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Ukraine’s new pocket-sized gadget turns Russian drones’ cameras against them

DronesNovember 3, 20261 min read

A small Ukrainian company called CODE380 has made a pocket-sized device that picks up live camera video from many Russian drones. Ukrainian troops can use it to see what those drones see.

A pocket gadget that watches enemy drone video

Ukrainian drone teams now have a light receiver called the D·Vision SDR. It is made by CODE380, a startup in Kyiv. The device picks up live video that many Russian drones send through the air. That video is not scrambled, so anyone with the right receiver can watch it. A Ukrainian unit can see where a drone is going and what its pilot is aiming at before the drone hits.

Key facts

The D·Vision SDR weighs about 10 ounces.
That is less than half the weight of competing Ukrainian models, and one of those weighs a couple of pounds.
The device listens on radio channels that Russia's newer Molniya drones started using for video in June.

Why drone video is a target

Many drones send a live camera feed back to their pilot by radio. If that feed is not scrambled, others can listen in. Russia's Molniya drones use new radio channels for video. Some of them are also guided by AI and, according to The New York Times, use Nvidia chips and send no signals at all.

Why it matters

Detecting drones is hard, and some detectors miss these new radio frequencies. Serhii 'Flash' Beskrestnov, a radio expert who advises Ukraine's president, warned that trusting a detector too much could be fatal. He also warned that digital video could replace analog video one day. That would make receivers like this one useless.

What to watch

Whether Russia changes to digital video, which could block devices like the D·Vision SDR.
How well the Molniya drones and other AI-guided drones can be found by detectors.
Whether more Ukrainian units adopt light, low-cost receivers like this one.

Glossary

CODE380: A Kyiv equipment startup that makes the D·Vision SDR receiver.
D·Vision SDR: A pocket-sized receiver that picks up live, unscrambled video from many Russian drones.
Molniya: A newer Russian drone that uses new radio channels to send video.
Nvidia: A company that makes computer chips, some of which are reportedly used in AI-guided Molniya drones.

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