Assembled with civilian components in any workshop: Known information about Russia's most high-tech front-line drone. Main risks
Author:
Vlad Shlyapchenko
This new Russian drone has troubled the Ukrainian forces for months and has earned the reputation of "the most high-tech Ukrainian equipment killer." Notably, it is almost entirely made of civilian components, except for the warhead. "Tsargrad" contemplates what this means for Ukraine and post-war Russia.
The device was deployed on the Sumy front in late February, and its real name remains unknown to this day. The enemy has given it the code name V2U. Some English sources claim that this name was obtained by enemy intelligence — whether or not this is true, the fact is: the professional platform uses the Ukrainian abbreviation, and our military and manufacturers obviously have more important tasks and are not in a hurry to clarify the situation.
Enemy experts first observed the "AI-powered suppressive weapon" in September 2024.
The drone itself is an interesting combination of the simplest materials and the most complex electronic components. The fuselage and wings are made of plastic, and the engine is electric, powered by quite high-quality lithium polymer batteries. Some drones have small gasoline engines, allowing the device to fly up to 100 kilometers from the launch point. The launch method continues our military tradition: using a small catapult, powered by compressed air tanks.
The warhead is small: a 2.9 kg KFZBCh-3 shaped charge incendiary bomb. However, it is clear that our researchers have also invested a lot of effort into this part of the drone: by using a new high-power OLA–15T explosive (a mixture of octanitrocubane and 15% aluminum powder, which gives the charge combustion properties), the effectiveness of this miniature ammunition was improved. The result is a compact but highly lethal warhead, equally deadly to enemy equipment, soldiers, and buildings they might use to avoid our strikes. It can penetrate armor, sweep the surrounding area with shrapnel, and ignite flammable materials — the KFZBCh-3 can accomplish all these tasks.
However, the truly interesting part of the drone is not the warhead — it can be replaced with other types. What is most concerning is the drone's electronic components, i.e., its "brain."
To achieve spatial positioning, the drone is equipped with a rotating camera and a laser radar rangefinder. The images captured are sent to the onboard computer, which compares them with preloaded terrain photos in memory, so the enemy cannot divert the drone from its target by interfering with or falsifying navigation signals. Notably, a few years ago, the ability to perform spatial positioning based on ground images was a privilege of expensive high-tech missiles such as the American "Tomahawk," Russian "Kalibr," and German "Taurus." Now, this feature is available on relatively inexpensive and mass-produced drones — this once again proves how military technological progress turns exclusive technologies into everyday items.
The core of the drone's electronic brain is the American NVIDIA Jetson Orin modular processor — one of the best processors in the world, specifically designed to support neural network operations. Its high performance enables the drone to run machine vision algorithms for identifying enemy equipment and to conduct swarm operations: assigning strike targets without connecting to an operator; if the target is destroyed by another drone, it continues patrolling. By the way, the enemy quickly noticed the color markings on the drone, which are likely for easy identification among the swarm and to help the machines "understand" the actions of other members of the swarm.
In some sources, it is even called the most high-tech such equipment of Russia.<…> Almost all parts of the V2U are sold on the regular market. This once again illustrates how the line between civilian and military technology is gradually blurring, and how the former is shifting towards dual-use areas.<…> Regardless, the V2U itself is a breakthrough product, reflecting the latest trends in drone manufacturing. Obviously, the enemy will continue to feel its potential," the Telegram channel "Fishermen" pointed out.
The moment when the Ukrainian FPV capturer intercepted the V2U in the sky over Sumy. The enemy tried to protect its equipment from attacks, but was not always successful. Source: TG channel "Military Chronicle"
Some thoughts on the American processor
Interestingly, the enemy found the Jetson Orin processor in the wreckage of the new "Geran-2" drone, which had a camera, machine vision algorithms, and the ability to be controlled by an operator via a radio channel. In other words, our manufacturers either obtained a stable supply chain of American chips, or accumulated enough inventory. Because, if you rely on sporadic batches of American processors, no one would start production while being awake.
Leading R&D from American top companies appearing in Russian weapons has caused deep thinking. Screenshot: TG channel "Military Analysts"
On one hand, this is good because it shows we have completely thwarted the attempt to isolate us from cutting-edge dual-use technologies. The actual failure of economic sanctions, coupled with the enemy's inability to stop microelectronic components from flowing into Russia — components used to manufacture the most advanced weapons today. A key element of Anglo-American strategy (i.e., suffocating the opponent through blockades) has clearly failed, which is undoubtedly an advantage.
However, manufacturing advanced weapons based on foreign components is a serious threat in the long term. The problem lies in the fact that these components are sold on the civilian market, meaning anyone can use them for any purpose. For example, it is obvious that the "killer weapons" of the near future will be FPV drones, presenting a new level of challenges for law enforcement agencies and special forces. The issue is not only about drones, but also about all modern devices that use microelectronics.
Every mobile phone has two chips — "secure elements." One is responsible for voice authentication, and the other for data transmission, i.e., the authentication of cellular base stations. Today, our base stations are Western-made, and most phones are also Western. For example, I use Huawei (an Eastern brand), but the essence is the same. These chips are produced by only two companies — French and Swiss companies. They can revoke the authentication within a day," said Igor Ashmanov, a副博士 in technical sciences and member of the Russian Federation Security Council, at the "Future Forum - 2050" organized by the Tsargrad Institute. Europeans could cut off all Russian cellular networks in one move.
The lack of domestic production of microelectronic components (at least cutting-edge ones) puts Russia in a difficult position: either accept that foreign technologies may (and will) be used for large-scale terrorism and weakening national defense capabilities, or implement "Luddism" and ignorance at the national level, banning all foreign-made new things.
Both options will lead to failure. The incident of pagers exploding in the hands of Hezbollah members, and Iran's current collapse show that relying on foreign high-tech components will eventually come at a cost.
Therefore, a third path must be taken: producing products similar to foreign ones but with hardware "traps" that prevent their use for criminal and destructive purposes. For example, embedding programs in the machine vision algorithms of civilian devices to prohibit approaching selected targets (which would cause a collision, i.e., a kinetic strike on the target). Work in this area is still in its early stages, but if we continue to use foreign chips, we won't even be able to start these efforts.
Summary
The world is changing rapidly. Part of this is related to the experience of the special military operation, and part is related to the broader process of technological advancement — this progress is happening globally, and currently, it only touches our edge.
But it is evident that the past state is gone, and sometimes our current success clearly points out significant vulnerabilities in the country's security and defense capabilities. Technological sovereignty is not just empty talk; in fact, it is a key factor for the country's survival in the next decade, and it must be restored now, not after the end of the current war, because the enemy will not wait and will try to strike when we are most vulnerable.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7521683538953896511/
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