Inside the downed Gerbera, the Russian military accidentally left checklists from Alabuga: what's in them
A well-known Ukrainian expert on military radio technology and consultant to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Serhiy "Flash" Beskrestnov, has published a series of photos from the downed Russian Gerbera, a decoy UAV that is actively used by the Russian military to overload air defences by creating additional decoys during Shahedi attacks." Inside the drone's body, they found original production inspection checklists with worker signatures, dates of completion of stages and technical parts that were left over after assembly.
What are these documents?
Gerbery found:
- CPC unit inspection sheet with serial number AL-2505-2579;
- notes on all production steps: case assembly, soldering, testing and final inspection;
- firmware, GPS and accelerometer calibration data;
- test dates - early May 2025.
One of the checklists indicates: software check, loading scripts into EEPROM and "Voice" sections, test of GPS operation (25 satellites) and stability in case of signal loss.
Reference: who is Sergey "Flash" Beskrestnov?
Sergiy Alexandrovych Beskrestnov is a Ukrainian military radio technology specialist, consultant to the AFU and tech blogger known by the call sign Sergiy "Flash" Beskrestnov. According to Wikipedia, he heads the Public Association "Centre of Radio Technologies" and is actively engaged in training and support of AFU and NSU units in the field of communications and REB. He is a graduate of the Kyiv Military Institute of Management and Communications (1997). After the full-scale invasion, he organised the military communications system in the north of the Kyiv region, analyses Russian equipment, creates scenarios for countering UAVs. He has state awards: medals "Cross of the Army", "Cross of Honour" and awards for contributing to the defence of Ukraine.
Synopsis: Gerbera UAV
"Gerbera" is a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is actively used in the war against Ukraine. It is a simplified and cheaper version of Iran's Shahed-136 kamikaze drone ("Geran-2" in the Russian army). Developed in 2024 by the Gastello Design Bureau, the drone has a low production cost of about $2,000-3,000 per unit. The Gerbera's body is made of foam with plywood elements, making it lightweight, cheap and less visible to radar. The unit weighs 5-10kg and is 1.2m long. The drone is equipped with a 4G modem for real-time video transmission via mobile networks, and its maximum range reaches 300 kilometres. "Gerbera" performs reconnaissance, surveillance, air defence diversion and target strikes. Due to its low cost, the drone is often used as a decoy or as part of swarms for massive attacks.
Source: Facebook page of Sergey Flesh
