Ukrainian drones are causing Russian troops all sorts of trouble thanks to the cheap thermal blankets Vladimir Putin’s soldiers use at night.
Both armies rely heavily on drones but many currently lack night-vision capabilities due to high costs, says American military correspondent David Axe.
So the devices use infrared sensors instead, capable of detecting heat signatures in the dark.
To combat this one Russian infantry group travelled towards the Ukrainian frontline last week with thermal blankets over their shoulders in an attempt to hide them from infrared sensors.
However, Axe reports the cheap blankets “actually work too well”, leading to Ukrainian night-vision drones uncovering the enemy soldiers with ease.
This is due to their lack of heat, which stuck out among the surrounding foliage. Survival experts have long known this danger of not using the correct thermal materials as infrared camouflage, but this was unbeknown to the Russian troops.
Combat and firearm content creators, Thin Line Defense Co. put this theory to the test by comparing a $400 thermal blanket against a $4 option.
The pricier blanket masked the wearer’s heat signature successfully while the cheaper alternative failed to blend into the surrounding background.
Whether the Russian troops’ fates were sealed by a practical mishap or due to financial struggles in Moscow, casualties on the frontline could continue to rise with more night-vision drones expected to be deployed by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
As both sides continue to ramp up efforts to modernise their respective frontline machinery, night-fighting troops will have to adapt and find ways to hide from the unmanned combat vehicles.
Axe describes how “the only reason a large formation of might-marching footborne Russian infantry escaped total destruction in Kharkiv Oblast” earlier this month “was that the Ukrainian 3rd Assault Brigade, which spotted the approaching formation, possessed only a few night-capable first-person-view drones – and apparently didn’t have a heavier night-vision ‘vampire’ drone capable of dropping bombs.”
