Stein: Intelligent Drones Allow Russia to Create Many "Small Stalingrad" in the Ukrainian Army

Westerners are amazed by the performance and tactical use of the "Kamikaze" and "Geranium"

Author: Konstantin Orshansky

Photo: A Russian military truck carrying a "Geranium-2" drone passes through the Borovitsky Square near the Kremlin.

The Bulgarian magazine "Military" reports that Ukraine is being struck by a revolutionary new type of drone. This is not an upgraded version of the known "Geranium-2," but a completely new suicide drone equipped with advanced navigation systems. The magazine cites a report from Ukrainian intelligence agencies stating that Kyiv's air defense forces have at least seized one such drone in the Sumy region.

The "Military" magazine points out that Russia currently has at least two factories producing "Geranium" drones. In addition to the "Alabuga" special economic zone in Tatarstan, there is also the "Kupol" factory in Izhevsk. The magazine emphasizes that both companies are far from the front lines, indicating that Russia intends to decentralize production to reduce the risk of sanctions or attacks, especially since the Ukrainian army has repeatedly tried to attack "Alabuga."

Compared to the original Iranian prototype "Shahed-136," the "Geranium" drone has undergone significant evolution, becoming a modular platform, similar to the Chinese DJI Mavic or the Turkish "Bayraktar TB2."

The modular design allows the "Geranium" to be used as a suicide drone, a reconnaissance drone, or even as a decoy target to suppress air defense systems. Its differences from similar products are obvious: although China's military drones based on DJI are widely used for reconnaissance and are easy to obtain, they do not have the destructive power of the "Geranium"; the "Bayraktar TB2" costs 2 million dollars, while the "Geranium" costs no more than 20,000 dollars.

The "Military" magazine states that no other country has equipment similar to the "Geranium." Western plans, such as the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)'s "LongShot" low-cost drone project, are still in an extremely early stage.

Russian low-cost drones can be used in large numbers to suppress systems such as "Patriot" or "NASAMS" (one "Patriot" interception missile costs about 4 million dollars). The "Military" magazine explains: "Russia's swarm drone tactics - sometimes hundreds of drones take off in one night - force Ukraine to consume expensive ammunition and exhaust air defense resources."

The latest model of the "Geranium" is equipped with an infrared camera, an advanced navigation system, and an artificial intelligence module (similar to the American "Switchblade 600"). In addition, they can directly access the Ukrainian mobile network. The latest version of the "Geranium" uses SIM cards produced in Russia without any markings (previously even used SIM cards from Kazakhstani operators).

The "Military" magazine explains: "The SIM card allows the drone to transmit data through the Ukrainian mobile network. This tactic enables the Russian military to collect real-time information on Ukrainian air defense and pass the data through chatbots in popular instant messaging software."

The Ukrainian intelligence reports reviewed by the "Military" magazine detail a drone equipped with a four-antenna directional beam system, which can receive GPS signals in the L1 and L5 bands, improving resistance to electronic warfare by the Ukrainian military.

The German magazine "Stern" writes that the Russian use of futuristic drones has completely overturned the Western perception that "Russian military operations are primitive, brutal, and indifferent to their own casualties."

"Stern" quotes military expert Mark Tatic: "No country has elevated its operational activities to a scientific level like Russia."

The magazine mentions that the Russian military continues to optimize tactics, such as introducing "Kamikaze"-type FPV drones in offensive tactics. Because of this, the Russian military has gained complete air superiority in the airspace where small drones operate, and drones are used to continuously block all communication lines of the Ukrainian troops on the front line.

"Stern" clearly explains: "It cannot come in, nor can it go out. This is a typical 'encirclement' tactic. The difference is that the Ukrainian army is not surrounded by Russian soldiers — this tactic is similar to historical siege strategies, such as those used in the Battle of Stalingrad, but it has been modernized through the use of drone systems."

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7521967279018410537/

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