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Model · Tactical drones

FPV drones

FPV drones: strike quadcopters flown by an operator over a video link to hit people and vehicles near the front and the border. What they are and how to stay safe.

Speed
up to 140 km/h
Warhead
up to 3 kg
Cost
~$500–​1,800

According to open sources; claimed and real figures may differ, and modifications may have others.

What it is

A small quadcopter with a camera that an operator flies in real time, seeing through the drone's “eyes” (First Person View). Explosives are attached to it, and the operator steers it into a specific target: a vehicle, a shelter, a person.

Ordinary FPV drones are controlled over a radio link, so electronic warfare can jam them. That is why a fibre-optic variant appeared: it is controlled through a cable and cannot be jammed.

What it means for you

FPV drones operate close to the front line and the border. On our map they appear mostly in border communities of Sumy, Kharkiv and Kherson oblasts. The operator is hunting for targets, including people and cars, so if you hear an FPV warning, take cover.

Specifications

Top speed
around 130–140 km/h[2]
Warhead
up to 3 kg of payload (PVKh-1 / VT-40)[3]
Cost
roughly $500; with a thermal camera, up to $1,800[4]

What to do

  1. 1When you hear the “Air raid alert!” signal, go to the nearest shelter at once. Find out in advance where it is near your home and work.
  2. 2If you cannot reach a shelter, move to a room without windows and follow the “two walls” rule.
  3. 3Agree with your family on what to do and where to meet if the phone network or the power goes down.

A marker on our map may appear late or not at all. Go by the siren, not by the map.

State Emergency Service of Ukraine. What to do when the “Air raid alert!” signal sounds (in Ukrainian)checked 2 Oct 2026

How it looks on our map

Movement

No course

Marker lives

3–8 min

  • The marker does not rotate: for this type the map shows no course.
  • If there are no new reports about the target, the marker closes after 3–8 min.

Sources

  1. 1

    Defense Express

    Fibre-optic FPV drones: a dead end, a stopgap or a new round of technologychecked 2 Oct 2026
  2. 2

    Suspilne Donbas

    KUB, V2U, the latest FPVs, upgraded Shaheds, KVNs: which new types of Russian army drones are attacking Donetsk Oblastchecked 2 Oct 2026
  3. 3

    HUR (Defence Intelligence of Ukraine), War&Sanctions

    PVKh-1 (VT-40)checked 2 Oct 2026
  4. 4

    Defense Express

    Russia is not skimping much on thermal cameras for FPV drones, and that is a problemchecked 2 Oct 2026
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