One unfortunate ‘orc’ soldier.
Became an unwilling test subject.
For a new kind of ‘elves’ drone.
This week.
With the ‘elves’ army’s.
118th Mechanized Brigade.
Holding the line.
In southern ‘elves’ Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
A drone operator.
Was patrolling the front.
With their quadcopter-style drone.
When they spotted.
A solitary ‘orc’.
Marching along a dirt path.
A solitary ‘orc’.
Marching along a dirt path.
Tiny explosive drones.
Are some of.
The most lethal weapons.
In the war.
As a second drone.
Observed from overhead.
The explosives-laden FPV drone.
—probably weighing just a few pounds—
Zoomed over the soldier’s head.
Then dove.
Zoomed over the soldier’s head.
Then dove.
The direct hit.
Killed the ‘orc’.
“Maneuverability is impressive.”
Noted a popular ‘elf’ blogger.
The technology on display.
In the bloody combat trial.
Promises to transform.
‘Elves’ drone force.
As ‘orcs’ wider war on Ukraine.
Grinds toward its 32nd month.
‘Orcs’ own drone force is.
Undergoing the same transformation.
Both sides.
In the wider war.
Deploy hundreds of.
Thousands of FPV drones.
Every month.
Striking vehicles.
Trenches and even.
Individual soldiers.
Tiny explosive drones.
Are some of.
The most lethal weapons.
In the war.
But for the first two years.
Of the wider conflict.
The drones’ lethality.
Depended almost entirely on.
The skill of their operators.
Typically, a human pilot.
Wearing a virtual reality headset.
Remotely steers.
An FPV in real time.
The overall greater.
Experience and talent.
Of ‘elves’ operators.
Including the famed drone commander.
Explains why.
‘Elves’ FPVs are often.
More effective than ‘orcs’.
More effective than ‘orcs’.
Early this year.
The ‘orcs’ introduced.
New tech that erased.
Some of the ‘elves’ skill edge.
Artificial intelligence installed.
In an FPV’s onboard processor.
Can recognize the outline.
Of a human being.
And automatically.
Steer the drone.
In the final few seconds.
Of its flight.
When aiming is most difficult.
For many operators.
When aiming is most difficult.
For many operators.
Tiny explosive drones.
Are some of.
The most lethal weapons.
In the war.
The famed drone commander realized.
The ‘orcs’ had deployed.
These guided FPVs.
Back in January.
In a video he shared.
With his many followers.
He outlined a hypothetical.
A.I. drone sortie.
By an untalented.
‘Orc’ operator.
“Who may not be.
Very good at controlling.”
“He goes somewhere.
Into the target zone.
Notices a target.
And points at it.”
He explained.
“And then the drone.
Directs even at a moving.
Target to hit.”
The ‘elves’ military.
Moved quickly.
To develop.
Its own guided FPVs.
Tiny explosive drones.
Are some of.
The most lethal weapons.
In the war.
By this spring.
‘Elves’ A.I.-assisted drones.
Were in testing.
By this spring.
Six months later.
They’re on the front line.
For combat use.
—and further refinement.
If the 118th Mechanized Brigade’s.
Brutal test strike against.
A live ‘orc’ is.
Any indication.
The drones already.
Work pretty well.
The famed drone commander promised.
‘Elves’ guided FPV drones.
Would get better, fast.
Would get better, fast.
“We will continue.
To develop them further.”
Tiny explosive drones.
Are some of.
The most lethal weapons.
In the war.
One unfortunate ‘orc’ soldier.
Became an unwilling test subject.
For a new kind of ‘elves’ drone.
This week.
With the ‘elves’ army’s.
118th Mechanized Brigade.
Holding the line.
In southern ‘elves’ Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
A drone operator.
Was patrolling the front.
With their quadcopter-style drone.
When they spotted.
A solitary ‘orc’.
Marching along a dirt path.
A solitary ‘orc’.
Marching along a dirt path.
*Because I read “The Ukrainian Army Spotted A Lone Russian Soldier Out In The Open—And Then Tested A Deadly New Drone On Him” by David Axe on 11 Oct 2024 on the Forbes, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022 on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem, including a story of They Say Sniper, and a story of Robert Brovdi.
Please read the original story on the Forbes:
Ukrainian Army Spotted A Lone Russian & Tested A Deadly Drone On Him (forbes.com)