FPV drone attacks on Russian logistics are a key aspect of the war. Bypassing defenses, the tiny drones go behind enemy lines to chase down trucks and vans bringing supplies to the front line. Trucks already have various defenses, but in one sector in Bakhmut the Russians are going to another level: covering entire road with an anti-drone netting tunnel more than a mile long.
What is the thinking behind this extraordinary construction, and will it work?
Spoiler: according to the commander of Ukraine’s Typhoon drone unit, callsign “Michael”, the ‘logistics tunnel’ will have little effect on their attacks.
Roads Of Death
The sheer scale of the attacks is difficult to grasp. FPVs strikes on Russian armored vehicles are frequently shared on social media, but trucks are more common targets. You get some idea from the videos shared by Russian drivers showing what the route looks like on the front line when traversing these ‘roads of death’ as they pass an endless stream of burned -out vehicles by the road.
In this this short video from the Pokrovsk front the driver passes roughly thirty destroyed vehicles – two of which are still burned fiercely. In this video Russian soldiers walk down a road littered with several destroyed vehicles including what looks like a tank, and a burning vehicle can be seen on the road ahead. One of the most informative videos, from the Donetsk region, is a two-minute drive past no less than ninety burned-out Russian transports, including trucks, vans and civilian cars.
The images are reminiscent of the “Highway of Death” between Iraq and Kuwait. Towards the end of the 1991 war, Iraqi forces attempted to flee down Highway 80. U.S. aircraft bombed the lead and trailing vehicles, then carried out ten hours of airstrikes on the vehicles trapped in between. They destroyed more than two thousand vehicles and killed uncounted thousands of Iraqis. The event provided some of the most iconic images of the war, and the Highway of Death became a symbol of what air superiority could do to exposed ground forces.
Russian logistics drivers now resort to various defensive measures. The most obvious one is driving fast and traversing the danger zone as quickly as possible, preferably at night. This cuts their exposure but increases accidents and the disk of hitting an anti-tank mine or other obstacle laid on the road by drones.
Trucks, like other vehicles, also sport increasingly elaborate welded metal cages, the aim being to detonate drones at a safe distance. These weigh the truck down and decrease its available payload, and their effectiveness if questionable.
Electronic jammers which interfere with drone communications are the best defence, but these are not reliable.
“Even with these defenses in place, a skilled drone operator can adjust the configuration of an FPV drone to bypass countermeasures,” Michael told me.
Such jammers typically only work at ranges of fifty metres or so, so in the approach a pilot can set their drone on a course to hit the target even if they lose communication. More seriously, drone makers keep changing frequencies, so a jammers which provided complete protection last month may be useless this month.
Given the huge casualty rate, it is easy to see why the Russians are resorting to other means.
Net Benefits
Various sorts of netting can be effective against FPV drones, including the camouflage nets used to disguise defensive positions. An incoming drone can be harmlessly captured, as flying into the net stops it without detonating its warhead. The Russians have produced various field manuals for constructing counter-drone defenses, which advise the use of everything from fishing nets to chain-link fencing to purpose-built metal structures. Soft structures which are preferred as these can catch a drone; harder structures are more likely to set if off, but can be effective if they are far enough from what is being defended.
We have already seen Russians placing netting alongside and above roadways, but the extended tunnel is a step up.
“To cover the supply routes of the Russian Armed Forces from FPV drones, military engineers are installing protective nets,” says a Russian soldier in a video of the construction. “The nets are placed on the most exposed sections of the roads to ensure the safe movement of our equipment. We strive to continuously expand the coverage area, enhancing the installation technology of the nets to set them up more quickly.”
Michael notes that the netting will only stop drones which need to make contact with their targets.
“For unarmored vehicles or troops, FPV drones can still be highly effective, especially when using manual detonation of fragmentation munitions,” says Michael.
While anti-tank FPVs typically rely on impact fuses, fragmentation warheads are detonated on command. These are basically flying claymore mines which blast out a spray of shrapnel over a wide area and are particularly effective against personnel. A related warhead, the explosively formed projectile or EFP, fires a single high-velocity slug of metal to penetrate hard targets. Like a bullet, both types can easily hit targets through thin netting.
However, Michael says it might be easier just to destroy the netting.
“This may involve using drones equipped with flammable thermal mixtures or deploying other types of drones to destroy the net—such as heavy bombers—before engaging with classic FPV drones,” says Michael.
This could involve heavy bombs, such as the ones based on TM-62 anti-tank mine dropped by Baba Yaga night bombers, or by incendiaries. These could be the famous ‘dragon drones’ which spray a jet of high-temperature thermite mixture, or FPVs equipped with napalm-type warheads loaded with flammable gel. Either could destroy sections of netting or create holes large enough for other FPVs to enter.
The attack FPVs would them be chasing quarry confined to a narrow tunnel, a challenge akin to shooting fish in a barrel.
Logistics: Winning The Long Game
“Amateurs study strategy, professionals study logistics.“ is a saying attributed to Omar Bradley but probably much older. Michael thoroughly agrees..
“Controlling logistics routes is a critical factor in every military campaign because no attack can succeed without sufficient troops and ammunition,” says Michael. “Drones provide a cost-effective way to disrupt and control these routes, making them an essential tool in modern warfare.”
He notes that it is easier to strike supply lines than units at the front line.
“Supply routes are easier targets because their locations are well-known. Reconnaissance drones can monitor them constantly, providing real-time intelligence. Additionally, units like Typhoon are always ready to strike and disrupt targets along these routes,” Michael he says. He adds that they have already made it “nearly impossible” for Russians to get supplies through.
Russian sources bear this out. These days, some units rely heavily on supply drones for food and other essentials. Elsewhere videos are posted of improvised water filters in places where even bottled water is not getting through.
Netting does present an additional challenge to drone operators and will require creativity to counter. And this is why the Russians are likely to persist with such measures: not because they are effective, but because any protection is better than none. This is especially true when they have to convince drivers to traverse the roads of death night after night, passing the burned-out remains of their predecessors.
Expect to see many more ‘logistics tunnels’ and similar constructions. But do not expect them to provide a solution to the FPV threat or for and end to the small ‘Highway of Death’ wherever the Russian trucks try to get through.
