Commander of 425th OCHI battalion: We have UAV at price of bad tank for board, our specialists improving their skills around the clock
Pilots of the 425th separate battalion of unmanned systems OCHI of the Ground Forces work with unique systems that cost millions of hryvnias, and constantly improve their skills, because technical progress is moving very quickly, noted commander of the 425th separate battalion of unmanned systems OCHI, Lieutenant Colonel Valeriy Gost Povarov.
"The command decided to expand the unit, we became a battalion. We were able to deploy the information and communication system to our larger staff, and our combat pilots work in separate areas. We have already divided the battalion into: the use of FPV drones; bombers; long-range drones (front strikes), the use of long-range reconnaissance UAVs and a company of ground robotic systems," he said in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
The battalion commander noted that his pilots “flew” 20 and 30 kilometers deep, hitting enemy equipment.
"We have one of the best FPV units that can destroy equipment, and they destroyed 20 tanks a day. That is, they can go far, overcome the resistance of various means that interfere with the drone's activity, and effectively destroy the target. We have the same thing with wings. We are currently improving this. There are wings that have only just been developed. That is, completely new things, innovations, for example, paint that interferes with the action of electronic intelligence, makes it possible to evade. And we are now trying to improve them too and apply them here," Povarov said.
Answering a question regarding the battalion’s key challenges, he said that, firstly, it is the immediate receipt of very expensive equipment for use at the front.
"Some of our models cost $4 million. That is, you understand that such equipment can only be entrusted to good specialists. This applies to pilots, engineers, etc. And secondly, in the event of loss of such expensive equipment, the procedure for obtaining a new complex is very complicated ... But even repairing any of this equipment also costs millions," he emphasized.
In addition, as the battalion commander noted, an important task is to teach people how to use the equipment correctly, to try to suffer as few losses in it as possible. According to Povarov, his unit has a lot of experience in using it correctly thanks to experienced specialists.
"In our unit, a lot of attention is paid to the professional training of the crew and commanders so that people can correctly use the maximum capabilities of the complex itself and provide information," he said.
At the same time, the lieutenant colonel spoke about a special cybersecurity unit that deals with the protection of the information and communication system (OCHI).
"We actively interact with various services and other branches of the military that are engaged in information security. This is truly a matter of constant improvement. This is happening even faster than drones are being improved. We are constantly working in this area. We have unique cybersecurity specialists serving," he noted.
According to Povarov, in connection with the expansion, the battalion is actively recruiting people and looking for specialists in various fields: from drivers to pilots and IT specialists. In addition, women also serve in the battalion, who hold various positions, such as pilots and codebreakers.