Unseen, Unsung and Underrated: Ukraine’s Night Bombers

Ukraine’s heavy drone bombers, known to Russians as Baba Yagas, are the unsung heroes of the war. While FPVs and small quadcopters get all the attention, night bombers inflict heavy casualties on Russian forces that are barely noticed. Sequences shot through thermal imagers are difficult to interpret and don’t have the same appeal as daytime videos.

But there are indications that night bombers have much more influence than is currently appreciated.

A fleet of two thousand bombers

The term ‘Baba Yaga’ is a general term applied by the Russians, who often have no idea what kind of bomber drone is flying around. The Ukrainians operate several varieties, including the Vampire, R18, Nemesis, and Kazhan (“Bat”), with four, six, or eight rotors and typically carrying a 20-40 pound bomb. They can strike at ranges up to 12 miles, carrying fewer bombs on longer missions.

Typical weapons include 22-kilogram TM-62 anti-tank mines adapted for aerial bombardment; some drones can carry two of them and drop them with high accuracy. They also carry 82mm and 120mm mortar bombs.

While they generally drop bombs from the air, some videos show the multicopter following moving vehicles and hitting them, which requires considerable skill.

There is also the case of a drone bomber, apparently armed with a laser-guided bomb, which can hit targets with high precision from a considerable range. Such bombs can be used to engage air defense systems, but they seem rare compared to more basic munitions. The heavy multicopter also occasionally drops supplies to frontline troops.

Large drones are very loud and can be heard from miles away. They are also easy to spot during the day. These bombers almost invariably fly at night and stay at low altitudes to avoid air defense systems. All are equipped with thermal imaging to locate targets.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry bought more than 2,000 heavy bomber drones through official channels last year, more were supplied by volunteers and fundraisers, but there are no totals for these. A bomber costs about $20,000, so the entire fleet costs about half of an F-16.

A drone team usually deploys to the front line shortly after nightfall and conducts multiple missions each night, dropping bombs or laying mines. (Manned aircraft usually fly one flight per day). They are often targeted: the Russians will try to locate their position with their radio emissions, or follow the drone back to them with a quadcopter. Teams are often targeted by artillery or air strikes and must move position regularly.

Why don’t bomber kills count?

OSINT analyst Andrew Perpetua, who analyzes, tabulates and attempts to geocode every single combat video out of Ukraine, believes the effect of night bombers is being seriously underestimated.

Any estimate of Russian losses – like the recent look at what proportion is caused by FPVs – relies on sources like Oryx and WarSpotting, which provide accurate, bare-bones imagery that confirms every loss. Writing on Twitter/X, Perpetua notes that because the kills carried out by the bombers are shown from above and with a thermal image, the exact type of vehicle is difficult to identify. And while the bombing often produced a dramatic explosion, that’s not the same as a confirmed kill where the aftermath is visible in broad daylight.

“The methodology used by loss aggregators is very conservative and struggles to deal with the types of views available at the moment. And as a result it will lag behind reality.” writes Perpetua.

This loss will not appear in the listings until an image of the wrecked vehicle appears during the day, which may be some time later, and which doesn’t necessarily give any clues as to what wrecked it.

(However, they scored more confirmed Russian T-90M kills than artillery or guided missiles in the last quarter).

“Ukraine has focused on using heavy bomber drones to destroy vehicles and has a large number of casualties per day using this method,” writes Perpetua.

He backs this up with figures he’s compiled from videos of the attacks, shown in the chart below, that show how the bombers’ killings rose sharply in 2024. (Note that the figure for December is only for the first 18 days of month)>

View from the other side: Russian Baba Yagas

There is more confirmation of the effectiveness of night bombers from the Russian side. Although several different Russian ‘Baba Yaga’ clones have been demonstrated, these do not seem to have made it to the front. Instead, the Russians are enthusiastically refurbishing downed Ukrainian bomber drones and putting them into service.

“Many Russian Telegram channels post photos and videos of Ukrainian-made Baba Yaga heavy multirotor drone repaired and used against Ukrainian forces,” drone expert Samuel Bendett wrote on Twitter/X.

OSINT analyst ‘Roy’ notes that the Russians are even setting up a supply chain to keep their trophy bombers in service.

“Further evidence of the Russians’ failure to develop heavy drones is that they have started making propellers for captured Ukrainian Baba Yagas,” notes Roy on Twitter/X.

We also know how much Russians fear ‘Baba Yagas’. A Russian report says a soldier can claim 10 days off if he shoots one. They also say that Baba Yagas descend at night to pick up wounded Russian soldiers in their metal claws and can only be taken down with a flamethrower.

Ukrainians feed on mythology and have posted about armored Baba Yagas who are immune to gunfire. There’s even a post about a Vampire drone equipped with explosive reactive armor that survived an attack by a Russian FPV drone. This can be taken with a large pinch of salt.

It’s not clear why the Russians haven’t been able to get their heavy bombers out and are resorting to oddball efforts like this machine that uses four quadcopters linked together.

Ukraine has a clear lead in heavy bomber drones, although the full extent of the damage they are causing will not be known until after the war.