The Awesomeness of the Joker-10, a Unique Russian Drone That Can Hibernate

JAKARTA – Russia has a new weapon, namely the Joker-10 drone which has the special ability to “hibernate”. The greatness of this FPV kamikaze drone is undeniable, to the point that it has become a scourge for Ukrainian troops and NATO combat vehicles on the battlefield.

The Joker-10 drone has a carrying capacity of up to 5 kg, and a flying speed of around 100 km per hour when fully charged, or 200 km per hour when empty. The drone has a unique design feature that allows it to “hibernate” while waiting up to a month before being activated remotely.

“Our drones are equipped with two vital features. The first is a hibernation unit that allows the operator to turn the drone on and off remotely. This means not only turning the motors on and off, but also turning off power to the device completely. Basically, it’s like pulling the drone’s battery remotely,” said Director General Dmitry Kuzyakin as reported by Sputnik, Saturday (30/3/2024).

Kuzyakin added that this drone is resistant to rain and snow. “This drone can wait up to a week to launch in the winter, and up to a month in the summer,” he said.

In hibernation mode, the Joker-10 drone can communicate with the operator through passive means. “It is passive, has practically no radio emissions, and is therefore very difficult to detect during hibernation,” he said.

The ability to remotely wake the Joker-10 allows the crew to place the “sleeping” drone in a front-line area and leave, undetected by Ukrainian electronic intelligence collection units hunting Russian drone operators. This means that by the time the drone is turned on, the operator is no longer visible so others cannot pick up any radio emissions. If necessary, the drone can also be flown into a waiting area and shut down remotely.

The second advantage of the Joker-10 is its electronic detonator system. This system makes it possible to self-destruct remotely thereby preventing it from falling into enemy hands.

“To date, the enemy has not gotten any of our drones, because the detonator is guaranteed to be triggered by a timer, or impact, or an operator command. The detonator will also explode if someone tries to destroy it or cut the wires,” he said.

The two greatness of Joker-10 above is not just a figment of imagination. Drone this had forced one company, equivalent to 80-250 Ukrainian fighters to surrender. “Perhaps no one can repeat this ‘record’. Not Bradleys, Humvees, or even Leopard 2s, but 60 soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who had to surrender after seeing for themselves what the mass use of FPV drones means. That is, one small drone ‘captures’ the entire company of Ukrainian troops,” said Dmitry Kuzyakin.

(msf)