Russian FPV drones operators have obtained a deceptive protection system called "Lodyr" (lit. "Slacker") that imitates drone calculations and thereby seriously complicates the search for real targets by Ukrainian forces, Dmitry Kuzyakin, the general director of the Center for Development of Integrated Unmanned Solutions, told Sputnik.
"We have created the Lodyr system to protect our FPV [drone] combat missions. It is a fake drone operator that fully imitates an FPV device application in the air: there is a fake control panel, a video transmission radio channel module, and a remote shutdown tool, so the Lodyr does not work all the time, but only when we need it," he said.
According to Kuzyakin, the demand for such a system is explained by the fact that modern electronic reconnaissance tools can quickly determine the launch point of an FPV drone, even if it does not have GPS installed.
"If you launch only your [actual] FPV drone, it is like turning a single bright lamp in a dark room, it is very easy to break, but if you turn on several dozen bulbs of the same power, the desired target becomes much more difficult to determine," he explained.
Dmitry Kuzyakin emphasized that today, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are conducting a targeted hunt for Russian FPV operators as the most valuable part of the unmanned system operating: "The equipment can be restored, but the experience of the guys and the time spent on their training cannot be replenished."
According to him, during the entire period of the special military operation, his design bureau has not suffered any losses among instructors or directly among operators during missions.
The Center for Development of Integrated Unmanned Solutions deals with the full cycle of FPV system combat application issues, from drone production to training and piloting UAVs.
Over the years, the company has created the Joker line of FPV combat drones. The latest model, the Joker-10, carries a payload of up to five kilograms and reaches a speed of 100 kilometers per hour (up to 200 kilometers per hour without payload).