New Russian ‘Joker’ Sleeper Drone

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Russia’s new drone “the Joker” can sleep or hibernate for long periods before attacking and could prove pivotal in Ukraine, as reported by the Russian news outlet TASS.

Apart from lying in wait, the drone is designed to hide from electronic countermeasures, and it could be placed hours, days, or weeks before its operator wakes it for an attack.

Dmitry Kuzyakin, director general of the Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions explained that a drone with a hibernator can be positioned for an attack and then hibernate for several weeks, without being detected while in the air.

According to Interesting Engineering, the device needs less time to prepare for an attack when used with the hibernation tool. “Flying time is saved. A few seconds pass between turning on the drone and attacking, which leaves no chance of launching countermeasure systems. One FPV pilot can place, then ‘wake up’ and sequentially apply up to 15 ‘sleeping’ drones,” said Kuzyakin.

Throughout the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, we have seen increasing use of drones on the battlefield, and Ukraine’s skies are full of UAVs used by both sides. Russia struggles to produce its munitions and relies instead on Iranian-made drones and UAVs.

When asked about the situation, Kuzyakin responded: “We are on the verge of an FPV revolution in armaments. Now, in a situation of a stable front, the scenarios that we see in Telegram channels are most in demand: attacks on enemy strongholds and hunting for armored vehicles. But if you look at the FPV tool wider and improve functionality, you can get ahead of the enemy not only in the technology itself but also in the scenarios of its application.”