Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces launching women's unit

The Unmanned Systems Forces have begun recruiting members for its new women's unit called the Harpies, the branch announced on April 2.

The Harpies also include male personnel, but the "role of pilots who deliver the final blows will be performed exclusively by women," the unit said on Telegram.

Ukraine has pioneered drone technology during its full-scale war with Russia, introducing various ground-, air-, and sea-based models for combat and reconnaissance.

The Unmanned Systems Forces were formally established as a separate branch last June to oversee Ukraine's drone fleet.

The Harpies will be commanded by a veteran soldier named Daria, also known by the codename "DSHK", who was an active participant in the EuroMaidan Revolution and has fought in the special forces since 2022.

The branch is offering 75 days of training and a wide selection of vehicles, including first-person-view (FPV) copters, heavy bombers, fixed-wing drones, and ground systems.

"The Harpies are a community of women who seek to take revenge on... (Russia) and protect their children, families, and the state using unmanned systems," the branch said in its announcement.

There are 68,000 women in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including 48,000 military service members and 5,000 fighters deployed in the combat zone, the Defense Ministry said last fall.

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The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima