Russian forces have begun using a new type of strike unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in attacks on Ukraine that combines artificial intelligence, video analytics, and navigation technologies without the need for satellite communications, military communications specialist Sergei “Flash” Beskrestnov said.
According to him, the new drone was first spotted in Sumy in February 2025. Since then, it has been appearing more and more frequently in the east of the country. The main feature of this UAV is its autonomy, computing power, and a high degree of protection against electronic warfare.
Characteristics of the new drone:
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Warhead — 3 kg of explosives.
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The flight range is over 80 km.
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Power supply - 34 Ah battery.
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Camera — 14 megapixels.
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The control system is via the LTE network.
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Navigation is inertial and based on altitude maps.
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The equipment is a JETSON video module and an SSD drive with a capacity of over 100 GB.
This drone is assembled entirely from imported components and has an on-board system that allows it to operate independently of GPS and GLONASS. Thanks to the built-in artificial intelligence, the drone can not only navigate in space without external signals, but also recognize the operation of Ukrainian air defense systems and evade interception.
In addition, new UAVs have already been recorded in combat conditions as part of a “swarm” — up to six units at a time, which indicates the possible integration of swarm algorithms.
Beskrestnov noted that Russia has not yet used these drones on a large scale, but they are becoming increasingly visible. In his opinion, Ukraine should urgently pay attention to these technologies and adapt its own developments to new conditions.
Against this backdrop, on May 3, Ukrainian Magura V7 naval drones achieved a resounding success: during an attack on military facilities in Crimea, they destroyed two Russian Su-30SM fighters that were trying to intercept the drones. The destruction was carried out using AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.
