The Russian Armed Forces control drones via the Internet: an expert explains how it is possible (photo)
The special device allows Russian Eagles to fly deep behind Ukrainian lines, transmitting intelligence information.
Ukraine’s armed forces have captured a rare communication repeater that allows Russians to control Orlan drones via the Internet. A Ukrainian military and radio engineer with the pseudonym Serhiy Flesh described the device on Facebook.
According to the specialist, he won an interesting trophy a few months ago, but he could not show it to the public before. It is a repeater consisting of 6 900 MHz antennas mounted in a circle and connected to each other by 2 microchips. The antenna unit is oriented to the cardinal points and fixes the drone’s position relative to the repeater. For a long time, it was believed that Orlan drones do not interact with repeaters.
As explained by Serhiy Flesh, to control Orlan via the Internet, you need to install a repeater on the roof of a building and connect it to a router. The power of the transmitter is 100 milliwatts (milliwatt is one thousandth of a watt), and it is enough to transmit signals within line of sight over a considerable distance.
“Thus, having a network of similar repeaters, the Russian UAV Orlan may well fly even deep in our rear,” emphasized Serhiy Flesh.
On March 17, the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported the defeat of a Russian Orlan-10 drone in the Bakhmut sector. This drone can fly up to 150 km/h at an altitude of 6 km. The UAV’s range of communication with a ground station without a repeater is 120 km, but it can also fly 600 km in autonomous mode.
In January, the Ukrainian Armed Forces shot down a strike modification of the Orlan-10 drone armed with cluster munitions. The Russians secured them in special containers and placed them on suspensions under the wings. Fortunately, the Ukrainian military landed the drone with the help of electronic warfare before it could launch a bombing attack.
