'Wait-mode drones' can remain dangerous for more than one day – Defense Ministry advisor 'Flash'

Both on the front line and in the rear, so-called "loitering" or "wait-mode" drones are being used increasingly, and in power-saving mode they can remain dangerous for over 24 hours.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry advisor Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov reported this on Telegram,  according to Ukrinform.

"The use of 'wait-mode drones' on the front lines and in rear areas is becoming increasingly widespread. I won't describe our solutions – I'll show the enemy's. The physics is the same for both us and the enemy, so the performance indicators will be similar," he noted.

Beskrestnov provided the following examples: when reducing the power of the VTX (a video transmitter module on an FPV drone that sends a real-time video signal from the camera to the pilot's goggles or monitor), the battery of a loitering drone is depleted after 12 hours. If the VTX is switched off via a relay, after 17 hours the drone is still capable of taking off with a 2 kg payload and flying for 5 minutes. If all onboard electronics except the receiver are completely turned off, after 17 hours the drone can take off and fly with a 2 kg payload for up to 13 minutes.

"Conclusion: on a standard battery, a 'wait-mode drone' in power-saving mode can remain dangerous for more than 24 hours," the advisor explained.

As Ukrinform previously reported, over the past week Russia launched up to 3,000 unmanned aerial vehicles at Ukraine.