Russia announces its own First-Person-View Drone

Days after studying a U.S.-made First-Person-View (FPV) drone captured in Ukraine, Russia has announced its own.

Russia’s Center of Comprehensive Unmanned Solutions said it has created a family of Joker multipurpose First-Person-View (FPV) drones capable of accomplishing a whole range of combat missions in Ukraine.

"We analyzed foreign experience, the enemy’s experience, rethought it, added our own solutions and, based on sports drones, made a multipurpose family of Joker drones that today accomplishes all the objectives that our fighters face. The family’s drones only differ by the weight of their payload while remaining multi-purpose vehicles. There is no need to re-make or reconfigure this multipurpose drone, change its suspension or add equipment. It is ready to accomplish any missions without interference in its design," Center CEO Dmitry Kuzyakin told Russian government-owned TASS on Tuesday.

The entire family of Joker FPV drones is outfitted with a standardized platform for attaching payloads, Kuzyakin said.

"I admit that we borrowed the idea from foreign-made combat drones but profoundly re-made it and strongly simplified it. Secondly, we ensured the structural integration of the payload control system with the flight controller unit, which enabled the pilot to control external equipment irrespective of the drone’s payload. This enables it to fit into any mission carried out by a combat team: the Joker can perform any role like its playing card counterpart," he said.

Like munitions, FPV drones have different specialization: reconnaissance, fire adjustment, strike, bomber, mine-laying and kamikaze UAVs and special equipment carriers, he elaborated.

Related news: Captured First-Person-View Drone to Give Russia Insights into American UAV Technology

"Previously, it was necessary to make a separate drone for each specific objective and train personnel in operating it. Our fighters had to carry several drones in combat missions and a need emerged to remake drones from one mission for another directly at the frontline. However, this had its impact on the efficiency of their use and almost was a cause for mission failures," Kuzyakin stressed.

In addition, specialists of the Center of Comprehensive Unmanned Solutions have elaborated a standard for the delivery of all target devices, he said.

"From a certain moment, all the setups, firmware and topology were standardized. Now fighters need no effort to readjust drones for themselves. They all have the same settings, irrespective of their type or specialization. And these settings are harmonized with the ground equipment of combat FPV drones," the chief executive said.

The Center of Comprehensive Unmanned Solutions earlier reported that it had engineered the Bashnya (Tower) antenna system enabling the pilots of FPV combat drones to operate from shelters or armored vehicles.