Chinese electronics found inside russian drones (like in Shahed-136) and other Chinese-made components used in their production are not a secret, as it's been emphasized for a long time. However, it turned out that cooperation between russia and China extends beyond the supply of parts and involves developing Gerbera drones.
Another revelation about this relatively recently introduced product, allegedly created by the russian Gastello Design Bureau, is that Gerbera is actually a multirole UAV and, besides being a decoy or loitering munition, it can also conduct reconnaissance missions and relay signal to extend the combat radius of other drones or increase their EW resistance. The insights come from a new study by the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.
Read more: Gerbera, the New russian Foam Plastic Killer Drone, Showcased in Detail (Video)
According to DIU, the developer of Gerbera is the Chinese company Skywalker Technology Co., Ltd., specializing in flying model aircraft and winged drones, mostly for entertainment and leisure. Defense Express notes that the company's product catalog does not include the Gerbera suggesting that it was a special development project commissioned by the russian federation.
The Ukrainian intelligence agency specified that Skywalker Technology manufactures the fuselage and organizes the supply of assembly kits to russia so they can be finalized at drone manufacturing facilities in Alabuga. This generally explains both the use of foam plastic for the fuselage, which is a material unusual for russians, and the crude assembly of Gerbera powered by a factory producing toy gliders.
The detailed list of components from DIU shows that the most expensive part of this drone is the engine — DLE60 from Chinese Mile Hao Xiang Technology Co., Ltd., it costs $430–550 on Chinese marketplaces. The drone's electronics, on the other hand, all fit in one photo and cost $100–200 at most.
That said, transforming the Gerbera into a scout vehicle really increases its value compared to what we knew of this drone before. Gerberas were seen equipped with a stabilized camera from Topotek and a Mesh Network XK-F358 modem from Xingkay Tech. These two components alone raise the cost of the drone by at least $8,500.
Particular attention should be paid to the integration of the mesh modem, as it allows drones united in a mesh network to exchange data with each other and relay signal from the operator effectively becoming mutual repeaters. This makes them harder to jam with electronic warfare systems because the mesh network supports and creates a dynamic relay chain, which can only be countered by simultaneously jamming each one of the drones that can be part of the network.
In addition, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine confirmed that Gerbera can carry a warhead and perform the role of loitering munition, as the russians claimed during the demonstration of this drone in summer 2024.
An unknown UAV, whose wreckage was found in Kiev and which appeared in the "Alabuga Polytechnic" video, turned out to be a certain "Gerbera" developed by the N. F. Gastello Design Bureau, equipped with a camera.As reported in a newly released video, the "Gerbera" can be used in… pic.twitter.com/XK8j7yZpYq — MD (@distant_earth83) July 28, 2024
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