The drone war between Russia and Ukraine has just left another important signal about the . Ukrainian forces are beginning to find Russian decoy drones Gerbera equipped with anti-interference antennas much more advanced than usual, a detail that for several military analysts indicates that Moscow is achieving strengthen its production of strategic components despite the sanctions and .
The news has been revealed by Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, one of the best-known Ukrainian drone analysts and advisor to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on unmanned combat technologies. Beskrestnov published images of a drone Gerbera shot down equipped with an antenna Comet of 12 elementsa considerably more sophisticated configuration than those used until now in this type of device.
“Recently, 12-element Kometa antennas have begun to appear on the Gerberas,” the expert explained in statements. And he added a much more important reading: “For me, this is a sign that the plant that produces the Kometa has increased its production capacity.”
What are antennas Comet and why they worry Ukraine
The antennas Comet They are systems designed to resist electronic interference and protect the navigation and control signals of drones and guided munitions. The more elements the antenna incorporates, the greater its ability to filter interference and keep the signal stable, even under electronic warfare attacks.
And precisely electronic warfare has become one of Ukraine’s most important weapons against Russian drones. kyiv uses jamming systems to disorient, block or shoot down kamikaze drones and enemy reconnaissance devices before they reach their objectives.
Until now, the most common versions of antennas Comet used by Russia were four or eight elements. Seeing a 12-element version integrated even into cheap, disposable drones has drawn particular attention.
He Gerbera: the cheap drone that Russia uses as a decoy
He Grant-2 It remains the main long-range attack drone used by Moscow. It is about the Russian version derived from Shahed-136 Iranian and it can cost between 35,000 and 80,000 dollars per unit.
Against him, Russia uses the Gerbera as a low cost decoy drone. Sometimes made of foam or plywood, its primary goal is to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses, forcing them to expend missiles and ammunition on secondary targets while real attack drones advance toward their targets.
According to Ukrainian estimates for 2024, each Gerbera It cost around $10,000, much less than mainstream attack drones. Precisely for this reason the appearance of advanced anti-interference technology in these devices considered until now practically “consumable” is significant.
Russia improves its production despite Ukrainian attacks
Beskrestnov also assured that just a year ago Russia was suffering serious production problems even to supply antennas. Comet to priority weapons such as guided gliding bombs KAB. “There was a waiting list of three to five months,” he explained in the same medium.
Now, the appearance of these antennas on cheap drones suggests that the Russian military industry has managed to significantly increase its manufacturing capacity. Russia continues to reserve even more advanced systems —such as 16-element antennas, some made in China— for weapons considered strategic or of greater operational value.
Ukraine tries to stop Russian production
Russia’s technological improvement also comes despite kyiv’s repeated attacks on key industrial facilities. Earlier this month, Ukraine announced a domestic missile attack Flamingo against the VNIIR-Progress complex, located in the Russian city of Cheboksary.
The plant, specialized precisely in the production of anti-jamming antennas, has been attacked several times during the last year by long-range Ukrainian drones. However, the real impact of those attacks on Russian industrial capacity remains uncertain.
Meanwhile, the evolution of seemingly secondary drones like the Gerbera reflects an increasingly common pattern of the technological war between Russia and Ukraine entering a new phase where even systems begin to incorporate military technology much more sophisticated.
