The Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) are a branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine created for centralized management of unmanned aerial complexes (UAC) and their combat application. Since June 3, 2025, Major Robert Brovdi (callsign "Madyar") has been the Commander of the USF.
The creation of a separate branch of the armed forces for unmanned systems was a recognition of the critical role of drones in modern warfare. Ukraine became one of the first countries in the world to separate drone units into a distinct command structure.
Main tasks of the USF:
On February 9, 2025, the 414th Separate USF Brigade "Madyar's Birds" officially joined the "Drone Line" project.
"Drone Line" — an initiative aimed at uniting the most effective unmanned systems units of Ukraine's Defense Forces to scale and coordinate UAV deployment at the front.
The project includes:
Tasks of the "Drone Line":
On June 11, 2025, the Unmanned Systems Forces Grouping was established, uniting the "Drone Line" units and Unmanned Systems Forces.
On July 1, 2025, a unified system for recording and confirming combat missions covering all units, as well as an electronic combat log, was introduced in the USF Grouping.
On July 2, 2025, the first public monthly report of the USF Grouping on combat operations results was released.
Pioneer unit founded by Brovdi in May-June 2022. Evolution:
Achievements:
Commander — Oleh "Khasan" Huita (Deputy Commander of USF from March 31, 2026).
One of the leading units of the "Drone Line".
Part of the USF Grouping. On August 24, 2026, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented the brigade with a battle flag; it was received by the brigade commander, Hero of Ukraine Colonel Kyrylo Veres.
Source: usf_army, 24.08.2026
Unit of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. Commander — Dmytro "Zemlyak" Oleksyuk (acting Deputy Commander of the USF Grouping from March 31, 2026).
Following his appointment, Robert Brovdi made public an action plan for the first 100 days:
1. Transparent results: 6-7 USF units will enter the TOP-10 effectiveness ranking.
2. Unified system: all USF units will operate within a unified electronic system of planning, analysis, coordination, management and online reporting.
3. 12 layers of USF impact: RER, EW, radar, enemy UAV hunters, remote mining, echeloned anti-Shahed measures, counter-pilot groups, etc.
4. "Candies = Results": scaling up own ammunition production.
5. Unified critical components stock: package of 50 critical assets (StarLink, batteries, EW, FPV and bomber components).
6. UGV logistics: unmanned ground vehicles as the primary logistics means.
7. OS replenishment: unified recruiting campaign, network of FPV schools, bombers, wing, EW, RER.
8. "Pilots fly, everyone else works to support the process": optimization of battle composition, crew requalification.
9. "Count-Plan-Receive-Fight": unified analysis of capabilities and results.
In September 2025, a multi-level USF employment model was introduced, envisaging 15 layers of enemy impact within tactical, operational and strategic depth.
On 4 September 2025, Robert Brovdi announced the introduction of the USF online scoreboard "PIDRAKHUYKA", designed to display confirmed combat activity results of units in real time.
System characteristics:
Website: https://sbs-group.army/
On 25 December 2025, at the initiative of the USF Commander, the USF Deep Strike Center (DSC) was established — a coordination body for planning and conducting strikes on targets at operational and strategic depth.
USF DSC results (24 December 2025 – 20 April 2026):
113 air defense assets struck:
By period:
By Brovdi's order, the number of air-defense assets struck must be constantly increased to reduce the effectiveness of detection and interception systems.
The hub has not found more recent official figures specifically for the Central Strike Group for summer 2026—the data above as of April 20, 2026 remain the most current confirmed snapshot for this structure. The same function (systematic destruction of Russian air defense) from August 2026 is covered by the campaign "PPOpad" —newer figures on the page Operations.
Results of 100 days (June–September 2025):
Manpower vs results:
Results of 10 months (June 3, 2025 – April 20, 2026):
Results for 15 months (June 11, 2025 – September 10, 2026, per official "Pidrakhuyka" scoreboard):
The historical checkpoint (10 months, June 3, 2025 – April 20, 2026, above) is retained for pace comparison, not replaced. DERIVED (hub calculation, not USF statement): the 500,000 targets-struck milestone since the founding of the USF Group (11.06.2025) was passed in August 2026. Source: sbs-group.army, snapshot 10.09.2026.
The Unmanned Systems Forces Group comprises—besides the "Drone Line" units above—the following subordinate units (source: official online scoreboard sbs-group.army and public mentions):
Path battalion → regiment → brigade: formed November 2022, regiment—December 2024, brigade—March 9, 2026. Combat operations in Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
Sources: ArmyInform · Militarnyi · Wikipedia
The only assault brigade in the Unmanned Systems Forces—its own infantry (2 assault battalions) alongside 3 unmanned, tanks and artillery. Reorganized from motorized infantry brigade January 3, 2025.
Sources: official page of 59th Separate Assault Brigade · Wikipedia
Formed "from scratch" autumn 2024 (5 people at start) in the defense of Kyiv. Claims over 1,000 combat sorties and 750+ targets struck in its first year (per USF statements).
Source: ArmyInform
Deep-raid and strike-operations unit deep into enemy territory.
Source: sbs-group.army
Grew from the Vinnytsia Territorial Defense battalion (2014), reformed as a brigade on January 27, 2025. Includes Ukraine's first all-female drone unit "Harpies" and the "Caucasus Legion".
Sources: ArmyInform · Suspilne · Hromadske Radio
Consolidated Unmanned Systems Unit of the State Special Transport Service — not a unit of the Armed Forces. No public details on formation or entry date.
⚠ In the project dashboard cache, the same entry is labeled "7th CBpS DSST". Source: sbs-group.army
Ground anti-tank battalion (since 15.04.2022) — not an organic unit of the USF; since January 2025 cooperating with 414th Brigade "Madyar's Birds" on the Pokrovsk direction. Marked "archive" (reformed) on the group scoreboard.
Sources: Wikipedia · Militaryland
On June 3, 2026, "Birds" pilots of 1st OC claimed hitting and setting fire to the corvette "Boiky" — a guided missile carrier — in the Kronstadt area.
Source: Telegram channel "MADYAR"
Separate USF strike battalion; for 2023-2025 claims over 25,000 strikes and 50,000+ detected targets (per USF claims), including destruction of 2S43 "Malva" SAU on the Kursk direction (12.2024).
⚠ The claimed connection "joined 414th Brigade" is not confirmed by other sources — Ukrainian Wikipedia and scoreboard cache show the unit as a separate entry. Sources: Wikipedia · Unit Telegram channel
Composition per official online scoreboard sbs-group.army as of 02.08.2026 (no fresher snapshot of the list in this delta — date preserved until next verification); where there are no separate public details — only type, name, and link to scoreboard indicated. According to reports Militarnyi (30.08.2026) and Euromaidan Press (01.09.2026), in summer 2026 two more USF brigades were formed — the 445th (July 2026) and 446th (formation begun, announced 01.09.2026); in official posts of @usf_army channel for 01.08–08.09.2026 there is no direct mention of the 446th Brigade — information relies on media, until official confirmation appears on scoreboard it is not added to the main "9 units" list.
On October 30, 2025, a recruitment campaign was announced — over 15,000 vacancies.
As of November 25, 2025:
Per official USF channel (01.08.2026), in 50 days of the simplified return-to-duty mechanism for unauthorized unit departure (AUD, for those who left before 12.06.2026), over 2,000 servicemembers returned; report submission through "Army+" app, deadline 20.09.2026. Among seven units participating in the program: 414th "Madyar's Birds", 411th "Hawks", 20th "K-2", 429th "Achilles", 412th Nemesis, 59th "Steppe Predators", 427th "Rarog".
Source: usf_army 2276 · 2288 (01.08.2026). The 30.10.2025 campaign (15,000+ vacancies) and metrics as of 25.11.2025 above — a separate, earlier snapshot of the recruitment funnel.
May 15, 2026 — 4,010 cumulative enemy losses for May (source: Telegram channel "MADYAR").
Robert "Madyar" Brovdi received the title Hero of Ukraine on May 8, 2025, meaning USF command now includes at least three persons distinguished with the highest state award.
Legally the USF emerged as a separate service branch in 2024 (decrees №382/2024 and law signed 16.09.2024); the first commander was Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi (2024 – June 3, 2025). June 11 was subsequently established as Unmanned Systems Forces Day. The USF is described as the world's first separate unmanned forces service branch within a national army.
Per official retrospective report on the Group's anniversary (ArmyInform, 11.06.2026), in its first year the USF claims ~$40 billion in destroyed Russian assets, ~1.65 million combat sorties, 350,000+ targets struck, 100,000+ enemy personnel losses, 7,600+ intercepted "Shaheds", 26,000+ logistics units. In 2026 the USF conducted a campaign of deep strikes on Russian oil refining and a campaign to isolate Crimea. In July 2025 Brovdi addressed NATO officers at the LANDEURO conference in Wiesbaden, warning of unreadiness for mass drone strikes.
According to the USF Commander's summary post from 01.09.2026, in August 2026 the Force engaged 58,465 unique targets (average 1,886 per day, +8.7% from July's 53,755) and inflicted 11,010 sanitary and irrecoverable losses on rf personnel (355 per day, −5% from July); from January 2026 the increase was +210% in targets and +17.3% in manpower. According to the same dashboard as of 10.09.2026 — 22,647 targets destroyed completely. Separately, according to the Commander's statement (07.08.2026), in July 2026 the USF Force's share of drone-inflicted manpower losses among all Defense Forces of Ukraine was 37.74% (11,685 out of 30,957) — this is a different metric with a different denominator, direct comparison with the ">35% of engagements" share (August 2025) is not possible.
Sources: ArmyInform, 11.06.2026 · Militarnyi (Wiesbaden) · TG 2782, 01.09.2026 · usf_army 2396 · sbs-group.army, snapshot 10.09.2026 · usf_army 2296 · TG 2710, 07.08.2026
Figures—official USF command count, without external confirmation.