The GUR showed off a new Russian V2U drone with AI. What makes it special?
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense has published a technical "unpacking" of the new Russian V2U strike drone. It is actively used by the Russian army in the Sumy direction, GUR reports.
A feature of the drone is its ability to autonomously search and select targets using artificial intelligence. The computing system is based on the Chinese minicomputer Leetop A203, as the central processor which uses a high-speed assembly based on NVIDIA Jetson Orin.
"V2U is equipped with only one GPS module, which probably indicates the Russians' refusal to use satellite navigation due to the operation of Ukrainian electronic warfare systems," the GUR reports.
Presumably, navigation using "computer vision" is used – the drone compares images from the camera with pre-loaded photos of the area, intelligence notes.
It also provides the ability to control in FPV format via LTE communication. A Microdrive Tandem-4GS-OEM-11 modem router is installed, which works with a SIM card of a Ukrainian mobile operator.
Despite the Russian marking, the modem's component base is of Chinese origin, intelligence noted.
According to intelligence, the drone is assembled mainly from Chinese-made components: engine, GPS module, servos, solid-state drive, rangefinder, speed controllers, and batteries.
In addition, a Japanese Sony photosensitive sensor, an electromagnetic relay from the Irish company Te Connectivity, and the aforementioned American Jetson Orin module are installed.
The GUR also found identification data of two Russian and two Chinese companies involved in the supply and assembly of components for this type of UAV.
- On April 7, 2025, the GUR reported that it had detected an Indian-made component in a Russian weapon for the first time. At the same time, a noticeable decrease in the number of American parts was recorded.
- On May 12, the GUR found more than 20 components from the United States and other countries in the new Russian cruise missile .
