Russian forces have begun deploying a new type of reconnaissance drone over Ukraine ahead of attacks by Shahed suicide drones, according to radio technology expert Serhiy Flesh, who released a photo of the downed device.
The new UAV visually resembles the Shahed itself, which allows it to camouflage and mislead Ukrainian air defense units. The drone's main function is to scout the routes of attacking drones, as well as detect mobile air defense fire groups.
The device flies at an altitude of 1 to 3 kilometers and is capable of transmitting video over a distance of more than 50 kilometers using an analog transmitter of band 1.2. Control is carried out through the ExpressLRS system, which provides stable radio communication and a high data update rate.
Thanks to these capabilities, the drone allows you to quickly assess the situation on approach routes, identify weak points in air defense, and adjust the attack plan.
By the way, today, June 21, President Zelensky told reporters that Ukraine has begun using special interceptors to destroy Russian Shahed drones. According to him, mobile fire groups, which previously mainly used machine guns, are now armed with new interceptor drones. Today, such mobile groups shoot down "about a third" of enemy strike drones.
Four companies are engaged in the production of such interceptors, and to accelerate their mass production, Ukraine will soon receive additional financial support from Germany and Canada.