Author’s note: This article draws heavily from interviews conducted in January 2025 with Ukrainian Marines, who generously shared their insights on UAV tactics, organizational structure, and personnel management. The interviews were conducted over five days and provided insights into drone operations, infantry tactics, electronic warfare, and technical innovation during the war.
Over the past three years of war, footage from Ukraine spread on social media has become a daily reminder of the outsized—and growing—role drones play on today’s battlefield. This footage emphasizes the centrality of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War, in particular, while also signaling their transformative role in modern warfare more generally. Drone strikes account for approximately 70 percent of Russian casualties and, in some parts of the front, 90 percent of Russian military equipment losses in engagements with Ukrainian forces. Advanced UAVs have given Ukrainian commanders unparalleled situational awareness, significantly enhancing operational effectiveness during offensive and defensive operations. Drones hasten effective force coordination and employment by enabling persistent surveillance of enemy movements. Additionally, drones play a critical role in mining Russian logistical routes, adjusting artillery and missile strikes, and easing the burden by providing logistics and, in some cases, medical support to Ukrainian forces. This integration of drone capabilities provides real-time aerial intelligence, allowing for tactical decisions executed with precision and responsiveness unattainable ten years ago.
In part, this expansive role for drones in Ukraine’s war effort is a testament to the remarkable growth in Ukrainian domestic manufacturing capacity. But building these platforms is not enough on its own. With millions of UAVs on the front lines, Ukraine utilizes significant resources to ensure these systems stay in the air. The operational effectiveness of top Ukrainian drone units is deeply linked to the efficient maintenance and functionality of their UAVs. This requirement highlights the critical role of Ukrainian drone engineer workshops and electronic laboratories. These facilities function as vital centers for innovation and repair, ensuring that drones are continuously operational and capable of executing missions on the front lines. These workshops provide emergency repair and maintenance in hours, not days or weeks, a crucial factor in a conflict where technological advantages can change rapidly. As the US military seeks to integrate drones into its organizational structure, it is imperative to learn from Ukraine’s complex approach to drone warfare, which prioritizes the incorporation of modern technology, adaptable operational concepts, and decentralized support systems positioned directly at the front lines. In future conflicts, US forces may find themselves operating thousands of miles away from the manufacturers of critical equipment, all while fighting an adversary with persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. And much like in Ukraine, they will be unable to rely on traditional models of resupply to match the speed of consumption. This makes it imperative to learn lesson from how Ukraine deploys and maintains its drone fleets and delivers the support necessary to keep them flying on the front lines.
Ukrainian Drone Workshops: What They Do
Drone workshops are typically integrated within the organizational structure of UAV battalions operating under Ukrainian brigades. These engineering workshops serve as the forward-most resource for addressing technical challenges that could hamper UAV operations. Comprised of ten to twelve specialized Ukrainian soldiers, these units focus on UAVs’ modernization and combat readiness, engaging in developing and innovating new technologies while testing existing equipment. They also cultivate an atmosphere of continuous improvement, essential on a rapidly evolving technological battlefield. The personnel involved are often skilled engineers or technicians, deeply familiar with drone technology, propulsion systems, sensors, and software interfaces. Their expertise encompasses various functions, including diagnostics, repairs, upgrades, and integrating new components into existing UAV platforms.
In-house capabilities, particularly in 3D printing, play a crucial role in these workshops. The workshops can produce on-demand critical drone components with access to advanced additive manufacturing technology. This capability is especially valuable in a conflict where supply lines can be disrupted, and the need for rapid repairs can mean a difference in operational success. By modeling and fabricating parts, these teams significantly reduce reliance on external suppliers and ensure that drones can quickly be restored to operational status after sustaining damage.
Additionally, these small teams conduct thorough maintenance of batteries, which are vital for powering UAV missions. The operations include not only the assembly of new battery packs but also the testing and quality assurance of existing battery systems. Such maintenance tasks are essential to avoid failures during flights, as UAVs heavily depend on reliable power sources to perform their surveillance, reconnaissance, and combat roles effectively—even more so after adding additional weight in the form of munitions like mortars and PG-9 antiarmor rounds and systems like Starlink.
Moreover, the workshops enable a feedback loop between frontline operators and engineering teams, allowing for rapid problem-solving and innovation in response to battlefield demands. Any technical issues encountered by remote operators can be communicated back to the workshops, where engineers work to devise solutions that enhance the operational capabilities of the UAVs. For example, suppose a Russian electronic warfare system is actively jamming a particular frequency along the front line. Instead of going through a lengthy bureaucratic process, these operators can mitigate these problems in-house, often changing tactics and frequencies in hours, not days or weeks. By being embedded within the battalion structure, these workshops demonstrate exceptional agility, recalibrating their focus based on the immediate needs of combat units in the field.
At an even lower level, drone workshops within Ukrainian battalions are also equipped to perform various tasks. They repair and redesign drones, which includes updating or enhancing components such as antennas, remote controls, and batteries. The arrival of 3D printing technology has transformed the repair process, allowing specialists to print necessary parts and spare components to meet the immediate operational requirements of frontline units. This capability is crucial, especially considering the rapid pace at which drone technology evolves. These workshops are essential to deploying advanced software designed to enhance the survivability of drones in hostile conditions. By implementing software updates, technicians can make drones less detectable to enemy systems. This includes modifications that increase drone ranges and altitudes and further adaptations that remove features that transmit identification or locations information, which helps to minimize the risk of interception. Such measures taken by the drone workshop significantly increase the effectiveness of drone missions, allowing units to operate with a lower profile on the battlefield. Additionally, having specialized troops working in the drone workshop eliminates additional burdens on the drone pilots, who are already taxed with flying multiple daily missions.
The drone workshops also have engineering teams, which provide critical but dangerous explosive ordnance disposal expertise. This includes adapting existing munitions for drone delivery and developing improvised explosive devices tailored for use with UAVs. They are responsible for testing and enhancing explosives to ensure maximum effectiveness, which is vital for the ongoing drone campaign in the conflict. As a result, Ukrainian operators can integrate lethal munitions into their drone caches, thereby boosting their combat capabilities.
Vulnerability and Adaptation
Despite their importance, these workshops are not without vulnerabilities. Positioned close to the front lines, they are exposed to risks from Russian artillery, loitering munitions, and missile attacks. The need to maintain these workshops near combat zones is a double-edged sword; while it ensures rapid service support for drones, it also places them within the crosshairs of enemy fire. To counter this, Ukraine has initiated an approach involving deploying high-mobility vehicles equipped with workstations and essential electronic equipment to enable drone repairs as close to the front as possible without compromising safety. These vehicles have capabilities such as routers, storage racks, welding equipment, and assembly areas, stressing the critical role of these mobile units in sustaining drone operations along the front lines.
Moreover, the ongoing support from international partners has allowed for the expansion of mobile drone repair capabilities. The Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union, a state-sponsored paramilitary organization involved in Lithuania’s total defense concept, has taken measures to develop mobile drone repair shops that can accommodate two technicians. These vehicles are outfitted with 3D printers and soldering stations, enabling them to operate independently anywhere in Ukraine for up to two days without external power. These innovative solutions represent a concerted effort to bolster Ukraine’s drone repair infrastructure, ensuring the military can maintain its aerial surveillance and combat capabilities under increasingly challenging conditions. Priced at approximately $36,000, these mobile workshops reflect a cost-effective method to enhancing drone survivability on the modern battlefield.
The consistent appearance of videos showcasing Ukrainian drones effectively striking Russian personnel and equipment highlights the critical juncture militaries find themselves at as they prepare for modern warfare. As military analysts, particularly those focused on the integration of drone technologies into US military strategy, adopt a comprehensive perspective on Ukrainian drone operations, it is imperative to recognize the crucial role of drone workshops within this operational framework. While Ukraine’s rapid innovation in drone manufacturing is admirable, the operational capabilities and continuous improvements achieved at these workshops are pivotal to sustaining drone effectiveness and countering Russian advances.
Understanding and integrating this model could represent a significant opportunity for the US military to mitigate the logistical challenges inherent in modern operations, where US forces could easily find themselves operating in areas thousands of miles away from manufacturing hubs. Without a shift toward a more responsive and agile maintenance approach, US forces risk becoming entangled in inefficiencies characterized by lengthy logistical lines and cumbersome bureaucratic processes that are ill-suited to the speed of today’s battlefields. Now is the critical moment to redefine our approach to the maintenance and operational readiness of the extensive fleet of UAVs. Delaying this transformation could prove detrimental, as future conflicts may demand capabilities that our current structures are ill-prepared to deliver, ultimately endangering lives and operational success. It is essential to heed these lessons from Ukraine to maintain a competitive edge in the evolving warfare landscape.
Jorge Rivero is a retired Marine staff noncommissioned officer. He is a senior information operations planner and previously served as a Russian foreign area specialist. Jorge holds master of arts degrees from the Bundeswehr University in Munich and from George Washington University. He is also an MIT Seminar XXI fellow. His work focuses on Russian information operations, the Russian military, and Russian strategic weapons.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the United States Military Academy, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense.
Image credit: Mil.gov.ua
