"Lawn mower drones": an aviation expert explains what is known about new Russian UAVs and what’s wrong with them

Author

Artur Gmyria

"Lawn mower drones": what is known about new Russian UAVs?

During the October 22 overnight attack on Ukraine, the Russians supposedly used drones of a new type. These UAVs are as loud as the Iranian-developed Shahed 136 drones, but the sound they make in flight resembles that of a lawn mower rather than a motorbike.

spoke with aviation expert Anatolii Khrapchynskyi, who takes an active part in testing domestic UAVs and electronic warfare systems, to find out the characteristics of these Russian drones, whether they are new, and why the enemy launches them.

What is known about the "lawn mower drones"

Yurii Ihnat, speaker of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that those drones had been launched from the north. According to him, they are capable of bearing a couple kilograms of explosives and have an engine that can be bought on AliExpress.

The supposed engine of the unknown drone offered on AliExpress for $480

According to Anatolii Khrapchynskyi, such an engine allows the drone to carry up to 5 kilograms of explosives and travel a distance of 300–400 kilometers.

"I wouldn't pay too much attention to this fact now. Because we understand that this is not some serial production. That is, it is an ordinary makeshift drone. By the way, these have already been seen on the frontlines," the expert says.

What do the Russians use the makeshift drones for?

Both Yurii Ihnat and Anatolii Khrapchynskyi argue that the aim is to weaken Ukraine’s air defense.

"Certain measures are being implemented to distract radar systems. Distraction is also caused by the new sound of engines because there is a certain procedure for this sound to appear in the database—it needs to be added so that the system can then detect and display it. That is, the enemy is trying to create certain problems for air defense, indeed, as someone wrote, with jerry-built vehicles," air engineer Khrapchynskyi comments on the raids of the makeshift drones.

Can we talk about the degradation of Russian UAVs?

The engineer engaged in testing drones and electronic warfare systems argues that the use of makeshift drones doesn’t mean the degradation of Russian UAVs:

the enemy uses whatever it can in this war;
the war is where new designs are now tested, so it can be, for example, a test of new engines for Shahed drones.

"There are a lot of options here. It's just that there is an opportunity to test devices in combat conditions, and so they do it. A lot of different things fly to us because they have a lot of "handymen"," says Anatolii Khrapchynskyi. Therefore, the test of a new makeshift drone is hardly a significant event in the UAV war between Ukraine and Russia. The only difference that marks the latest attacks is that such tests most often take place on the frontlines, and drones usually do not reach cities as they are shot down by our soldiers.

Ukrainian UAVs are improving faster than Russian ones

Anatolii believes that we should bear in mind the Russian vertical power system, where funding only goes to those who have proven to be worth it. However, the Ukrainians have a highly proactive network of volunteers, manufacturers, service members, and charities—the one that Russian fascists lack.

The role of the government is indeed significant, which is why the Ministry of Defense is streamlining the commissioning procedures for drone manufacturers and gradually meeting their wants.

"We are developing, and we are moving forward. I think we're gaining the lead now. Soon we will see more of our own FPV drones (small and inexpensive kamikaze drones that can destroy enemy equipment) and our own UAVs. We can see what a step has been taken in maritime drones," concludes Anatolii Khrapchynskyi.