Russian decoy UAV shot down over Kiev

A video taken shortly after a major nighttime attack shows a Russian “kamikaze” UAV drifting downstream on the Dnipro River.

According to Ukrainian media, a Russian Gerbera drone was shot down during a large-scale air attack on Kiev on July 5, and was later seen drifting in the Dnipro River. Photo: @Exilenova.

The video, shared by Exilenova via Telegram, shows the wreckage of the drone floating downstream of the Dnipro River. Photo: @Exilenova.

Although the exact location along the banks of the Dnipro River was not disclosed, visual analysis shows that the Gerbera UAV was intercepted by Ukrainian air defense systems during the missile attack, when the vehicle deliberately targeted the capital Kyiv. Photo: @Exilenova.

However, the reality is that Gerbera is believed to have been used by Russia as a decoy, not a military weapon for direct attack. Photo: @Exilenova.

Based on the configuration from the remains of the Russian UAV found, the drone is one of the Gerbera glider munitions, a simplified version of the Iranian-designed Shahed-136 drone. Photo: @Exilenova.

The body of this drone is made from polystyrene and plywood, unlike the aluminum or composite materials commonly used in most military drones. Photo: @Exilenova.

The Gerbera UAV features commercially available electronics and components commonly found in other Russian military systems. Photo: @militarnyi.

Despite having a smaller payload than the Shahed-136, the Gerbera is significantly cheaper, with some estimating that the Gerbera is only one-tenth the cost of the Shahed-136 drone. Photo: @ militarnyi.

Unlike other variants with attack capabilities, Gerbera is primarily used to mimic real attack drones to act as decoys, and to drain the ammunition of enemy air defense systems. Photo: @ Defence Blog.

It can be seen that the Gerbera UAV continues to put pressure on Ukraine's already limited air defense resources. Its low cost and simplicity allow Russia to produce these drones in large numbers. For each Gerbera drone deployed, Ukraine must use ammunition from its air defense systems to neutralize it. Photo: @ C-UAS Hub.

The use of cheap decoy drones like Gerbera reflects a tactical shift in Russia’s strategy: by combining real and fake threats, it will be more difficult and costly for Ukraine to defend against each wave of such approaching flying objects. Photo: @ C-UAS Hub.

Furthermore, when disabled by Ukrainian air defense systems, it not only depletes Ukraine’s vital military resources, but also provides Russia with intelligence on those systems. This means that when Ukrainian air defense systems attack Gerbera drones, Gerbera will reveal the location of those air defense systems, leaving them vulnerable to subsequent Russian attacks. Photo: @ Defense Blog.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/uav-moi-nhu-nga-bi-ban-ha-tren-bau-troi-kiev-post1553177.html