOL

[@ShaleyWanda]

I have t have equally operating functioning teams and equal understandings and listenings and hearing major deal. Per child needed and per mother needed

[@seannewcomb7594]

21-year old vaping drone ace, video is 4:20. nice

[@Christian-oq3md]

you can see his soul is gone.. so close to burst in tears

[@yo_vlad]

The thumbnail looks like ready player one

[@jacobvanderkooy2332]

Is this why my drone parts are so expensive? I just wanna race