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Ukraine-built 290 g receiver turns Russian drone signals into live video

D·Vision SDR scans from 500 MHz to 8.7 GHz, covering the band Russia's Molniya drones moved to in June. Experts warn a Russian shift to digital video could sideline it.

A small hand-held receiver at dawn turns curved radio waves from a distant drone into a glowing trail of light across the sunrise sky.
Illustration generated with AI.

A communications company in Kyiv has built a radio receiver small enough to hold in your hand that turns the signals of Russian drones into live video.

The device, called D·Vision SDR, picks up signals from Russian drones and turns them into live viewable video in real time.

Defense News, RBC-Ukraine and TechRadar all report the tool was developed by CODE380.

CODE380 is a Ukrainian communications company.

The difference lies in the software. Unlike conventional detectors that rely on analog receivers, D·Vision SDR analyzes the radio airwaves through code, DOU's report explained. That design lets CODE380 push updates whenever Russian forces switch drone frequencies, so the receiver keeps working as signals move. The team ships a new version roughly twice a month, and work on the device continues, DOU and TechRadar report.

The receiver scans from 500 MHz to 8.7 GHz, covering the 4.1 to 4.5 GHz band, according to Defense News, DOU and RBC-Ukraine. That band matters because Russia's Molniya strike drones began sending their video signals there in June 2026. Militarnyi reports the device also detects PAL and NTSC analog video and signals from DJI Mavic drones at ranges up to 2.5 km.

Weight sets D·Vision SDR apart from its Ukrainian rivals. At roughly 290 grams, it weighs about half as much as the competing receivers carried by Ukrainian forces, Defense News, Militarnyi and RBC-Ukraine report. Babai's Vydun 7.5 reaches up to 7.5 GHz, Defense News, Militarnyi and RBC-Ukraine report. Contra-drone's SENSE-4 comes to 600 grams and tops out at 8.2 GHz. BlueBird Tech's Chuyka 3.0 runs up to 650 grams after an upgrade to 8.8 GHz.

Whalesbook, the website that tracks drone warfare technology, judges the current edge a temporary tactical gain. Beskrestnov, a Ukrainian electronic warfare expert, said Russia is designing drone variants with harder-to-hack video feeds, pointing to the Molniyas. He and other experts warned that a full Russian switch to digital video and fiber-optic control would sideline portable analog detectors and fixed stations. "We need to be ready for digital video to one day fully replace analog," he said, and Ukrainian makers are already building upgrade capability into new devices.