Analysis of wreckage from recently downed Shahed drones shows that Russian forces are increasingly equipping them with mesh modems and cameras, effectively converting them into first-person view (FPV) drones.
According to Defense Express, such mesh modems – which create a dynamic relay network where each unit serves as a repeater for others – were first spotted on foam-filled “Gerbera” drones.
Since July, however, Ukrainian specialists have begun detecting their presence on Shahed UAVs. By early September, it became clear this was no longer experimental but a serial solution, military technology expert Serhii Beskrestnov (“Serhii Flash”) reported on Facebook.
Defense Express confirmed that Russia has been regularly equipping its Geran-2 (locally manufactured analogue of the Iranian Shahed) long-range drones with modems and cameras, though detailed inspection is often difficult as they burn or shatter on impact.
“But in the end, a full set of these devices was found on a downed Shahed, and we obtained a photo,” the outlet reported.
The UAVs carried the same Chinese-made mesh modem seen on Gerbera - the Xingkai Tech Mesh Network XK-F358, possibly in its industrial HX-50 version.
The camera, a low-grade surveillance type, was mounted on the drone’s nose, only providing a forward-facing view.
Such cameras are typically used in security surveillance systems but are reportedly still sufficient to control the drone’s flight and direct it toward a target when needed.
The key issue, Defense Express stressed, remains how the data transmission is organized. Ukrainian experts have suggested that Russia could be using ground-based repeaters planted via its agent network.
Another possibility is the building of an airborne “mesh chain” of drones, which while theoretically feasible, would be difficult to sustain in practice.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Oleksandr Syrsky, said there is an ongoing technological race in the field of drones.
According to him, Russia continues to adapt and to copy successful AFU technology, particularly in the field of interceptor drones.
“We are dealing with a direct technological race, in which the advantage will belong to those who not only modernize but stay ahead. Our task is to constantly improve existing solutions and create new technologies and tactics for using unmanned systems,” he shared via Facebook.
Syrsky also acknowledged that Russia is increasing the destructive range of its UAVs.
“This requires strengthening our electronic warfare units. We are scaling up our electronic warfare capabilities, and we are already seeing the results – in August, the number of enemy drones suppressed by these means increased,” he added.