Modern warfare: Ukraine racing to develop new interceptor drones

Russia is transitioning its budget-friendly Molniya strike drones to digital video, a discreet enhancement that could render Ukraine's analog detectors ineffective, according to Flash, President Zelenskyy's defense-technology adviser. As the switch completes, analog detectors employed by Ukrainian troops will become ineffective in detecting drones, as digital transmission will completely replace analog.

Front-line soldiers depend on the cheap detectors, which pick up the analog video signal of drones, giving them a few seconds' warning to find shelter. The Molniya, a $300 plywood drone, is the most challenging drone for Ukraine to track, as Russia produces it in large quantities and constantly re-engineers it to avoid detection.

Flash urged Ukraine to address the change before the transition is complete. Digital video will pass through the detectors undetected; however, building digital-video detection into interception systems now would flag the signal and point to its source, allowing Ukraine to anticipate the threat. Russia has already upgraded its Molniyas to video frequencies that most detectors barely detect, and has also introduced an autonomous, AI-guided version that operates without a radio link for a detector to pick up.

Ukraine is struggling to keep up with these changes, as it only recently fielded its first portable, mass-produced drone detector in July, while Russian soldiers have been using a Chinese-made device for some time.