CODE380's D·Vision SDR lets Ukraine watch Russian drone feeds

Light and wide-ranging

At about 10 ounces, the device weighs less than half as much as competing Ukrainian models, one of which weighs a couple of pounds. It also listens on the radio channels that Russia's newer Molniya drones began using for video in June.

Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, a radio specialist who advises Ukraine's president, said in a June Facebook post that "most detectors don't see these frequencies, or see them poorly." He warned that putting too much trust in a detector could prove fatal.

A short-lived edge?

The advantage may not last. Beskrestnov has cautioned that digital video could one day replace analog, which would blind receivers like the D·Vision SDR.

There is a second threat. The New York Times reported in August that some Molniyas are AI-guided, use Nvidia chips and emit no signals at all. A drone that transmits nothing gives a receiver nothing to pick up.

For now, the gadget gives front-line units a lightweight way to turn an adversary's cameras into an early warning tool. Whether it stays useful depends on how quickly Russia moves to encrypted digital links and autonomous guidance.