How Ukrainian forces used a drone with a machine gun in battle

On November 23rd, new video footage from the frontlines of the war in Ukraine showed a stunning scene. Ukrainian Defense Forces used a first-person view drone rigged with an assault rifle to attack a group of hiding Russian soldiers. 

The video footage was published by the Ukrainian drone manufacturer Wild Hornets and it showed soldiers from the Ukrainian Defense Forces using a Queen Hornet drone fitted Kalashnikov 5.45mm assault rifle (AK-74) against Russian troops. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @wild_hornets

According to the military website Militarnyi, the encounter happened near the village of  Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk Oblast. After a Russian assault failed, the Special Queen Hornet was sent in to clear a forested area where Russian troops were hiding. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @wild_hornets

The gun on the Queen Hornets drone sustained several bullet impacts but this did not affect the gun’s ability to fire. The combat footage shows the drone shooting at different targets and showcases its ability to absorb the AK-74’s recoil after every burst. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @wild_hornets

Militarnyi reported that the drone’s operators fired with a great deal of precision but it is difficult to tell from the footage how effective the drone was in combat, though such an innovation is an interesting addition to the Queen Hornet’s capabilities. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @wild_hornets

The Queen Hornets drone was first revealed in July 2024 by Wild Hornets following a rather short manufacturing period. According to Wild Hornets, it was asked in early 2024 to create a bomber drone that could carry payloads of up to 6 kilograms (13.27 pounds).

“We set out to bring this idea to life. Three months of work, hundreds of tests, two dozen broken units, and then the launch of the pre-production batch. Then successful combat tests at the front and the start of serial production,” Wild Hornets wrote on X in July. 

Photo Credit: X @wilendhornets

The Queen Hornets is what's known as a multifunctional platform, which means that it can be equipped with a wide range of mission packages for different objectives. It is not only a bomber drone but can be used for kamikaze and transport missions as well. 

Photo Credit: X @wilendhornets

More than one hundred Queen Hornets drones were operating on the frontlines back in July and that number has only increased as the Ukrainian forces have developed new ways to employ the specialized drone on the battlefield. 

Photo Credit: X @wilendhornets

On November 11th, Defense News reported the Ukrainian Presidential Bridge’s Bulava unit revealed that it engineered a way to equip the Queen Hornet drone with a grenade launcher. The Bulava unit also designed and tested the Ak-74 drone model. 

Photo Credit: X @wilendhornets

“These ideas have been in the air for a long time but there was no suitable platform. I mean a drone on which you could install all our sick fantasies we had before," one soldier explained about the modification according to Defense News.

Photo Credit: X @wilendhornets

The first reports that the Queen Hornet drone could be equipped with a machine gun came in August 2024. United24 and others reported that test drones had been fitted with AK-74s and Wild Hornets noted on Telegram the modification was being prepared for “full operation”.

Photo Credit: X @wilendhornets

On September 4th, Wild Hornet released video footage of a Queen Hornet equipped with an assault rifle being tested. “Our military continues to develop the Hornet Queen equipped with automatic weapons, " the company wrote on X. 

Photo Credit: X @wilendhornets

One scout soldier explained to the Kyiv Post that Wild Hornet’s modifications to its Queen Hornet drone were an important development. “This is one of the initial steps in creating systems capable of destroying targets from the air,” the soldier said.

The soldier reported the technology could be used to clear trenches and storm enemy positions in treelines. However, they added that the biggest challenges were ensuring the drone's accuracy and dealing with its limited ammunition and ability to reload. 

Militarnyi noted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have previously experimented with modifying larger drones so that they could carry machine guns. Images of a DJI Agras T30 drone had been equipped with a PKM machine gun and Bullspike anti-tank grenade launcher. 

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