As always there are plenty of interesting things to find on Telegram

In this week's Telegram review, a few new interesting tactics and equipment have been seen in use on the front line. There’s also plenty of new information regarding the ongoing drone war.

Each week, a few of the interesting snippets found on Ukrainian language Telegram are written up and analysed to give a short summary regarding the latest in EW and Drone updates from the front lines. Let us trawl through the latest social posts for updates so you don’t have to.

There’s nothing to give a sense of scale, but this Luneberg lens was claimed to have been flown on a drone. Source: Telegram

Drone Carried Luneburg Lens

The first update is interesting as it refers to passive electronic warfare strategies applied to drone-based systems.

If you have an interest in fighter technology you’re probably not a stranger to the Luneberg lens. This device, when added to a modern stealth fighter like the F-22 or F-35 increases its radar profile. Capable of being jettisoned in-flight, the Luneburg lens allows a stealth fighter to quickly go from being highly visible to air defence systems to a stealthy and clean profile.


This post discusses the fact that recently, drone-based versions of Luneburg lenses were flown on drones near the front line, in an apparent attempt to provide a decoy distraction to air defence systems in the area. It’s not disclosed just how effective this was, nor what its intended use case was but it does go to show that tactics are constantly changing and evolving.

One of the most impressive things that can be seen by analysing some of these posts is just how quickly tactics on both sides evolve to draw in new equipment, strategies and resources in an attempt to gain the upper hand.

It appears commercial DJI systems are being more heavily used on the front line. Source: Telegram

DJI Occusync

With the number of FPV and off-the-shelf drones like DJI operating near the frontline, it’s no wonder that the radio spectrum is a busy place to be. FPV drones have been operating for long enough now that there are well-established countermeasures for analogue systems. This includes electronic measures like jammers and other systems, as well as kinetic systems like small arms or anti-aircraft artillery.

Because of this, it appears that digital transmission modes and systems are now the way to go to have the best shot at beating the ever-changing EW. Despite the problem of ever-present sanctions, Russian forces look to be attempting to leverage off-the-shelf systems like DJI’s Occusync for quick and easy digital integration.


It is not disclosed how many systems are anticipated to be in use, nor how effective the system is. One thing that is known however is that despite their vulnerability to electronic warfare strategies, off-the-shelf systems like the DJI Mavic 3 have played a large role in this conflict. This is due to their good optics, wide availability of parts and ease of integration.

A rudimentary system allowed for video transmission via Shahed drone. Source: Telegram

Shahed Remote Video

This post was interesting as it refers to the discovery of a cheap video streaming system that’s been fitted to Shahed-type drones. Originally published on Russian state media, it looks to have been released for propaganda purposes.

This appears to be no surprise to those on the front line, as a similar system was observed in service last year. Interestingly enough, the design is claimed to use a simple LTE system to provide a live but very rudimentary video feed.


While this sounds great in theory, the released video is in low resolution and not particularly useful for tactical purposes, although this may change later on. So, it’s unlikely that Shahed’s role will change any time soon and we can probably expect it to continue its one-way suicide drone mission.

One thing that is important to point out though, is that the Shahed did undergo a moderate mid-life upgrade when being produced in Russia. This upgrade would focus on the body, engine and payload rather than any significant changes to the command system.

Consumer Equipment in Service

If you’ve ever used consumer-grade equipment in the field, you’ve probably already noticed that RF-based systems can be a pain to maintain and FPV drone systems are no different.

Typically using thin, low-loss coax like RG-316, these systems are lightweight and provide good performance with one strong caveat. Their lightweight design makes them quite vulnerable to damage.

This has been reported as an ongoing problem in the field and because of this, we see modifications and alterations put in place that are designed to increase the life expectancy of the system.

The design of this system uses some additional cable and heat-shrink to increase the durability of video feed antennas on FPV systems


This aims to put a stop to the system's original point of failure. Namely, the connection point between the coax and the connecter. It might not be the prettiest design but does look to be functional in comparison to the more flimsy standard unit. While FPV drones might have a short user life, it’s still important to have a rugged and reliable system if you’re adopting it for military use.

It’s unlikely that consumer parts will go through mil-spec modification and ruggedisation, but it is likely we’ll see a wider availability of systems that are directly designed from feedback that came from its military adoption.

See You Next Week

Have you got an interesting tip? Seen an intriguing Social Media post that you think needs some extra attention? We’re always looking for new stories that focus on current events and issues.

So, if you find something that you think is worth a story, send an email or find us on Twitter / X to send your story.

If you’d like to review the source channel on Telegram for today's material, you can do so by visiting this link.

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