UAV Maintenance Technician
Requirements
- Fitness for service in terms of health and moral qualities
- Age 18 to 45
- Desire to work in the field of unmanned systems
- Digital literacy is essential, along with the ability to learn new things
- Technical skills are an advantage
Responsibilities
- Maintenance and restoration of UAV performance characteristics
- Diagnosing, repairing and preparing drones for operation (including FPV)
- Monitoring the condition of equipment, preventing breakdowns
- Analysing problems and finding solutions to fix them
Terms
- Mobilisation until the end of martial law, or contract service
- Basic and specialist training as required
- Pay: base pay of UAH 21,000 + an additional bonus of up to UAH 100,000 for carrying out tasks in the combat zone — up to UAH 121,000 per month in total, depending on the duration and area of the tasks
- Full social package
- Full provision of protective equipment and military property
- Opportunity to obtain combatant status (UBD)
Vacancy: UAV Maintenance Technician
A drone doesn't take off by itself. Before every sortie someone has checked the power, the firmware and the link with the controller, balanced the propellers and made sure the aircraft will do what is expected of it. That someone is the maintenance technician.
In the brigade, every battalion has unmanned systems units, and each of them relies on the people who prepare the equipment. The pilot carries out the mission, but they will only take off when the aircraft is ready.
This is a position for those who like working with their hands. Take it apart, find the cause, replace, reassemble, test. Here you see the result of your work straight away: the aircraft either flies or it doesn't.
And it is a specialty that stays with you. Skills in electronics, batteries, soldering and diagnostics are things that will also come in handy in civilian life.
Who can become a UAV maintenance technician
Experience with drones is not mandatory. What you need is a desire to work with equipment and digital literacy — the ability to figure out software, firmware and settings.
What really matters:
- Hands. The ability to work with small parts, precision, patience
- Digital literacy. A large part of the work is firmware, calibration and configuration via software
- Fault-finding logic. The aircraft isn't working — you need to work out why step by step, not replace everything in sight
- Readiness to learn. The technology changes very fast: what flew last year is already different today
- Medical fitness — determined by the military medical board (VLK)
Experience with radio control, modelling, repairing electronics or household appliances, soldering, a car service centre — any hands-on work — will come in handy. But we take people without it too.
How a maintenance technician differs from related positions: a UAV operator controls the aircraft in flight, an EW operator works against hostile drones, and the maintenance technician prepares the equipment for work and puts it back in order. These people often work side by side and understand each other's work.
What a UAV maintenance technician does in the 141st SMB
Main tasks:
- Assembling and setting up aircraft before tasks
- Diagnosing faults: power, control, video link, mechanics
- Repairing and restoring equipment that comes back from tasks
- Replacing components, soldering, working with batteries and power systems
- Flashing firmware and calibration, setting up the link with the controller
- Monitoring the condition of the equipment fleet, preventive maintenance — so that an aircraft doesn't fail at the moment it is needed
A separate note on FPV: these aircraft are single-use by design, so the workshop assembles and prepares them rather than repairing them after a sortie. FPV assembly is a separate line of work, and it is currently the most in demand.
The brigade has its own workshop. This is not an advantage over others — everyone has workshops now — but it means the work is done on site rather than through a long chain of requests to somewhere outside.
How you will be trained
You will be trained from scratch. You don't need a VOS (military occupational specialty) or any military training at all. The path is the same for everyone: 51 days of basic military training, then the brigade's own adaptation course — 14–15 days, followed by specialist training in your specialty.
The adaptation course is run by our instructors with combat experience. These are not lectures: a 12–15 kilometre march with drills for different situations, including reacting to drones — useful to understand from the other side too, when you prepare them yourself. Training continues at night too. Water and ration packs are dropped along the route by heavy drones.
Tactical medicine is drilled separately until it is automatic: tourniquet, bandage, helping a brother-in-arms — on training mannequins until the movements become habit. Our instructors' principle is short: the priority is to survive.
Then comes work with the equipment that actually flies in the brigade. The learning never stops: aircraft change, new types appear, and you have to master each one.
What you will be provided with
You will be fully kitted out. The brigade provides everything you need — from gear to tools and workshop equipment. On top of the standard issue, 141st fighters also receive what the brigade develops and tests itself: an enemy drone detector and camouflage against thermal imagers.
You won't be alone. The maintenance technician works as part of an unmanned systems unit, alongside pilots and operators. The entire training system is built around making sure the group comes back at full strength. "One for another" is not a slogan on a T-shirt but how the work is organised here.
What the terms include:
- Pay and additional payments for carrying out tasks
- Full provision of gear, protective equipment and military property
- The social package provided for service members
- Opportunity to obtain combatant status (UBD)
Where you can grow
Unmanned systems are the fastest-growing area in the brigade, and there is a shortage of people at every level. Real steps up:
- Senior technician — your own section, more complex types of equipment, responsibility for the fleet
- Operator or pilot — many start in the workshop, because that is where you best understand what the aircraft is capable of
- Squad leader — your own people, your own decisions, NCO positions and higher base pay
- Instructor — teaching newcomers what you can already do yourself
In the 141st, rank is an entry in your military ID. What counts is competence, a cool head and readiness to take responsibility. See a solution — propose it. Your career here depends on results, not length of service.
There is also a distinct culture of recognition: our patches are not handed out for length of service but earned for specific deeds — green for combat work and lives saved, blue for assault actions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Logic and process: we answer the key questions about enlistment, training and status.
Apply for this positionDo I need experience with drones?
+No. You need skilled hands, precision and digital literacy. Experience with radio control, modelling, repairing electronics or soldering will come in handy, but it is not mandatory.
What exactly will I be doing?
+Assembling and setting up aircraft, finding faults, repairing what comes back from tasks, working with power systems, firmware and calibration.
Is this a rear-area job?
+Unmanned systems units operate as part of battalions, and the specific location depends on the task and the unit. This is discussed at the interview before the contract is signed.
I have no military experience. Can I still join you?
+Yes. Most of our best specialists were civilians yesterday. What matters to us is your motivation. We’ll match a role to your skills: if you understand machinery — you’ll go to the mechanics; if you know electronics — to UAVs or communications. Everything military — we’ll teach you.
How long does training take before deployment to the unit?
+Every recruit completes Basic General Military Training (BGMT) at a training center. After that — additional specialized training depending on the chosen role. We send only the prepared to the line of contact — that is our core principle.
What happens after I fill out the form?
+Your application goes to the recruiting center. Within 24 hours our specialist will call — it’s not an interrogation, just an introduction and answers to your questions. If we’re a match, the brigade issues an official request and our liaison helps you get through the TRC and MMB as fast as possible.
Can I transfer to the 141st SMB from another unit?
+Yes, we consider transfers — including via the Army+ app. Fill out the form and select the status “Active service member” — a recruiter will advise on your real chances and the steps involved.
I am AWOL (SZCh). Can I join?
+The law allows a return to service. If you’re motivated to fight in a sound team — fill out the form and state your status honestly. Our specialists will advise you individually on legal ways to return. Confidentially.
Do you provide uniform and equipment?
+Yes. The brigade fully provides basic kit, body armor, helmets and weapons. Plus — thanks to a strong volunteer network, we have additional technological support: drones, EW, transport.
Similar positions
Didn’t find your role?
The brigade has more specialities than the site describes, and some roles are not written up yet. If yours is missing, fill in the form and tell us which position you are looking for. A recruiter will check what is open right now and answer straight.
Tell us which role you wantWhat happens after you apply
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01
A call within 24 hours
Your application goes to the recruiting centre and a specialist calls within a day. It is not an interrogation — just an introduction and answers to your questions.
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02
Interview and choosing a role
Together we look at what you can do and where it is most useful. If we are a match, the brigade issues an official request for your transfer.
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03
Enlistment office and medical board — with support
Our liaison helps you get through the enlistment office and the military medical board as fast as possible. You do not navigate the queues alone.
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04
Training first, then the unit
Basic general military training takes 51 days, followed by the brigade’s 14–15 day adaptation course with instructors who have combat experience. We send only prepared soldiers to the front line.