MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/. Specialists from the Zhukovsky and Gagarin Air Force Academy have demonstrated the Cheburashka-Ts universal antenna rotator for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) ground control stations for signal enhancement and interference suppression, the academy representatives told TASS at the 29th Moscow International Salon of Inventions and Innovative Technologies Archimedes 2026.
"The device is designed to extend the communication range with allied unmanned aerial vehicles. <…> We have two antennas, so we check which antenna gets a stronger signal, which indicates a drone. We turn in that direction to verify, and the signal quality gets better. Field trials have proven that the signal range, compared to the basic solution, increases twofold," said an academy representative.
The academy noted that the Cheburashka radiating antennas can connect to a ground control station at a distance of up to 20 km from the operator console to ensure personnel safety. With two narrow-beam receiver antennas and an equal-signal direction-finding method, the device determines the direction of the UAV and turns the transmitting aerial toward the drone.
According to an academy representative, the Cheburashka’s frame is made entirely on a 3D printer, and only readily available, modular solutions are used in the electronics, allowing for relatively simple production and repair, even with basic tools. "It was first tested at proving grounds, and then, just recently, three devices have been tested in the Donetsk area. We handed them over to the combat crews, trained them, and received positive feedback and requests to produce more such devices," the academy concluded.