Ukrainian company equips FPV drones with microphones to detect targets by sound

Ukrainian company Ptashka Drones has equipped its FPV drones with microphones to detect targets by sound.

Source: Ptashka Drones on Facebook

Details: The UAVs have also been given a function which allows several drones to remain on standby and respond quickly when a target appears.

According to Ptashka Drones, an unlimited number of drones can be connected to a single ground station while in standby mode. However, the manufacturer has not publicly disclosed the technical details of how the new function works, providing them to unit representatives during consultations.

As Ukrainian military media outlet Militarnyi reports, the microphone is highly sensitive and allows potential targets to be detected at a considerable distance from the ambush site.

"At a distance of 200 m, you can clearly hear a car moving along the road through the microphone," a Ptashka Drones representative said.

The amount of time a drone can remain in standby mode depends on its modification, battery capacity and distance from the operator. For example, the Ptashka 15-O-30km can remain in ambush mode for up to five hours after landing 25 km from the operator.

"You can control one selected drone and listen to what is happening through headphones, while the others display a light indicator showing the sound level," the company explained.

Ptashka Drones manufactures radio-controlled and fibre-optic FPV drones. Its range includes 10-, 15- and 17-inch UAVs. The company also develops counter-UAV systems, including handheld and drone-mounted net guns.

Background: Earlier, Ukrainska Pravda reported on tests of Ukrainian systems for detecting FPV drones, including acoustic detectors. One of the developers said that, depending on the size of such a system, it can detect a drone by sound at a distance of up to several hundred metres.

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