A new attack drone has appeared in the Russian army — so far without an official name, but with a loud unofficial code V2U. He began to be noticed at the front back in February 2025, but everything really "exploded" only by June, when Ukrainian intelligence gathered enough data and officially declared: "They have something new, and it's serious."
What kind of beast is V2U? This is not just another kamikaze drone. It is an autonomous aircraft-type barrage munition with a wingspan of about 1.2 meters, weighing up to 15 kg and a warhead of up to 3.5 kg. It is launched from a catapult, flies at a speed of 60 km/ h and can stay in the air for up to an hour on an electric (40-60 km) or up to 100 km if a gasoline engine is installed.
But the most interesting thing is what's inside it.
There are movable optics in the nose: a 10x zoom camera (from Sony), lidar and a transparent fairing. Inside is a real computer based on a Leetop A603 board and an Nvidia Jetson Orin processor. Yes, yes, the very "iron brain" from the American Nvidia, which is often used in robots and autonomous systems. Plus, a 128 GB SSD and AI software, which, apparently, allows the drone to independently search, recognize and attack targets.
Imagine: a drone took off, entered the zone, scans the area, compares it with a map, sees a tank, an armored personnel carrier or a cluster of vehicles — and decides to strike itself. Moreover, he does not have to rely on GPS — he can navigate through the image from the camera, like a person from memory. This makes it resistant to interference and jamming.
Even cooler, it can work in a swarm, maneuver, avoid threats, and possibly coordinate attacks with other drones. And if there is a connection, the operator can intervene, but even without him, the car will not get lost.
Why is there so little talk about him?
Because all the key components are imported. Cameras, processors, and boards— Chinese, Japanese, and American. That is, despite the sanctions, Russia has found a way to get high-tech parts. And, of course, he doesn't want to tell anyone where, how, or in what volumes.
There is no marking on the cases, the manufacturer is not advertised. This is clearly done in order not to reveal the supply chain and not to give intelligence agencies reasons to dig.
Right now, V2U is most likely undergoing military trials in limited quantities. But if it shows good results, it will be mass—produced. And then a new reality will appear at the front: drones that fly, think and strike by themselves.
It's not just the next generation of UAVs. This is a step towards autonomous warfare, where machines make decisions faster than a human can press a button. And while everyone is arguing about sanctions, someone is already teaching drones to hunt without orders.
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