According to the Russian Issue News website on April 16, in the special military operation area against Ukraine, Russian troops began to receive communication relay drones to expand the combat radius of first-person perspective (FPV) drones and other types of drones.

  The drone, called "The Thumbs", can hover in the air for a long time, providing services to attack drones with enhanced video and control signals.

  Experts believe it will expand the area of ​​activity behind enemy lines, and most importantly, hide the location of our drone operators.

  The "Tank" drone is a compact aerial flight platform and can be equipped with video and radio control signal repeaters. It expands the combat radius of reconnaissance or attack drones while improving the concealment of operator positions.

  Developers say this will increase the difficulty of enemy positioning drone operation teams, helping the latter avoid counterattacks.

  The "Thanks" drone can hover at altitudes of 100 to 150 meters, thus ensuring stable transmission of relay signals.

  The signal enhancement distance of "Tank" in open areas can exceed 10 kilometers, and in cities with densely packed with buildings, with a range of 40 minutes.

  The project has been supported by the Russian UAV Systems and Technology Center, which provides support to new UAV R&D projects to promote the development of domestic innovative projects and technology companies in the field of national defense and security. "In addition to the 'mocking' drones', the center is also developing other relay drones. We are working to expand communication transmission distance and improve relay systems," said Bezrukov, the head of the center.

  The control distance between small attack quadrotor drones and FPV drones is usually no more than 10 kilometers, said Kornev, editor of the Russian Military Network. “With the advent of this type of relay device, the combat distance of the drone can extend to 20 kilometers or more,” he explained. “This will expand the range of strikes against deep targets behind enemy lines, and in addition, it can significantly advance the depth of reconnaissance operations.”

  In Kornev's view, the most important advantage of "Mocking" is that the increase in operating distance makes the personal safety of drone operators more secure.

  He stressed: "When the operator is more than 5 kilometers away from the front line, it is much more difficult to find his whereabouts. In addition, the enemy's radio technology equipment is positioned to relay drones, not the command post where the operator is located. This will ensure safety and protect the lives of our drone operators."

  Military expert Li Yaming pointed out that repeaters can enhance the stability of drones against enemy radio electronic countermeasures.

  "With the help of repeaters, our attack drones will receive stronger control signals and are more difficult to interfere with," he explained. "The frontline needs such devices, the more the better." (Translated by Tongshi Group)

[Editor in charge: Wang Jinzhi]