Footage recorded through the optic of a Ukrainian sniper captures the destruction of a Russian drone that came to a complete standstill on the battlefield. It's likely that the DJI flew out of range and went into an auto-hover allowing the shooter enough time to bring it down with his rifle.

One of the major drawbacks to commercial drones in a combat zone appears to be the automated safety features that are baked into the system. In the regular world, these drones are designed to do certain things to safeguard the drone in the event the pilot encounters issues. Those safety measures that are supposed to safeguard the drone are a major problem when the drone is in an environment where it can encounter hostile enemy fire.

In this instance, it appears as if the drone has either flown out of range or otherwise lost signal to the controller. As a result, it entered an auto-hover state which made it an easy target for the shooter on the deck.

About the Author

Josh Brooks

Josh is an American writer and former USMC machine gunner with eight years of experience in ground combat arms throughout the GWOT. He is currently based in Texas and specializes in combat footage analysis and digital marketing.Follow Josh at OfficialJoshBrooks.com