Ukraine presented a new reconnaissance drone ZOOM, which can become an alternative to the Chinese DJI Mavic drones. The development was presented by the Frontline company at the DefenseTech Valley event by Brave1, Militarny informs. The drone is designed to perform reconnaissance missions in difficult conditions of electronic warfare (EW) and can operate without GPS.
The ZOOM drone is part of a complex that includes a ground antenna and control point. It is built on the basis of the Hertz communication platform developed by Frontline. The drone's flight time is up to 40 minutes, and the tactical range — up to 15 kilometers.
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According to Pavel Kosolapkin, the co-founder and technical director of Frontline, the drone's communication system uses two frequency bands with adaptive frequency modulation (ADAP) in the 225 MHz band. This allows to transmit four times as many control packets as necessary, ensuring stable operation in EW conditions.
ZOOM is equipped with a visual navigation module that allows it to maintain position without GPS. The drone can “hang” at a height of up to 200 meters with an accuracy of up to 5 meters even in strong winds.
The ZOOM drone is currently completing the codification process and is being prepared for mass production for transfer to the Armed Forces forces of Ukraine. According to the manufacturer, the cost of the drone will be comparable to the price of the DJI Mavic, which makes it competitive on the market. It is interesting that China officially opposes the use of its drones in the Russian-Ukrainian war, but the Ukrainian the party continues to find ways to acquire DJI Mavic for the needs of the Armed Forces. Meanwhile, from January to September 2024, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine allowed the operation of more than 140 new domestic unmanned systems for the Ukrainian army.