The Ukrainian Defence Intelligence has shared details about the components of Russia’s new AI-powered attack drone, the V2U. This drone is capable of autonomous flight and
target selection, and it operates using an NVIDIA Jetson Orin chip as its central processor. While the drone includes a variety of Western off-the-shelf components, the majority of its parts are manufactured in China.
The V2U attack drone is actively used by Russian forces in the Sumy region of Ukraine. According to Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence Agency (GUR), the drone’s key capability lies in its use of artificial intelligence to independently identify and select targets. The agency stated on Telegram that the drone’s computing system is built around the Chinese Leetop A203 mini-computer, which integrates the NVIDIA Jetson Orin for high-speed processing.
NVIDIA designed the Jetson Orin modules for robotics and edge computing applications, enabling real-time execution of complex AI tasks. The Jetson Orin Nano, a compact and affordable model priced at $249, was originally meant for developers, students, and tech enthusiasts. Although NVIDIA officially halted all sales and operations in Russia, its products continue to appear in Russian military applications, despite strict US export controls.
The V2U drone also includes several Western-made components. These include an Intel Dual-band Wireless AC 8265 adapter, a Sony light sensor, a Swiss STM32 32-bit microcontroller, and an electromagnetic relay from Ireland. However, the core parts such as the motors, solid-state drive, speed controllers, rangefinder, detonator, and power systems are largely Chinese, as reported by the War&Sanction website.
Ukrainian Defence Intelligence noted that the drone contains only one GPS module. This suggests that Russia may be moving away from satellite navigation due to the impact of Ukrainian electronic warfare systems. Instead, the drone likely relies on computer vision technology, comparing live camera images with pre-loaded terrain photographs to navigate.
The V2U is also equipped with LTE communication capabilities through a SIM card from a Ukrainian mobile network, made possible by its Tandem-4GS-OEM-11 modem-router. Ukrainian authorities have identified two Russian and two Chinese companies involved in the supply and assembly of components for the drone.
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