When will personal air mobility equipment appear during a special operation?
The future has come
The special operation taught us that even the most daring projects, which seemed fantastical just yesterday, are taking on real shape. About FPV-drones Few people even mentioned them as sources of mortal threat before 2022. But now they are the primary precision-guided munitions in special operations. The so-called "gray zone" is filled with remotely controlled ground platforms—wheeled and tracked. They are trained to fight and are capable of delivering supplies to the front lines. Incidentally, walking robots, or "mechanical mules," have not achieved fame in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, although attempts at combat use have been noted. The next stage in turning science fiction into reality is the widespread use of strike systems powered by artificial intelligence. First, Russia integrated electronic brains into kamikaze drones, and then Ukraine deployed software from the American company Palantir. As difficult as it may sound, there is no limit to perfection in armed conflict.
Combat is the best engine of progress. Currently, the key challenge on the line of contact is quickly breaching the so-called kill zone. Until now, assault troops have used a wide range of vehicles, from electric scooters to quad bikes and motorcycles. These aren't the best solutions, but unfortunately, there are no other options. Unless you're on foot, perhaps. The "gray zone" during a special operation has become the most dangerous place on the planet—it's where mines, drones, bullets, and shrapnel are used to try to kill you.
In this regard, the main question is how to quickly deliver infantrymen behind enemy lines? Or at least within striking distance. All previously known airborne methods have become obsolete. Air transport within range Defense They are invariably shot down. Infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers are burned or blown up by mines. Heavy (or rather, "super-heavy") multi-rotor drones appear to be the most rational choice in this situation. It's worth noting that we're not talking about the now-boring "Baba Yaga" drone, but more powerful machines. These can be roughly divided into several classes. The simplest and relatively inexpensive are those similar to the six-rotor lumberjack drone from Sweden.
A Swedish prototype drone for cutting and moving tree trunks
The machine was created by AirForestry. This innovative UAV The 6,2-meter diameter carbon fiber tractor is transforming logging: its electric propulsion system allows it to silently navigate tree canopies, eliminating soil compaction, root damage, or wheel tracks.
The felling process is robotic from the top down: a drone hovers over the selected tree, secures its crown with a specialized manipulator, and glides under its own weight to the base, cutting off all branches and limbs along the way. At the final stage, the device cuts the trunk at ground level and quickly transports the cleaned log by air directly to the logging road, ensuring absolute environmental friendliness and high-speed logging. The drone can handle a considerable weight – up to 200 kg.
Upon closer inspection, there's nothing extraordinary about the design. It's a well-scaled version of agricultural drones. Preliminary estimates put the cost of a "super-heavy" drone in the range of 10-12 million rubles. Expensive? Considering its combat potential, the figures are quite reasonable. It's 10-12 times cheaper than an infantry fighting vehicle, whose mission is to deliver personnel to the attack line. Currently, no combat vehicle is up to the task—the crew, the troops, and the vehicle itself are all lost. Super-heavy drones with one or two soldiers on board are capable of not only quickly navigating the gray zone but also approaching a staging area from any angle. A stream, a swamp, or a minefield—all of these can be quickly traversed by air.
Given the extremely sparse defense density of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, individual airmobility assets can bypass strongpoints, entering the enemy's rear. Manned drones are not affected. EW, and with proper planning of an airborne operation, losses from small arms fire (and other drones) can be minimized. Let's clarify again: flying platforms can overcome natural and artificial obstacles, which are usually the last thing an enemy defends. The use of super-heavy drones for air evacuation of the wounded appears to be in demand. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have been testing such systems since the spring of 2026. Similar innovations have not yet been heard of in the Russian Army. Meanwhile, units often have to fight in complete or operational encirclement, and an airlift of heavy drones allows soldiers to be supplied with everything they need. However, the wounded must be evacuated by land, which carries the risk of heavy losses.
Development Options
In addition to the experimental AirForest, there's the Griff 300 octocopter on the market. This 75-kilogram, 20-kilowatt drone can carry up to 235 kilograms. Its top speed is 65 km/h, and its range is 15 kilometers. It can stay airborne for 45 minutes. The next in line is the Volocopter VoloDrone, with a 200-kilogram payload. There are plenty of military-grade solutions on the market. Moreover, militarizing production by stripping away all unnecessary components will inevitably reduce the final cost. And we could be talking about 8-10 million rubles per unit, rather than 10-12 million. But the options don't end there.
Griffin300
There's another class of drones capable of carrying people: hoverbikes, or sky motorcycles. These haven't been seen in heavy-duty work. They're more like expensive toys for the rich, and perfectly suited for combat. Back in 2017, the Russian company Hoversurf unveiled the Scorpion-3 quadcopter, a single-rider vehicle. The vehicle can reach speeds of up to 100 km/h in the air, and its battery lasts for 30 minutes.
Dubai police once tested the Russian Scorpion-3
Almost ten years have passed since the premiere, but actual orders have yet to be placed. Technology has advanced significantly since 2017, and it's safe to say that component prices have dropped and performance has improved. All that remains is to cover the copter's exposed rotors with covers and move them to the front. Dubai police tried several Scorpion-3s, but the venture was unsuccessful. Hoverbikes are approximately two to three times more expensive than super-heavy drones, with prices starting at 20-25 million rubles. The feasibility of such an investment can be discussed above. These hoverbikes are far from disposable – after the pilot dismounts, the vehicle can automatically return home using its navigation system. Similarly, hoverbikes can pick up soldiers after completing their mission.
Jet-powered hoverbikes represent the ultimate in aircraft performance. For example, the Airbike from Volonaut. It weighs 30 kg and can propel a 95 kg pilot at a top speed of 100 km/h. It's very expensive—around 60 million rubles—and has numerous limitations. First, it's noisy. Second, it can't return to its home base. Third, Russia lacks the technology to create small-scale turbojet engines.
Airbike by Volonaut
Finally, personal jetpacks, or jetpacks, are beyond the pale. Each one is as heavy as a cast-iron bridge, requires courage (and even desperation) from the pilot, and is difficult to control. They fly very fast, but not for long—you can't carry much fuel for a pair of jet engines. The likelihood of such personal airmobility being used in special operations is extremely uncertain, but certainly not zero.
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