Rival armies turn to commercial tech in drone warfare battles
Drones have become integral to the modern battlefield, but improvised constructions have drawbacks. The opposing side tries to exploit these, even relying on gadgets available on Amazon. We present what, for example, the SoloGood FPV Monitor can do.
Being the terror of soldiers, FPV drones are an efficient solution. However, being a substitute meant to replace the lack of professional solutions such as anti-tank guided missiles, guided artillery ammunition, or professional loitering munitions, such as the Polish Warmate drones or the American Switchblade.
However, FPV drones are susceptible to electronic warfare systems, making their operation uncertain. Of course, both Ukrainians and Russians are heavily experimenting with control signal frequencies, but there have been periods of total impotence or dominance by one side's drone operators.
Another issue is the risk of the enemy interception of, for example, video transmissions from drones. This allows them to know where they might be attacked and have time to hide. This happens because, unlike military constructions, the image is not encrypted by default, and competent individuals with access to the right equipment can intercept the video feed.
In the video below, you can see a Russian soldier using a SoloGood FPV drone detector from Amazon, available for a few hundred Canadian dollars, to intercept video transmissions from Ukrainian "kamikaze" drones. He can warn his comrades of the threat or help them shoot down the incoming drone.
Personal drone detectors - mandatory equipment for soldiers in a new war
Due to the new threat, personal drone detectors with a range of about 1-2 kilometres are becoming very popular in military variants in the form of a walkie-talkie. These devices are solely receivers of radio signals in the broadest possible range, informing the carrier of, for example, drone activity 800 metres north of their position.
Such solutions work perfectly in tandem with kinetic means of combating drones, such as modules mounted on rifles with a range of 200-300 metres or 400-500 metres, depending on the calibre. Another quite effective method, although with a much shorter effective range, is smooth-bored shotguns.
Commercial solutions, such as the SoloGood FPV Monitor detector used by the Russians, are also an alternative to military equipment. This detector allows the interception of a 5.8 GHz signal and can operate for 3 hours.
The intercepted image is presented on a 4.3-inch display based on an IPS panel with a resolution of 800x480 pixels. Additionally, the device is equipped with a pair of foldable antennas and allows data storage with memory cards.
