(Dan Tri) – Russian media and social networking sites reported on the suspicion that Moscow may have brought to Ukraine a type of UAV that can release smaller suicide drones in the air.
The device is believed to be the Russian UAV Pchelka (Screenshot: X).
The War Zone said that in recent days, Russian media has reported that Moscow seems to have deployed a new line of UAVs that can act as `mother ships`, that is, can release drones at low angles.
The source said that the `mother ship` UAV is also capable of acting as a signal relay node to connect the FPV UAV to the operator at longer distances.
Images posted online show Pchelka, a gas-powered UAV capable of vertical takeoff and landing, appearing in Donbass.
The ability to take off and land from anywhere is a big plus for Pchelka.
Both Russia and Ukraine have not commented on this information, but if this is true, it will give Russia a great advantage on the ground.
First, it will overcome the limited attack range of FPV UAVs, which is only a few kilometers.
The biggest disadvantage of FPV UAVs is that they can only attack within a limited distance because it depends on the operator.
The UAV `mother ship` mechanism carrying the FPV UAV inside like an `aircraft carrier` will solve the problem of raid range well.
`Mother ship` UAVs, if real, also help FPV UAVs, expanding their ability to penetrate deep into areas controlled by the enemy.
In addition, with the FPV UAV being able to attack farther, its operator can reduce the risk of being targeted by the enemy due to being too close to the front line.
On the other hand, if Pchelka has the ability to relay signals between the operator and the PFV UAV, this is the highlight of this weapon line.
However, this mechanism also has a weakness: it only increases the operating range for FPV UAVs but still cannot protect these UAVs against electronic warfare devices, causing continuous interference on the enemy’s front lines.
In addition, the `mother ship` UAV can easily become a target for enemy air defense attacks when it hovers around and acts as an intermediate signal switch.
However, in nature these UAVs do not have too high a cost, so losing them on the battlefield is not a big loss, but the actual benefits seem to far outweigh the risks.