The Hartmann Report Ukraine Is Taking Charge With Their Drone Force
Feb 27, 2026
Phil Itner, a veteran war correspondent in Ukraine who reports from front-line areas, discusses Ukraine’s innovative drone tactics. He covers diverse drone roles from observation to kamikaze strikes. He explains efforts to extend range and remove risky components. He describes real-time command dashboards, morale on the front lines, and communications struggles affecting Russian forces.
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Embedded Reporting Covered Drone Production To Frontline Use
- Phil Itner embedded with a battalion covering drone production, control, and front-line operators.
- He observed units positioned 15–20 km behind lines to rapidly deploy drones and learned tactics firsthand.
Ukrainian Drone Forces Use Role-Specific Swarms
- Ukrainian forces use specialized drone roles rather than one-size-fits-all drones.
- Phil Itner observed observation drones, FPV kamikaze drones, and larger bombardier drones deployed together to find and strike targets from 15–20 km behind front lines.
Ukraine Replaces Chinese Drone Chips To Avoid Compromise
- Ukrainians modify captured commercial Chinese drones to remove proprietary components and replace them with Ukrainian chips.
- Phil Itner reported they swap control and communications chips to avoid potential Chinese compromise of DJI hardware.