How a Cheap Drone Became a Million-Dollar Tank Killer

At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, both the Ukrainian and Russian armies relied on traditional artillery and armored vehicles, but today, small FPV drones have become the dominant weapon on the battlefield.

One result of the widespread use of cheap, modified consumer drones armed with explosives is that it has fundamentally reshaped tank warfare. Both sides have saturated the battlefield with reconnaissance and loitering munition drones, making certain areas effectively no-go zones for armored vehicles. 

Once the backbone of offensive operations, tanks are now being pushed further from the front lines, where they risk being detected and destroyed before they can even engage in battle. Although tanks are among the most protected combat vehicles, modern warfare has invented ways to destroy them in several stages.

Drones vs. tanks tactics

In February 2025, UNITED24 Media embedded with Code 9.2, a highly effective reconnaissance platoon within the 92nd Ridge Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces operating in the Kursk region. The unit provided a firsthand look at its drone warfare tactics, demonstrating the precise and methodical approach it uses to take out Russian tanks.

Sheva, a drone pilot in the Code 9.2 unit, says that the process of disabling and destroying a tank follows a well-tested strategy:

“FPV drones can blow off wheels on wheeled vehicles or knock out tracks on tanks. The enemy can repair them, but our goal is to ensure they can’t use them again.”

When a tank is disabled, the crew often evacuates and runs for cover, especially in the open fields where most battles in Ukraine take place. This effectively removes the tank from the fight, leaving it stranded and vulnerable to further strikes as it awaits recovery. 

During this time, reconnaissance drones are deployed to locate the immobilized vehicle and assess its condition. If the tank remains intact but inoperable, a “heavy bomber” drone is sent in to finish the job, delivering a final, destructive strike.

These heavy bomber drones can carry larger anti-vehicle mines, which can detonate before impact and penetrate the tank’s more vulnerable sections. The most effective strikes target the carousel autoloader beneath the turret, which houses 125mm shells. When ignited, this causes a catastrophic internal explosion—often seen in war—launching the turret into the sky.

Ironically, the technology behind these heavy bombers originated in the agricultural sector. Hexacopters and octocopters, originally designed for crop spraying, have been repurposed into lethal military tools.

The Russian T-72 tank, the most commonly encountered tank in this war, varies in price depending on its modernization level, but many models come with a price tag in the million-dollar range. In stark contrast, a loitering munition FPV drone, capable of damaging or immobilizing a T-72, costs around $400.

However, Sheva admits that despite their effectiveness, drones—especially the larger bombers—are lost nightly.

“They get shot down,” he says. “[They are] big targets. If a bullet hits the battery, it catches fire, and that’s it.”

Yet, the cost-effectiveness of drone warfare offsets these losses. In a single night, Code 9.2 conducted approximately ten missions, successfully destroying two Russian tanks.

Drones, parity, and the decline of the tank

As of March 11, 2025, the Ukrainian Armed Forces report that Russia has lost 10,303 tanks, largely due to the rise of drone warfare. Ukraine’s massive investment in drone technology has driven rapid innovation, allowing the country to achieve parity with Russia in drone production while simultaneously matching its number of modern tanks—not through production, but through systematic destruction.

Before Russia’s full-scale invasion, fewer than 10 companies in Ukraine produced drones, primarily for reconnaissance and agriculture. Now, by early 2025, over 200 registered manufacturers exist, with some estimates suggesting 500+ producers, including small-scale workshops and volunteer groups.

The Ukrainian government, as the primary buyer, has subsidized the industry by easing import regulations and funding mass production, which has resulted in cheaper, more advanced drones flooding the battlefield.

While many countries, including Russia, produce drones, Ukraine remains the only one with an entire military branch dedicated to drone warfare—the Unmanned Systems Forces—integrating drone technology across land, air, and sea.

Meanwhile, Russia continues to rely on refurbishing old tanks rather than building new ones. Of the 100 to 125 tanks Russia produces per month, only 15 to 20 are newly built—the rest are Soviet-era models, including T-72s and even T-54/55s from the 1950s, pulled from massive reserves in Siberia. Many of these vehicles are patched together from multiple derelict tanks, creating a piecemeal fleet with questionable reliability.

Ukraine, on the other hand, now produces 200,000 FPV drones per month, overwhelming Russian tank production. While a single drone may not always destroy a tank outright, multiple strikes can immobilize or eliminate a vehicle for a fraction of the cost of building or refurbishing one. This cost imbalance has forced a tactical shift—tanks are no longer spearheading assaults but are instead being used as mobile artillery, firing from safer distances.

The same applies to armored vehicles. Years of open-source footage show that Russian troops are increasingly choosing to advance on foot rather or on less conventional modes of transport than risk sitting inside what is essentially a giant armored drone target. 

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