Drone operators were taken away from the front lines: the Kruk center explained how approaches to military training have changed
The use of drones on the front lines during a long war has changed the training of operators, as they can no longer rely solely on piloting skills and a close presence near the front line. Now they are required not only to be able to control the drone, but also to work with communications, repeaters, digital systems and data at a long distance. At the same time, the preservation of a trained specialist has finally become one of the key tasks, so UAV crews work further from the front line, using antennas, repeaters, digital platforms and artificial intelligence tools that help quickly process combat information.
Head of the Kruk training center Viktor Taran said that the approach to the use of drones in the Defense Forces has changed significantly compared to the first months of the full-scale invasion. If in the spring and summer of 2022, operators could work a few kilometers from the front line, now they are trying to keep them much further from the most dangerous zone.
“If earlier, in the spring or summer of 2022, we were a few kilometers from the front line, now no one will let a fighter closer than 10–20 kilometers. Therefore, you have to work with antennas, repeaters. You have to build the entire ecosystem in such a way that, being at a great distance for your own safety, you can complete the task and hit the enemy,” Viktor Taran noted.
Such a distance of operators from “zero” has complicated the technical part of the work, since the pilot must understand how to build stable communication, correctly use equipment and ensure the completion of a combat mission without being directly next to the front line. Because of this, training in specialized centers has become longer and depends on the type of drone: training can last from two weeks to two months.
According to Taran, commanders often do not want to release soldiers from units for a long time, but high-quality training is needed so that a soldier can work effectively and survive after returning.
“These are constant discussions with commanders who do not want to release their soldiers for a long time. We understand them, but our task is to train a soldier in such a way that he will then return, be able to complete the task and stay alive. Training now is fundamentally different from what it was before,” the head of the training center emphasized.
According to him, a separate part of the training is working with digital situational awareness systems and programs that help plan operations. Taran named Delta, Archvision, SkyMap and Azim among the tools used to process data, select important information and transfer it for further planning.
“If we talk about artificial intelligence, then let’s divide it into two parts. One part is the use of artificial intelligence during the planning and execution of operations and the use of specialized programs. Delta, Archvision, SkyMap, Azim. Artificial intelligence allows you to filter out the information that comes in, filter out the white noise and show the main thing. In fact, it is used as such a “sieve”.
And then it helps to summarize, structure and promptly transfer this information to the table for further planning. That is, what many analysts used to do and took time to prepare, now it is just instant”, — said Viktor Taran.
The change in the training of UAV operators reflects the new reality of combat operations, in which drone warfare requires the military to have technical literacy, endurance, the ability to work with large data streams and the ability to perform tasks at a considerable distance from the front line. For training centers, the main task remains to prepare the operator so that upon returning to the unit, he can not only hit the enemy, but also save his own life.
