FPV Drone

A first-person-view drone is a small multirotor controlled through a live video feed from a camera on the aircraft, so the pilot flies as if sitting inside it. The format comes from the hobby racing scene: light frames, powerful motors relative to weight, and off-the-shelf video transmitters and goggles. Military FPV drones adapt that formula, most often by carrying an explosive payload into a target in a one-way attack, though the same platforms are also flown purely for reconnaissance and artillery correction.

The tactical effect comes from precision and cost rather than range or speed. An FPV drone maneuvers through windows, under camouflage netting, and into the tops of armored vehicles, guided by a pilot rather than a seeker. Unit cost is measured in hundreds of dollars, which lets units treat them as expendable ammunition and fly them in volume. Control and video run over short-range radio links, typically within roughly ten kilometers, which is also the platform's main weakness.

Because the link is simple and often unencrypted, FPV drones are the single largest driver of tactical electronic warfare demand. Jamming the control or video channel remains the primary countermeasure, and both sides continually shift frequencies, relays, and guidance methods to stay ahead.