When her unit’s fighters learned that a legendary Ukrainian heavy strike drone was piloted by a woman, it sparked surprise. These drones, called “Baba-Yaga” or “Vampire", can carry up to 15 kg of payload over distances of up to 20 km and head to Russian positions at night, the 77th Separate Airmobile Dnieper Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reports.
Military “Harley Quinn”: from artillery to commanding a strike drone
A servicewoman with the call sign “Harley Quinn", serving in the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, has been transitioned from artillery to piloting a heavy strike drone. She now leads a crew that delivers cargo to frontline positions, mines approaches, and strikes Russian troops.
She explains that her path to drones began by chance: "The commander said, 'Go, try flying the Vampire. '" I tried, and that same day, I transferred to it. It was love at first sight.”
From basic tasks to crew command: frontline practice and experience
Initially, Harley Quinn performed basic tasks on the crew, including transporting equipment, preparing suspensions, and assisting the team.
“I moved from third-in-command to pilot. Everything my crew does now, I’ve done myself,” she recalls.
Later, she became the drone crew commander, responsible for:
- Flight planning
- Cargo delivery
- Mining and target engagement
One of the most challenging tasks was delivering a generator to the frontline, where the drone had to descend nearly to the ground to avoid damaging delicate equipment.
The pilot and her crew conduct round-the-clock operations against the occupiers, destroying expensive Russian systems such as “Borisoglebsk,” “Zoopark-1,” and “Solntsepyok".
