FPV Kamikaze Drone

First-person view (FPV) kamikaze drones represent the most consequential shift in ground warfare since the introduction of the RPG. Built from commercial racing drone components — typically a 5-inch or 7-inch carbon fiber frame, brushless motors, a 4-in-1 ESC, and a camera module streaming video to pilot goggles via analog 5.8 GHz link — FPV kamikazes are produced for as little as $400 each and carry 200–600 gram anti-personnel or anti-armor warheads (commonly PG-7 warhead from RPG-7 rounds). Both Ukraine and Russia produce them by the hundreds of thousands annually in an arms race unlike anything seen since mass artillery production in World War II.

The FPV kamikaze fundamentally changed infantry tactics: any movement within 10–15 km of the front is now observed by reconnaissance drones and immediately targeted by FPV hunters. Vehicle mobility in the open is nearly suicidal without electronic warfare cover or smoke. Pilots train on simulators, and the most proficient can thread FPVs through building windows, into open tank hatches, and along trench lines. Electronic countermeasures — GPS jammers, FPV frequency jammers, Starlink-based fiber-optic FPV (immune to RF jamming) — represent the cutting edge of the ongoing counter-drone arms race.