CODE380 Device Lets Ukraine Troops Watch Russian Drone Feeds

A Kyiv-based startup has built a handheld device that lets Ukrainian troops watch the live video feeds of Russian reconnaissance drones, according to TechCrunch. The company, CODE380, calls the receiver the D·Vision SDR.

What does the D·Vision SDR do?

Many Russian drones transmit camera video over the air without encryption, TechCrunch reported. The D·Vision SDR picks up that signal and displays it on a screen, letting a Ukrainian unit see where a drone is heading and what its operator is aiming at before it strikes.

How does it compare to other Ukrainian receivers?

The device weighs about 10 ounces, TechCrunch reported, citing Defense News. That is less than half the weight of competing Ukrainian models, one of which weighs a couple of pounds, according to the same report. The lighter build matters for troops who carry the gear in the field alongside other equipment.

Why does it work against newer Russian drones?

The receiver also listens on the radio channels used by Russia's newer Molniya drones, which started transmitting video on those frequencies in June, TechCrunch reported. That is notable because, according to a June Facebook post from Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov cited by Defense News, "most detectors don't see these frequencies, or see them poorly." Beskrestnov is a radio specialist who advises Ukraine's president.

What are the device's limitations?

Beskrestnov also warned that relying too heavily on a detector could prove fatal, according to the TechCrunch report. A receiver shows what a drone's camera is pointed at, but it does not by itself stop the drone or guarantee a unit's safety.

What comes next for Russia's drone technology?

Beskrestnov has warned separately that digital video could eventually replace the analog signals these receivers depend on, which would blind devices like the D·Vision SDR, TechCrunch reported. The New York Times reported in August that some Molniya drones are already AI-guided, using Nvidia chips, and emit no signals at all. That would make them invisible to receivers that rely on intercepting a video feed, regardless of frequency.

The tension described in the TechCrunch report is a familiar one in electronic warfare: a fix built for today's threat can be overtaken by tomorrow's. CODE380's receiver addresses drones that broadcast openly. Drones that stay silent, or that fly themselves using onboard computer vision rather than a remote operator watching a live feed, would not be affected by a device built to intercept transmissions.

Neither CODE380 nor Defense News was quoted directly beyond the material TechCrunch attributed to its reporting and to Beskrestnov's Facebook post. TechCrunch's report, published November 2, did not include a company statement from CODE380 on production volume, pricing, or how many units are currently in use by Ukrainian forces.