Ukrainian Military Shoots Down DIY-Upgraded Russian Drone

The Ukrainian military shot down the Russian Shahed-136 loitering munitions.

The drone had added-on equipment: a video camera and communication equipment, according to a photo of the wreckage of the upgraded drone that was released online.

Russian drone operators have independently upgraded the Shahed-136 drone, mounting a video camera on its fuselage, along with a modem for connecting to the Ukrainian mobile network to transmit live video.

The fact that this is a self-made modernization is evident from the quality of the work done and the installation of equipment on screws and adhesive tape.

With such drones, the Russians are presumably attempting to identify the launch sites of Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles or monitor the direction of flight in case of spoofing by EW systems.

The drone is painted with black paint for camouflage in the night sky and has a tail number with the Russian letter “Ы,” which can indirectly indicate its production in Russia.

You can read more about the production of these drones in the Russian Federation in our article “Child Labor, Gold and Iranian Spare Parts: How is the Russian ‘Shahed’ Factory Arranged?”

The Ukrainian military previously recorded the equipment of Russian Shakhed drones with homemade communication devices based on routers: in November, they shot down one of these drones.

The attached communication module consisted of a plastic container printed on the 3D-printer, in the middle of which an Alcatel 3G-modem with a SIM card of the Ukrainian operator was embedded. Two antennas were connected to it for signal transmission.

The module was not connected to the on-board power grid and was powered by a household charging battery attached to it.

During the flight, such a module is able to connect to the Ukrainian mobile network and broadcast the necessary data flow to the Internet through it. This can be both a location geotracker and a video transmission.

Recall that last month, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force confirmed the work and successful use of the Pokrova system, which is capable of intercepting Russian strike drones.

The Pokrova EW system uses spoofing technology that replaces satellite signals and misleading drone navigation devices. Having deviated from the route, they fly past the target or fall unharmed.