Ukrainian Startup Helps Military Use Russia’s Analog Drone Video To Its Advantage
Source: ExtremeTech, Jon Martindale
Photo: Courtesy of CODE380
Now soldiers can see Russian drones coming, including what they’re targeting.
In the cat-and-mouse game of Russian and Ukrainian drone operators, Russia’s use of low-latency analog video for its guidance systems has given Ukraine another way to thwart them. A Ukrainian startup called CODE380 has developed a drone detector called D·Vision SDR that taps into the video feed and sends it right to the soldiers Russian drones are targeting, helping them to hide, move, or target the offending attacker directly.
One major innovation in Russian drone technology over the past year has been a shift to faster jet drones. Ironically, these drones are arguably less technically capable than some of their slower counterparts, but because of their speed, delays and interference in digital video transmission make analog video feeds a better way for Russian operators to fly them.
While Ukraine is still working on consistent interceptor designs to counter Russian jet drones— which is why the recent Starlink speed limits were so damaging to Ukrainian defense—this new tool is effective, too. The D·Vision SDR system is more advanced than classic passive detectors, though; it can tap into the video feed directly, giving Ukrainian defenders advance warning of incoming attacks.
Most frontline detectors target specific frequency bands to hunt for video and control streams, but the D·Vision SDR system sweeps a wide band from 500MHz to 8,700MHz, giving it a much broader way to find Russian drone signals. Although it’s not comprehensive, it’s far more robust than traditional detectors, and it’s letting frontline defenders find drones several kilometers out. That improves interception rates and gives defenders a better chance to retreat to hardened shelters before a drone impacts their location.
Typical detectors need recalibration or hardware upgrades when Russian frequencies change, but the D·Vision SDR can be patched with a software update, making it a more rapid, responsive frontline tool. This is an evolution of earlier multi-band detectors, like the Babai-developed Vydun 7.5 that debuted in March.
Unfortunately, the future of drone technology is moving toward AI guidance and targeting, which requires no human operator or video signal, so it’s unclear how long these detectors will remain useful or relevant. For now, though, they’re saving lives and keeping Ukraine on the front foot as they retake more territory than Russia has captured.