Ukrainian forces are wrapping drone batteries in heated shoe insoles to keep them warm in flight, a solution to prevent cold temperatures from interfering with their operations.
A Ukrainian drone unit commander told Business Insider this week that his crew usually does not need the heaters because the batteries naturally warm themselves up during flight as they power the system.
However, in winter’s freezing temperatures, it’s becoming increasingly necessary to use a supplemental heat source to prevent the battery’s voltage from dropping and ultimately decreasing the drone’s range and combat efficiency, the commander said.
The commander, whose unit operates fixed-wing bomber drones in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military issues.
The commander said that his unit wraps the disposable heated shoe insoles around the battery and inserts it into the drone just before takeoff. The setup adds less than 100 grams to a drone that weighs about 45 kilograms (roughly 100 pounds) and does not affect performance.
The shoe insoles tactic isn’t necessarily new, but it is not always needed. The drone unit commander said that last year, his team experienced warmer temperatures in an area of the front line where moist air presented a greater challenge than the temperature.
Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images
And while winter takes its toll on the batteries, so too can hotter weather. Drone batteries heat up in use, especially as the motor draws power during takeoff or acceleration. If it overheats, it can damage the battery and impact operations.
The insole tactic underscores how Ukrainian soldiers are constantly on the hunt for easy solutions to sustaining operations during winter. In Kharkiv, for instance, units are facing single-digit temperatures this week. At just $30 or $40 on Amazon, the insoles provide a cheap remedy.
Such tactics extend beyond the drone unit; other Ukrainian forces are also using common household items to keep batteries warm, as technology typically struggles in cold temperatures.
Yuriy, a lieutenant colonel in a Ukrainian national guard electronic warfare unit that is also active in the Kharkiv region, told Business Insider this week that his crew uses small heated containers to keep drone and radio batteries warm.
These containers are typically used to store food, similar to a lunch box. Yuriy called it a “simple and effective” practice.
Ukraine is grappling with a particularly brutal winter, which United Nations officials determined on Friday has been the country’s coldest in over a decade.
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Russia has stepped up its missile and drone strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure this winter compared to previous years of the invasion, causing blackouts in cities around the country and leaving civilians without heating, electricity, and water.
Overnight on Monday, Russia carried out a large-scale bombardment against Ukraine with more than 70 ballistic and cruise missiles and 450 attack drones.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a social media post on Tuesday that the bombardment “was a deliberate attack against energy infrastructure, involving a record number of ballistic missiles.”
Zelenskyy said the Russian strike targeted energy facilities in several regions, causing the most damage in Kharkiv, Dnipro, Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Odesa, and Zaporizhzhia.
“Repair and emergency crews are working in all cities and communities as needed, and all energy companies’ resources are being deployed,” the Ukrainian president said.
