- Ukraine uses a drone that resembles a small airplane to bomb Russian targets behind the front lines.
- The Backfire drone offers a solution to strike deep without compromising payload, its maker says.
- A soldier who uses the drone told BI that it’s an effective weapon for combat missions.
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces have a small, fixed-wing “bomber” drone called the Backfire that they use to carry out strikes deep behind enemy lines, hitting Russian command centers, artillery, and weapon storage sites.
The Backfire drone, made by the Ukrainian company Zli Ptakhy, has emerged as a way for the country to execute penetrating bombing missions without compromising payload. Kyiv has made significant strides in the development of deep-strike drone capabilities as a substitute for long-range missiles, which Ukraine lacked at the onset of the fighting.
In separate interviews with Business Insider, a Zli Ptakhy representative and a Ukrainian soldier whose unit fields the Backfire described the drone as an effective weapon. They said the aircraft provides its operators with a good mix of range, explosive power, and durability.
The Backfire started as a collaboration between Ukraine’s military and defense industry, which sought to build something that could penetrate deep behind the front lines.
The drone began participating in combat missions on a regular basis in 2023. Since then, it’s been a nonstop process to improve the aircraft — from the airframe to the engine — as the Ukrainian military continuously provides feedback on the aircraft’s battlefield performance.
The aircraft, which costs a little under $500, has a propellor on its nose like classic fixed-wing aircraft. Much smaller than a crewed plane, it has a wingspan of more than 11 feet and is 6 feet in length. A three-person crew can launch the bomber drone from a catapult in minutes.
Courtesy of ZLi Ptakhy
The Backfire drone has a range of roughly 90 miles, a typical cruising speed of around 60 mph, and the ability to carry out bombing missions at altitudes between 150 and 1,000 feet. It can carry a payload of over 12 pounds and release mortars, grenades, or mines on targets below.
The choice of ordnance is flexible and ultimately depends on the specifics of the mission.
Anton Eine, the Zli Ptakhy representative, said the drone could “carpet bomb” Russian positions below. His brother Alex, the section commander of a drone unit in Ukraine’s Separate Presidential Brigade, said the Backfire could drop mines to be remotely detonated at a later time as an alternative payload.
The Backfire has mainly been used in combat missions along the southern direction of the front lines. Alex’s unit, known in English as the “Birds of Fury” and which primarily uses the Backfire drone, works in the Kherson region and flies the drone across the Dnipro River into Russian-held territory.
The aim is to catch the Russians off guard. “We are doing our missions deep behind enemy lines, so they are not expecting our flight,” he said.
The two brothers said that Zli Ptakhy struck a balance with the Backfire. Some drones carry more explosives. Some fly farther. Some don’t come back, like the exploding first-person-view quadcopter drones used all along the front.
“Backfire is the golden ratio between the cost, the reusability, payload, and range,” Alex said.
The Backfire is a multi-use drone. It’s able to carry out dozens of missions and is easily repairable if it gets damaged in flight or during landing, which sometimes requires a parachute to slow it down.
“It’s a very efficient weapon,” Anton said.
The Backfire has been shot down and faces similar challenges to other drones: high-intensity electronic warfare, or signal jamming, across the front lines. Both Russia and Ukraine rely heavily on electronic warfare tactics to interfere with enemy weaponry like drones and munitions.
Anton said that the Backfire met little resistance when it first started flying. But over time, the Russians started deploying more air defenses and employing tougher electronic warfare. This development has forced operators to try out new tactics, like flying the drone at higher or lower altitudes; the latter increases the chances of it being shot down.
“It’s pushing us — and all the producers of the drones — to look for solutions how to overcome the radio electronic warfare,” Anton explained, saying that they have “to look for new kinds of antennas, new solutions for navigation and connection.”
Courtesy of ZLi Ptakhy
“It’s an endless chase,” he added. “Each time it happens that someone finds the solution to overcome enemy counter-solutions, and then the game changes.”
Ukrainian officials have described the weapons race between Kyiv and Moscow as a cat-and-mouse affair, with both sides trying to best the other with their war technology and innovation.
The Ukrainian military wants the Backfire to have a higher payload, longer range, better strike precision, and more efficient electronic warfare resistance. It’s a tall order, but Zli Ptakhy is closing in on doubling its payload and expanding the drone’s range. The company can produce dozens of the drones a month in production facilities at undisclosed locations around Ukraine.
Zli Ptakhy is one of many Ukrainian companies making drones of all shapes, sizes, and capabilities for the country’s military as it continues to defend against Russia’s invasion.
Drone production has been the cornerstone of Kyiv’s booming defense industry. The government in Kyiv recently announced plans to purchase around 4.5 million FPV drones this year alone.
