| 429th Unmanned Systems Regiment "ACHILLES" | |
|---|---|
| Ukrainian:429-й окремий полк безпілотних систем «Ахіллес» | |
 Insignia | |
| Active | 1992 – present |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Allegiance | Ukraine |
| Branch |  Unmanned Systems Forces |
| Type | Unmanned Systems |
| Role | Aerial Reconnaissance,FPV drone strikes, Ground Drone Warfare,CargoTransport |
| Size | Regiment |
| Part of | .svg) 112th Territorial Defense Brigade (February 2022-February 2023) 92nd Assault Brigade (February 2023-January 2025) |
| Garrison/HQ | Kharkiv |
| Nickname | Achilles |
| Patron | Achilles |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Fedorenko Yuriy Serhiyovych |
| Insignia | |
| Former Insignia |  |
The429th Unmanned Systems Regiment ('Achilles') is aregiment-levelUAV unit of theGround Forces of Ukraine.
It was established in 2022, by volunteers who joined theTerritorial Defense Forces on the first day of theRussian invasion of Ukraine, as the fourth company of the 128th Battalion of the112th Territorial Defense Brigade.
It was later attached to the92nd Assault Brigade and expanded to a Battalion. Following the creation of Unmanned Systems Forces in 2024, it was transferred to the new command. In 2025, it was expanded to a regiment.
The unit was established by volunteers from the fourth company of the 128th Battalion of the112th Territorial Defense Brigade, most of whom were civilians without any proper training.[1] From 24 February 24 to 3 March 2022, the 4th Company of the 128th Battalion defended theKyiv Chaika Airfield, after which it was deployed toBrovary before the start of theBattle of Brovary.[2][3][4] On 11 April 2022, Yuriy Serhiyovych Fedorenko became the commander of the Fourth Company.[5] In May 2022, the unit took part in theBattle of Kharkiv holding positions nearBazaliivka. Also in May, anaerial reconnaissance detachment was established by the Company utilizingUAVs and the fourth company began working alongside the artillery of the92nd Mechanized Brigade as an aerial reconnaissance unit.[2][6][7][8][9][10] On 28 May 2022, the Company conducted first joint operation with the artillerymen of the 92nd Brigade, destroying several pieces of Russian equipment, and inflicted casualties on Russian personnel, following which the cooperation with the brigade became permanent.[2][6][7][8]
From June to August 2022, the unit "covered"Balakliya,Korobochkyne,Pushkarne,Lebyazhe,Bazaliivka andPechenihy with reconnaissance UAVs.[2] In August 2022, the 128th Battalion was to leave the positions and rotate but the company was split between leaving and not leaving the positions. Under these conditions, a general meeting called the "Cossack Council" was held and it was ultimately decided that the Company will continue its operations on the frontlines and not leave the positions.[2][6][8] In September 2022, during the2022 Kharkiv counteroffensive, a group of UAVs from the Company struck Russian positions inVovchy Yar andStepove allowing penetration by ground forces which were able to reachIvanivka. Also in September, the unit conducted stabilization operations inIvanivka,Shevchenkove andMykolaivka, intercepting several Russian artillery reconnaissance personnel. A part of the unit operated alongside the14th Mechanized Brigade, conducting offensive operations inVelykyi Burluk andVovchansk. A group from the unit under the personal command of Yuriy Fedorenko took up defensive positions in the Forest nearHrushivka andKupiansk, directing artillery strikes on Russian positions for seven hours. Following the capture ofKupiansk, a drone workshop was established at the Company's base, soon followed by another.[2][8][11] During the capture of Kupiansk, the unit rescued a shell-shocked shepherd dog named Jack, who was later adopted by the family of Italian singerAndrea Bocelli.[12]
In January 2023, the company fought in theSvatove sector, capturedNovoselivske and took up positions for counteroffensive purposes.[13]
On 26 January 2023, the company officially became one of the first strike UAV companies in Ukraine.[14]
In February 2023, it was officially transferred to the92nd Assault Brigade.[15] From March to May 2023, it fought theWagner Group nearKhromove during theBattle of Bakhmut and on 9 May 2023, the battalion with assistance from reconnaissance forces of the 92nd Brigade captured a Russian soldier using a drone.[16] From May to July 2023, it participated in theBattle of Soledar, repelling Russian assaults. From July 2023, it saw combat inKlishchiivka andAndriivka. In November 2023, a group of analysts commissioned by the Central Directorate of Unmanned Systems assessed the capabilities of 16 out of 93 strike UAV companies and the Company was ranked amongst the top three.[8] According to the battalion's social media, in 2023, the "Achilles" hit 2,332 targets including 264 pieces of equipment and 884 structures.
In January 2024, the Company started a recruitment campaign[17][18][19][20] and on 31 January 2024, the company was expanded to the "Achilles" Strike UAV Battalion.[21] In spring 2024, the Achilles Battalion regularly repelled Russian assaults onAndriivka,Chasiv Yar andIvanivske.[7][22][23][24][25][26] On 5 April 2024, the battalion set its record of destroying 10 pieces of Russian equipment in a day, including fiveBMD-2s, fourBMP-2s and one buggy with the fighter "Darwin" scoring most hits.[27] In May 2024, the Achilles Battalion was transferred fromDonetsk Oblast to theKharkiv Oblast to partake in repelling the2024 Kharkiv offensive.[28][17] In May–June 2024, the Achilles UAV battalion claimed to have inflicted "heavy losses" on Russian forces in theBelgorod Oblast across the international border hitting 92 targets including 11+ anti-tank guns, howitzers and other artillery systems, two tanks and 20 armored vehicles. On 18 July 2024, one of its crews hit and significantly damaged the2S43 Malva self-propelled howitzer in theLiptsy-Hlybokye sector, inKharkiv Oblast, marking the first hit on Malva by an FPV drone in history.[29] In the first eight months of 2024, the Achilles Battalion claimed to have hit 4,957 targets and delivered 547 cargo packages. On 25 September 2024, nearKupiansk, the battalion destroyed a Russian2S5 Giatsint-S long-range 152mm artillery system.[30] On 26 September 2024, the Achilles Battalion broke its previous record while repelling a Russian Mechanized assault in Pishchanye nearKupiansk where about 50 units of Russian armored vehicles were advancing towardsKolisnykivka andKruglyakivka. The Achilles Battalion destroyed 14 pieces of equipment including fiveinfantry fighting vehicles, three tanks, onearmored personnel carrier, oneMTLB, twoUrals, one Loaf and oneATV and damaged further 26 pieces of equipment, including 10 tanks, 10 infantry fighting vehicles, twoBREMs, three MTLBs and one Ural.[31][32][33][34] In total, in September 2024, the Achilles Battalion claimed to have hit 1,475 targets and delivered 247 cargo packages.[35] On 11 December 2024, the Achilles battalion, together with the1st Presidential Brigade and the77th Airmobile Brigade, repelled a Russian Mechanized assault inKupiansk with the Achilles Battalion alone destroying seven pieces of equipment including a tank, three infantry fighting vehicles and three MT-LBs as well as damaging eight more armored vehicles.[36][37] On 18 December 2024, the Russians tried to expand the bridgehead nearOskil River by attempting a mechanized assault by advancing two columns of equipment from two directions. The Achilles Battalion, together with the1st Presidential Brigade and the77th Airmobile Brigade, halted the assault. In total, 11 pieces of equipment were destroyed including two tanks and nine infantry fighting vehicles and ten more were damaged including one MT-LB, one armored personnel carrier and eight infantry fighting vehicles.[38][39][40][41] On 20 December 2024, Russians attacked the outskirts ofKupiansk with five vehicles. The Achilles Battalion together with the1st Presidential Brigade,114th Territorial Defense Brigade and the116th Territorial Defense Brigade pushed them back. The UAV crews of the "Achilles" battalion destroyed three infantry fighting vehicles and one tank, another infantry fighting vehicle was damaged.[42][43][44][45]
On 3–4 January 2025, the Achilles strike UAV Battalion together with the1st Presidential Brigade and the77th Airmobile Brigade, repelled two Russian assaults nearZagryzove with the UAV crews of the Achilles Battalion stopping 20 pieces of Russian equipment for two days,[46][47][48][49][50][51] a rareGMZ-3 minelayer was amongst the equipment destroyed by the Battalion.[52]
On 29 January 2025, the Achilles Battalion was expanded into the 429th Achilles UAV Regiment, with the commander of Achilles claiming that the expansion was a result of excellent performance such as the destruction of 19,853 targets in three years.[53][54][55][56][57] On 15 March 2025, the regiment released information and videos showcasing the destruction of four RussianPantsir-S1 air defence systems, worth 56 Million USD by its strike wing UAVs.[58] On 1 April 2025, the regiment destroyed a rare RussianT-90M along with a UAZ Bukhanka inKharkiv Oblast, another T-90M was damaged as well.[59] In April 2025, the regiment hit a total of 1,967 targets.[60]Yurii Felipenko, the Ukrainian theatre and film actor who joined the battalion in April 2024,[61][62] was killed in combat on 14 June 2025.[63] On 20 July 2025, the regiment struck and destroyed aNorth KoreasType 75 multiple rocket launcher.[64]
| Model | Image | Origin | Type | Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicles | |||||
| Humvee |  |  United States | Infantry mobility vehicle | ||
| Roshel Senator |  |  Canada | Infantry mobility vehicle | ||
1st Unmanned Systems Battalion
2nd Unmanned Systems Battalion
3rd Unmanned Systems Battalion