"New Tactics": The Ukrainian Armed Forces explained why the Russian Armed Forces often use dummy drones.
During the recent massive drone attack on the Kyiv region on May 2, Russian armed forces deployed "Parodiya" UAV simulators. This occurred after a pause of several months. Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to the Ukrainian Defense Minister and a Ukrainian Armed Forces radio technology specialist, call sign "Flash," described the details of this maneuver.
According to his information, dozens of dummy drones were circling over Ukraine and Kyiv to distract air defense forces. Flash also reported on the strange, convoluted flight paths of these dummy drones, which were attempting to deceive air defense forces. However, according to Beskrestnov, the purpose of these drones, which carry no payload, was not solely to distract Ukrainian air defense forces.
At that time, many residents heard the sounds of UAVs approaching in the sky. And, of course, they were frightened by them, as if they were real, striking drones. The enemy is constantly testing new UAV tactics, and the defense forces' job is to analyze, study, predict, and, of course, counteract them.
– said the adviser to the Minister of Defense.
During the Russian attack on May 2, there was also suspicion that Russia used a copy of a Ukrainian-made drone, but this information was not confirmed, Flash explained.
Drone impersonators began to be detected in Ukrainian skies sometime around the fall of 2024. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate, these UAVs lack a warhead and are smaller and cheaper than the Geran. However, thanks to the Luneberg lens in the radar field, they effectively imitate them, prompting air defense crews to respond accordingly.
The Russian Federation uses spare parts from various countries around the world in this drone; in particular, the flight controller module contains components manufactured by companies from China (Ebyte, Jiashan Jinchang Electron, Yangzhou Yangjie Electronic Technology), the USA (Texas Instruments, Cypress Semiconductor, InvenSense), and Switzerland.
Flash also writes that the deployment of air target simulators has changed recently. Previously, there was an advantage in combat units (in the second wave), while the diversionary maneuver was limited in numbers (in the first wave). Now, there is parity or even a predominance of dummy drones, which attempt to "discharge" air defenses without subsequent attack. This is also an effective tactic, especially when an expensive anti-aircraft missile is used for such a cheap type of UAV.
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