Ukraine and Myanmar have recently seen significant developments in the use of first-person view (FPV) drones in military operations, marking a shift in the application of low-cost unmanned aerial systems in non-conventional warfare.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) on June 1 claimed it carried out a coordinated drone strike against multiple Russian military airfields as part of a long-planned special operation codenamed “Spiderweb.” According to the SBU and the Kyiv Post, at least 41 Russian bombers were damaged or destroyed in the attacks, amounting to an estimated 34 percent of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers. The damage is valued at around $7 billion, though independent verification of this figure is pending.
The SBU stated that the strikes were made possible by concealing explosive-laden FPV drones inside wooden sheds near Russian airbases. Once deployed, the drones struck aircraft stationed at airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions. Russian authorities confirmed drone attacks in those areas, stating several aircraft were damaged by fires but reported no casualties.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media that the operation had been authorized 18 months ago. The Ukrainian military has increasingly used FPV drones to strike Russian helicopters and aircraft in recent months.
In Myanmar, similar tactics have been adopted by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), an ethnic armed group opposing the military junta. The group claimed responsibility for downing a Myanmar Air Force Mi-17 helicopter using an FPV drone. The incident occurred in Shwegu, Kachin State, where the helicopter was reportedly attempting to land with supplies near an army base. Video footage circulated online shows a drone approaching the helicopter’s rotor before a small explosion and crash.
Myanmar’s military denied the claims, attributing the crash to technical failure. The KIA also reported that two of three helicopters delivering reinforcements and supplies to Bhamo, the site of ongoing clashes, were hit by drones and rockets.
The incident comes amid intensified fighting in Kachin State. The KIA and allied pro-democracy forces have launched an offensive around Bhamo since December 2024. Myanmar’s military, which seized power in a 2021 coup, has reportedly lost at least five helicopters and three combat jets since then, according to the Associated Press.
The increased use of FPV drones by irregular forces in both Ukraine and Myanmar reflects a growing trend. Military analysts note that FPV drones have proven especially effective against helicopters, which are most vulnerable while hovering, landing, or taking off.
The technology, initially developed and field-tested in Ukraine, has begun appearing in other conflict zones. Myanmar marks one of the first known instances of FPV drone tactics being adapted outside Ukraine. Experts warn that the use of these drones could increase in low-to-medium intensity conflict areas due to their low cost, ease of deployment, and limited countermeasures.
Myanmar’s air force primarily operates aircraft supplied by China and Russia, both of which have continued to support the junta despite Western sanctions and arms embargoes.
Military observers suggest that the proliferation of FPV drones and the knowledge of their use on the battlefield may reshape the landscape of modern conflict, particularly for non-state actors and insurgent groups seeking to counter technologically superior forces.
