FPV drones with record range: Ukrainian Phoenix unit hits targets more than 100 kilometres away

First-person view (FPV) drones from Ukraine set new range records again at the end of May: the FPV drones covered 102 and 103 kilometres respectively and struck their targets in the Donetsk region. Both record missions were flown by pilots of the “Phoenix” unit, which is part of the border guard force of Luhansk Oblast in Ukraine.

According to the press service at the headquarters of Phoenix UAS (unmanned aircraft systems), “the pilot of the Phoenix border guard unit covered a distance of 103 kilometres with an ordinary FPV drone and attacked enemy supply lines. A military truck was hit”.

This record flight is dated 27 May. The day before, the Phoenix unit had already set a record of 102 kilometres.

What the range of FPV drones depends on

“We were able to achieve this result thanks to several factors. First and foremost is the skill of the pilot himself. Second, the improvement of our drone fleet by equipping it with advanced technologies. The Phoenix engineering service is of course also worth mentioning, as every drone passes through their hands and is optimised for its operating conditions.”

“What we have demonstrated so far is not yet the limit. Phoenix pilots are capable of penetrating even deeper into the enemy’s rear. But every operation of this kind depends on a number of factors such as weather conditions, the individual experience and skill of the FPV drone pilot, the abilities and knowledge of the second pilot responsible for signal relay, and the location from which the drones are controlled”— Phoenix unit

Long-range flights of this kind depend on the endurance and skill of the operators, batteries with high-quality power cells, improved radio receivers tuned to special frequencies, and likewise improved cameras and video transmitters. The Phoenix border guard unit received the drones it uses from the Sternenko Community Charitable Foundation.