Ukrainian "witches of Bucha" form first all‑female anti-drone unit

Ukrainians have proudly announced the creation of the first all-female anti-aircraft unit, 'Witches of Bucha,' tasked with hunting down drones like Shahed, among others. Their primary weapon is the vintage Maxim M1910/30 machine gun. Here, we present their performance and advantages in combating drones.

Russians continuously launch dozens of Shahed drones towards Ukraine, which, when synchronised with cruise and ballistic missiles, pose a significant problem for anti-aircraft defences. There are too many targets simultaneously, and some may get through.

Therefore, the Ukrainians have created a network of microphones to detect drones, and then mobile intervention groups are dispatched to their flight paths. These groups strive to eliminate the threat, using firearms and occasionally portable anti-aircraft systems like the FIM-92 Stinger. A popular weapon among these groups is the Maxim M1910/30 machine gun, of which Ukraine has reportedly taken 30,000 out of storage.

In 1884, Hiram Stevens Maxim unveiled the world's first machine gun, changing the face of warfare. Before the invention of the Maxim, shooters relied on bolt-action rifles, which required manual reloading after each shot. This process involved removing the spent casing and loading a new cartridge into the chamber.

Hiram Maxim developed a revolutionary mechanism in which the energy generated during the shot was used to power the firearm's automation. The Maxim gun operated on the short-recoil basis and utilised knee-joint locking, enabling continuous fire, giving one soldier the firepower of an entire group.

The Maxim's innovation quickly gained recognition worldwide, and Russia was one of its earliest customers. Maxims were used during the war with Japan in 1904, and after positive reviews from the front, Russia decided to purchase a licence to produce these guns domestically. Initially, the models were M1905 and later M1910, chambered in 7.62x54R mm ammunition.

The Maxim was used until the end of World War II, after which it found a place in museums. Nevertheless, it returned to service during the war in Ukraine, in the hands of both Ukrainian territorial defence soldiers and pro-Russian militias from Donbas.

One of the characteristic features of the Maxim is its water-cooled barrel, which contributed to its considerable weight (20 kg without water), making it ideally suited for defending fortifications. The Russians also designed a mobile mount with wheels and a steel shield, creating the so-called tachanka.

The Maxim machine gun was fed by a 250-round belt, and its theoretical rate of fire was 600 rounds per minute. Thanks to water cooling, it was possible to maintain prolonged suppressing fire until supplies of ammunition or water were exhausted. Air-cooled machine guns cannot operate continuously for as long and typically require the barrel to be changed after about 250 rounds or sooner, depending on the barrel's thickness.

Using tracer ammunition with the Maxim allows for real-time fire correction, shooting in line with the visible tracers in the air. Additionally, the 7.62x54R mm ammunition, also used in modern machine guns like the PKM, remains plentiful among Ukrainians, and its ballistic properties are still sufficient.