Ukraine’s New FPVs Hit Targets Sixty Miles Behind Russian Lines

BusinessAerospace & DefenseUkraine’s New FPVs Hit Targets Sixty Miles Behind Russian LinesByDavid Hambling,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I'm a South London-based technology journalist, consultant and authorFollow AuthorJun 02, 2026, 06:51am EDTJun 02, 2026, 06:53am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.A Ukrainian FPV with detachable wing giving extended range Ukraine MoD via XSerhii Sternenko, leading drone fundraiser and drone warfare advisor to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, recently posted on X to celebrate an achievement of a drone created by one of his secret projects:“102 kilometers — the target engagement distance with your FPV quadcopter type without using a mothership. Deeper further!”A video of the long range strike shows the drone targeting a Russian Bukhanka logistics van far behind the lines. Legions of Bukhankas have been wiped out by similar FPVs. 102 kilometers is 61 miles, an impressive range for a portable weapon, and a staggering achievement for a quadcopter. Is this even possible? How has the humble FPV evolved into a strategic weapon? Quadcopter FPVs: An Accident Of Drone HistoryMulticopters never looked like a great basis for a loitering munition, because rotary wing aircraft like helicopters expend so much effort just staying in the air. Fixed wings expend far less effort, and can even glide with no propulsion at all. The aerodynamics are vastly better. MORE FOR YOUA Chinese SKywalker X8 commercial drone fitted with a warhead by ISIS in 2017 in pre-FPV days.YPG Via FacebookAs a simple comparison, the C-27 Spartan transport plane carries the same amount of cargo as the CH-47 Chinook helicopter, but flies twice as fast for four times the distance. It also burns less fuel and is cheaper to run. You can guess which has a lower accident rate.So, unless hovering or vertical takeoff and landing are e...